Boutique Hôtel Palais Masandoia

This is no where near a 5 star hotel. I can't believe it ever did qualify as a 5 star. My husband and I were appalled by it as an example of 5 star. We paid for a high level room and all we got was lots of space including a large outdoor patio with no appeal or privacy. Also the pool area was just a dust bowl The bed was fine and the staff were very good but the bathroom was terrible as was the food. There were better options in Erfoud that were cheaper. Do not be fooled by the pictures.

A welcome stop on the way to the Sahara! We were greeted personally in the large entrance hall where we were offered a traditional hand washing before being led to a smaller waiting area and served tea and cookies. The hallways, rooms and beautiful pool were quiet and enjoyable without the massive numbers that disembark from the buses. Here you get a more personalized approach. The dining room and bar area served delicious drinks with dinner and again a very generous and delicious breakfast was served before we had to leave. The hotel was clean, the grounds manicured and in spite of a few minor imperfections such as loose tiles, everything was wonderful! If you're looking for a quieter, more personalized and relaxed stay after a long trek to Erfoud, then please do consider Palais Masandoia.

I was pleasantly surprised with the hotel. We stayed overnight prior to our desert trip. Dinner was great as well as a big breakfast spread. The place has a nice bar area and indoor pool. The staff was friendly and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable.

Lovely luxury hotel in the desert. Super nice and accommodating staff. Food was great; southern Morocco tends to have more grilled meat as well as Tangine, so that was a welcome addition. Our trip to the desert was postponed for a few hours. They offered our group 2 rooms, we enjoyed the pool. They were very relaxed about the whole thing. Go!

After a long day on the road, we arrived at Palais Masandoia which looks a little forlorn as you approach across a patch of sandy ground. The welcome was warm but there was a feeling that check-in staff weren't over worked and so it turned out as there were few guests. A pity in many ways as it has great potential. The bedroom was large but rather stark with lighting which needed a revamp and modernisation. The building is traditional and very well maintained. Pool area was very pleasant and staff attentive. Dinner seemed to be a mainly tagine menu, though very appetising when served in the rather nice dining room trying to evoke a time past. Again, a feeling that it needed more guests to revive and create atmosphere, with a small number of staff doing a lot of work. Breakfast was very pleasant and taken out in the courtyard. In many ways it seems not to have fully recovered from the trauma of Covid and been able to win back guests. A great pity.

A difficult review to write as I feel we were not positioned to take advantage of what Palais Masandoia had to offer, nor to see it at its best. We were the only guests, and consequently it felt a little odd. Apparently they had been full the night before and were expecting a large group the next day, but to be the only guests in such an expansive property was a bit “And Then There Were None”!! The hotel has many facilities, including indoor and outdoor pools, dining areas, and a bar. Our suite, Santxo, was spartan but very comfortable, although some of the furnishings had seen better days, as had the toilet seat, which was very wonky! The suite was large, the bed was comfortable, and everything worked. We liked the simplicity. We had driven many hours from Fes so were too tired to use the pools. We had a drink in the bar, which was fine, although the bar is very dark. We had dinner included and took this in the dining room. It had to be pre-ordered during the day, which made sense when we were the only guests! The food was average, although the dessert was delicious. I didn’t have breakfast so cannot comment on the quality. The staff were all very helpful. We were pleased to find they used the “tip box” system for gratuities: this is so much a better idea when you have a variety of people looking after you, even for a one night stay. I feel the solitude on this particular night let the property down: had there been more of a buzz with additional guests, I think the whole atmosphere would have been better. It was a very comfortable place to stay after a long drive, and I just don’t think we saw it at its best.