It was the best Riad I have stayed so far. Exceptional facilities, delicious breakfast, relaxing ambience and very professional staff. A truly memorable stay, hopefully we will come back one day. Totally recommend it!

Everything was perfect and we enjoy the whole hotel and the especially nice, kindly and helpful service !! Thanks for that experience.

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We really liked the place, service was outstanding and friendly. A bit more expensive than other places but well worth it. The rooms are beautiful and spacious. The location in the Medina is optimal and easy to access.

I have to admit nothing, this is quite rare. Could not stress this more in a time over many overrated places. Definitely a place we will go back would pass by again.

Stayed 1 night and wished we could have stayed longer. Staff was very welcoming and welcomed us with piping hot mint tea and snacks while we we waited for the room to be ready. 5-10 minute walk from the bus station. Room was very clean with huge mirrors and full length mirror (which my partner loved). Bed was comfortable and there was even a fireplace in our room. Some of the windows were facing the inner courtyard but we really didn't hear much noise as the place was mainly quiet. The only odd thing about our specific room's set up was that the entrance door came into the bathroom area and the only thing separating the bathtub and toilet area from the rest of the room was a curtain but it didn't bother us. One of the best riad breakfasts I've had during my entire trip in Morocco. Riad is within walking distance to everything in Essaouira. They even held our luggage after check out so that we could see the city while we waited for our late afternoon bus. Excellent value for the price; would strongly recommend staying here.

Nothing.

Beautiful interiors, spacious rooms and bathtubs as well as excellent service. I really recommend this Riad to every traveller!

A lovely traditional Riad within the medina. Excellent staff, who were genuinely friendly and keen to do anything to help make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Good recommendation to eat in a great restaurant, we simply would not have found without their suggestion. We also ate at the Riad, as we arrived in the evening. The meal was very good and served in their simple dining room with an open fire. Would highly recommend.

I endorse this review by another guest: “nice place, but unreasonable price. The most expensive riad of our stay, but not the most beautiful or the best equipped. It should cost 30% less considering what it offers”. Yes, I agree: taking all factors into account, this property should be priced at least 30% less. It is definitely overpriced. This hotel failed to prepare a thorough advert on booking-com website. Instead of describing each of their rooms individually (they only have 7 rooms), they congregate them into two types — “Superior double room” and “Comfort double room”. As a result, you do not know which room out of the seven you are booking until you arrive. The hotel manager should create seven “room types” on their booking-com page and accurately describe each room by giving its name and correct photographs of THAT PARTICULAR ROOM, not just a collection of photographs of all rooms. Customers deserve to know what exactly they will get, if this hotel charges €200, €150 or €130 per night. Another consequence of the hotel’s failure to advertise each room individually is that when photographs of five rooms are pooled together into one room type, prospective customers are misled. Indeed, I was misled. I was shown beautiful photographs with a hammock in the middle of a room, which creates a cosy impression, which enticed me to reserve it. And I was given a plain room without a hammock. They have a hammock only in one room; yet they dishonestly show it in the advert for all five rooms. I dislike that. Their other marketing photographs are also misleading. If we look at marketing photographs of “superior double room”, we see that they show rooms with burning logs of wood in a fireplace, a thick bouquet of live flowers in a bedroom, a vase with many flowers beside a bath. None of that was in my bedroom when I arrived.

