My family and I recently stayed at Riad Sidi Magdoul for a week in the “superior apartment”.
On the positive side, the apartment itself was stunningly decorated, showcasing beautiful interior design (typical Moroccan) that made it visually appealing. It was also much bigger than what had been advertised (I would guess appr 80 square meter). The reception area also looked very nice and welcoming, and the location of the hotel was convenient. We only had breakfast once at the riad but thought it was ok and decent priced.
However, there were unfortunately several significant issues that overshadowed these positives. Firstly, cleanliness was a concern. The apartment was unusually dirty, even by Moroccan standards, as we have visited Morocco and Essaouira five times before and have never encountered such standard in a riad or apartment (we have a relative living in Essaouira and have also been staying in her apartment). During our stay, we for example encountered at least 10 cockroaches, which was absolutely unacceptable.
Moreover, the service was extremely poor. It felt like our apartment wasn’t truly part of the hotel; we weren’t offered any housekeeping whatsoever, although other guests in the hotel received daily service. This was not something that we had been informed of and therefore took us by surprise. To make matters worse, we were charged appr. 10% more for the room than what was agreed with hotels, and the hotel only accepted cash payments. While this is not uncomm