PLAIN, BUT COMFORTABLE, HOTEL CHELLAH
Written: Mar 18 '02 (Updated May 09 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great restaurant.
Cons: Kind of hard to find, especially at night.
The Bottom Line: Not bad value, just watch out for the plumbing.
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| JAMES23's Full Review: Chellah Hotel |
This review was originally posted in the Rabat Morocco section. Now that this hotel has it's own section here, I've deleted the original review and updated and reposted it here.
The Hotel Chellah is "a rather character less block, but has a good grill-restaurant." This is the verbatim quote from my Rough Guide to Morocco. I was quickly reading up on where I was going to be spending the night as the bus headed north up the coast road from Casablanca to Rabat.
I had planned on spending the evening in Casablanca, and had even researched in detail my hotel, and possible restaurants in the area, weeks prior to my departure. However plans change, and that morning on leaving Marrakech, I found out I was going to enjoy the pleasures of Rabat instead. Hence the quick perusal of my trusty battered guidebook.
The description of the hotel was accurate. It was indeed a nondescript block, hidden unobtrusively on a small side street a couple of blocks from the main intersection of Avenue Moulay Hassan and Avenue Mohammed V.
Unless you knew where it was or had a map, you'd never find it. Perhaps that is why the front desk has a supply of flyers with a little map showing the hotel on it. Just in case some of the guests wandered out of the building.
The location of the Hotel Chellah has both good and bad points. On the plus side it is in Rabat, as opposed to out on the highway outside the city. Therefore, it is possible to stroll around fairly easily.
On the down side it is located at the extreme southern edge of the city. This makes many of the interesting sites and attractions a bit of a hike. Exceptions to this are those sites in the south of the city, The Grand Mosque, The Royal Palace and the Chellah Necropolis, all of which are within an easy walk from the hotel.
Again on the plus side it is located only a couple of blocks from the main the railway station. This is certainly convenient for those traveling by train, as it is only a short walk. However its location on a small side street, could mean that someone looking for it coming out of the railway station would best be prepared to take a petit taxi anyway, or chance wandering around the streets aimlessly.
Check in was the normal bureaucratic procedure that is a characteristic of all Moroccan hotels. A special card must be filled in including such information as where you spent the last night, city and hotel and where you're going to spend the next evening.
Travelers who have been to France may recognize the type of card and questions as similar to those completed in that country. The Moroccan Bureaucracy was set up by the French after all and old habits die slowly here. Don't worry it only takes a minute and the overall check in/out procedures are fast and smooth.
There is a safe for valuables at the front desks and envelopes are provided, but only if you ask for them. I recommend leaving your Passport and tickets etc. here if going out for the night. I'm not suggesting Rabat is any less safe than other Moroccan cities, but accidents do happen.
The rooms are small but clean and comfortable. Although to those used to the modern European and/or North American equivalent, they may seem a little dingy, and this is a four star "European style " hotel in Morocco. There is satellite TV, or at least what I refer to as the Moroccan equivalent. This is to say a couple of local channels with poor reception CNN, and two or three Spanish and/or German stations.
My only problems were with the bathroom, actually the shower. To be honest this plumbing problem could have been related to my room only and not indicative of the whole hotel. Any ways there were an abundant supply of towels available.
As noted, the Rough Guide does state that the hotel has a small but excellent grill restaurant. In this they are very much correct. I ate there twice, dinner and breakfast. The dinner was excellent with a nice mix of French and traditional Moroccan entrees too choose from.
Breakfast was a real continental one. Not a single cup of coffee and a stale roll, but a nice buffet selection of baked goods and fresh fruits. There was of course ample supplies of strong coffee and tea as well as fresh juices.
The last part of the hotel worth mentioning is the quaint little lobby bar. As far as hotel bars go it was nothing really spectacular. The piano in one corner though suggested there might be live entertainment on some nights.
What made it enjoyable for me were two things. The wonderfully cold draft beer available. A rarity in Morocco I assure you. The second, which went well with a pint in hand, was the fact that the bar is a gathering place for a bunch of expatriates and foreign workers in Morocco.
For the most part the ones I met were British, who all lived in Rabat and were supervising various projects in the area. Living there, they were a wealth of information on local goings on and where to go and equally important, where not to.
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Recommended:
Yes
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JAMES23
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Member: James Smith
Location: Toronto Ontario CANADA
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