If the hotel shows a burning wood fire in their marketing photos, and charges €150 per night, I expect to see a burning fire in my bedroom on a cold winter evening (the fire could have been started by a staff member when they take the guest to the room). But no, there was no possibility for me to lit a fire during a cold evening. There was no vase with flowers at the side of a bath. The thick bouquet of live flowers shown in their marketing photos in a bedroom was not there in reality. Their photos show jacuzzi with heated water on the second floor. But it was covered by a piece of material and closed to the guests. Yet, that jacuzzi features in so many marketing photographs, and dupes prospective customers into making at reservation at this expensive hotel. I did not like the bathroom in two respects. In the bathrooms you get only a fixed-arm shower head above you. They do not have a hand-held shower head with a flexible hose, with which you can direct water flow wherever you want. This was very uncomfortable: every single hotel in which I stayed in Morocco has always had a hand-held shower with a flexible hose. Considering their very high prices, I see no reason why the hotel cannot install both shower types — a fixed-arm shower head above, and a hand-held shower head with a flexible hose at chest or waist level. I endorse what other people have written: “No door, just a curtain between the bathroom and bedroom, as a result the bathroom has little privacy”. I too disliked this lack of privacy. I was in an uncomfortable situation where I had to ask my travel companion to go out of the room into a communal area, so that I can use the bathroom and toilet in privacy. Also, because there is no proper barrier between the bathroom and bedroom, after you have had a bath, all steam or vapor goes into the bedroom. I had a bath before going to sleep, and it had filled the whole bedroom with vapor for the whole night — not what we want in hotel that charges €150 per night.

Open fire in the room

Centrally located, pretty and well looked after traditional Riad. Nice attention to detail. The staff were very friendly and happy to provide recommendations for things to do. Good breakfast - coffee, tea, orange juice, various bread and pastries with jam, honey etc, fresh fruit and eggs made to order.

Great welcoming. Very beautiful place. Staff sooo nice!! Great stay!

This is one of the best places we have ever stayed. Sameera and Hicham could not have been more helpful. Hicham gave us great recommendations and made our reservations. Sameera presented the most wonderful breakfast and freshly baked cake on our arrival. The room was amazing with the most beautiful bathroom we had ever seen. We had a fire in our room that was lit on request. Our room was tidied to perfection during breakfast. There is even a resident tortoise. We could not recommend this Riad enough and we cannot wait to come back!

The location of the riad is pefect, inside the medina but very close to one of the entries which makes it easy to find the hotel. Our room was very confortable and clean. The breakfast is one of the best we had in Morocco. The staff was also very helpful. If we go to Essaouira again, we'll definitely repeat in Riad Chbanate.

everything

nothing

Located in a quiet part of the Medina but an easy stroll to all the highlights. A beautiful place with amazingly helpful and friendly staff.

Where to start ! The peaceful, beautiful rooms, all the staff - especially Ergragui- who was so kind, warm and helpful. The delicious breakfasts, the central location and last but by no means least- Chbanate the turtle - who was always there to welcome us home. You really can’t ask for a better place to stay. We will be back !

beautiful condition, great food, friendly staff

Beautiful, serene building.

The location was not inviting. Once inside the Riad, it was an oasis! Much more than inviting!!

Perfect stay. Grigi (hopefully spelt that right) was a superb host, as were the cooks! Located in a perfect location within the medina. Room was awesome!

N/A

We loved the colourful and ample room we got, in this beautiful Riad in central Essaouira. The classic architecture of the Riad was really interesting, with lots of wood decorations and small details. The courtyard is a beautiful place to hang out for a mint tea, offered by the gentle staff!

I guess the whirlpool on the terrace wasn’t working, but the weather was also surprisingly cool, so we didn’t really need it!

Breakfast was great. The room was amazing. The staff were incredibly helpful.

Riad Chbanate was by far our favourite stay in all of Morocco. We were warmly welcomed by Greg and treated incredibly well - he helped with restaurant recommendations and reservations and started a fire in our room's fireplace each night. All the staff were equally welcoming. Couldn't recommend staying here more!

Allllll

The staff was very accommodating and the room was decorated nicely for our honeymoon.

Breakfast was delicious. We also had a light dinner in the riad when we arrived and it was also delicious!!

The noise from the street outside the riad was a little loud at times but I would still HIGHLY recommend this riad.

We loved our stay in this wonderful Riad! It is traditional and beautiful and managed by wonderful, professional and friendly staff! Gragui in particular is a rare host that goes out of the way to be kind and helpful to the guests. I will surely stay there again and recommend to everyone. The panoramic suite has great views and privacy, but also the other rooms are wonderfully decorated and comfortable. Very well done - the place to go in the windy city!

Nothing, we loved everything.