Hivernage Hotel

This is a great place to stay for a break in Marrakech. Everything you would expect from a hotel with this rating. The photos on the site don't do it justice as it's obviously had a bit of a makeover since with a coffee-table magazine style reception and lounge area. The location is great if you want an out-of-the-Medina stay but with just a short stroll to the main square. We were in a standard twin room first night and reception moved us to a standard king for the remainder of the stay on request. Both rooms were well equipped with good air con, great beds and a quality bathroom. The twin was larger with a seating area but the king had a small balcony to sit on. Rose petals scattered throughout was a nice touch. Breakfast by the pool each morning was great too. The only downer was the driver for our airport pick-up we arranged didn't have a clearly marked sign for us, so we had to make our own way to the hotel (but we saved money anyway so no big deal!). I would definitely stay here again.

It’s a (relatively) small and (fairly) stylish new hotel, with plenty of attractive modern-Moroccan touches, which worked very well for us. Rooms on one side of the building have a great view of the city walls and the Koutoubia; but other rooms - including some of the better ones – only overlook the pool area and the neighbouring modern apartments etc immediately beyond. Our room was smart and very comfortable. Service was fine, but I expect that the small reception area could get overloaded if too many people were arriving or leaving at the same time. The pool area is small and quite urban, though a pleasant enough place for a drink. There are no grounds or gardens as such (and the potential roof terrace/bar was closed – maybe permanently so), so it's not the ideal place to unwind after busy days in the medina and I probably wouldn't pick the hotel for a long stay (we were moving on by rental-car, so appreciated the easy parking). But the hotel's Table du Marché café and restaurant, with its large terrace on the street, was good and attracted plenty of outside custom (not just hotel guests) which made for a decent atmosphere. Breakfast was excellent, with amazing choice. The famous Le Comptoir was around the corner and the large Sofitel – with its alternative bars/restaurants/gardens – was almost across the road. It’s certainly possible to stroll from the hotel to the Koutoubia and the square, but major construction works (and traffic) mean that the walk’s not much fun at the moment.

We stayed at this hotel with a group of 30. The hotel had a boutique feel and had comfortable public rooms. The area by the pool was really good for gathering round and finding space in comfortable shaded areas as well as sun, though not enough pool beds. The pool was freezing! The treatements in the Spa were very reasonable in comparison with UK prices so worth treating yourself, good hot water pool if you cannot take the temperature in the outside one. Great location for accessing the |Medina and Djeema el Fna, a walk of about 15 mins or a shoirt taxi ride. If you are a golfer the nearest courses are about 15 mins in a taxi. Make sure you play a game as it is really good value. Back to the hotel - service is a bit erratic, almost feels like there is no control but if you are patient and persistent it eventually arrives. Rooms are comfortable and have a Morrocan feel. Good for a long weekend

We went to the hotel without booking and were given a superior room overlooking the Katoubia at a rate slightly below the rack rate. The front desk was helpful, the room beautifully appointed and the view fabulous. The restaurant is rather dark but there is an outside one which functions at lunch and in the evenings (with patio heaters if it gets very cold). Food at breakfast is excellent and the choice a la carte for other meals good and not particularly expensive. There is free wi-fi in the lobby and free parking adjacent for those with cars. What's more the hotel is walking distance from the centre of Marrakech. We shall certainly go back.

Have just returned from a week long trip to Marakech divided between 4 nights at the Hivernage and 2 nights in a Riad in the Medina. Overall the hotel is good value and a safe bet for those new to Marrakech and wanting familiar western style hotel accomodation. It is in a good location close to the Medina and our room was stylishly furnished and immaculately presented. The gym was a plus also and provided much needed distraction on the one day that we had bad weather. On the more negative side the service is chaotic - even though the place has swarms of staff all over they rarely seemed to be able to actually deliver what we asked for, both in the spa and the restaurant. On the one rainy day the breakfast room was utter chaos and we were left to sit at dirty tables with no cutlery or coffee. We also felt like the hotel charged rip off prices at every opportunity. The spa is also one to miss - my half hour massage was poor and overpriced (and to add insult to injury it only lasted twenty minutes!). Les Bains de Marrakech was much nicer (though you need to book well in advance). Overall this was a decent hotel to stay in and the accomodation was of a good standard. It is a good bet if you intend to be out and about all day and need a comfortable base. probably best for older travellers and families. If you are particularly bothered about using the pool or spa facilities then don't go out of your way to stay here - the pool is small and the courtyard didnt seemed to catch much sun.

When we arrived, the staff on reception told us that they had no record of our booking and no room available for us. The girls on reception made no effort to check their records and ignored us until I insisted something was done and refused to move until it was sorted out. I contacted our travel agent (on my mobile - they didn't offer the use of their phone), who called the hotel. After an hour of chasing the paper trail, it turned out that the hotel had received confirmation of our booking. But we were then told that the hotel was full and that they would have to send us elsewhere. Our travel agent told us not to go anywhere. A room was eventually found – but we received no explanation for the mix-up and no apology. The room we were given overlooked a busy road and the windows did not provide enough sound insulation.

An attractive and quite chic boutique hotel with stylish decor and relaxing spa. However, in common with many Marrakech hotels, it suffers from poor service and unattentive staff. At check in we were simply handed cards to complete and left to it. Pool side service is non-existent and you have to hunt for the waiter from the bar. We waited 3 days for an iron for the room after making five phonecalls. Breakfast staff are similarly unattentive and you will have to wait for coffee or hang aroung looking for the omelette / egg chef. Overall a nice hotel with a good location but shame about the quality of service. Be advised the pool only gets sun for 4 hours a day between 12 noon and 4.00pm. The water is also so cold you may not want to swim at all.

This is a good hotel in Marrakech. We stayed here for a couple of nights after a riad experience for 4 nights. We visited the other 5 star hotels in Marrakech before booking this one. Sofitel was nice but had a smell to it. Villa Orangiers was fanastic but we wanted to get out of the Medina after 4 nights. Hivernage is a beautiful area. Jardins de la Koutubia was nothing special and again was in the Medina. Hivernage Hotel - nice and modern, with a nice spa, awesome bed and room, great room service and nice pool. Definetly recommend it. The english at the hotel could be better but then it can also be a refreshing change. They've got a great cafe downstairs which is always busy and has got chocolate cakes. The restaurant was ok too but i would not recommend the penne arabiatta. Overall, I dont think u can go wrong at this hotel - especially if u want all the mod cons whilst in Marrakech. Its great value too as we got a deluxe with breakfast for 1200 dirhams.

We stayed both here and at the Riad Kniza while in Marrakech. The Hivernage has the pool (which is great for a hot day in Marrakech) as its main selling point, along with modern Moroccan flair and a suprisiningly excellent restaurant for dinner (try the beef tangia, a unique and incredibly good dish). If you're looking for modern, this is an excellent choice. However, if you really want to experience the Marrakech medina, I'd go with something like Riad Kniza to get the feel of it in a uniquely Moroccan way.

While this may not be the cheapest hotel in Marrakesh (we paid £100 a night inc breakfast) we were upgraded to a better room, without asking, that had a wonderful balcony and private hamman area. The staff were fantastic and had no problems speaking English (despite what others have said). The pool area is a little small and the pool os very chillly but it's a great suntrap and a lovely way to cool down once you have baked in the midday sun! Breakfast here is quite good, plenty of fresh fruit, pastries etc but it can be a little slow, but this would be our only fault with this hotel, where we stayed in April 2006. The hotel is only 2 years old and is right on the medina walls, a 5-10 minute strol gets you into the main square and all the souks. I would recommend taking one of the horse and carriages around the city, as this is quite a good way to get your bearings and also really enjoyable. Beware of El Farna Square on an evening, plenty of pickpockets and people ready to rip you off given a chance. Snake chamers who will charge tyou for taking a photo on your camera and storytellers who want money from you the minute they see you watching. This hotel is a quarter of the size of the Sofitel and there is no noise at all, I can't understand why anyone would move to the Sofitel when it is much more impersonal and on the same road (which incidentally is not busy!) Feel free to email me if you want to know anything else about the hotel or Morocco!