Lina Ryad and Spa – The Best Hotel in Chefchaouen, Morocco
Traveling to Chefchaouen, Morocco and looking for a nice hotel to stay at? Look no further. Lina Ryad and Spa is the best hotel in the city. I stayed here for two nights with my husband and toddler and had a fabulous experience. I would highly recommend it. Here’s why -
Location
For me, a good location is key when booking a hotel. I don't want to be far away from everything and have to spend a majority of my time traveling to and from my hotel. Lina Ryad and Spa is in a fantastic location of Chefchaouen. You walk right out the door and right away there is so much to see. All of the best shopping is around this area and some great restaurants too. There are so many cute shops nearby that you’ll wish that you had brought an empty suitcase so you could buy everything that you see! And the shopping is super cheap, well, it is if you're a good haggler. This hotel is smack dab in the middle of the local culture here. There are plenty of locals walking around so you can really feel immersed and see it all for yourself first hand.
Chefchaouen is one of the cutest and most Instagrammable places that I’ve ever visited. Everything here is blue and so picturesque. Even the outside of this hotel is blue. When you Google "Chefchaouen," there is one picture taking spot that always comes up in the top search results. It is a set of stairs with perfect blue colored walls and brightly colored flowerpots hanging along both sides. Of course, I had to see it myself. Well, lucky me, it was right by this hotel, about a 30 second walk away. When you get there, there is usually a line of about five to eight people waiting to take their perfect Pinterst-y pictures as well, so get ready to step in line for your perfect shot. It’s worth the wait.
The Hotel Room
Our room at Lina Ryad and Spa was very clean, crisp, and welcoming. The highlight of the room was the two large blue stained glass windows on each wall that you can open up as you please. When open, they look down into the bottom level of the hotel with a great view of the spa pool. (I didn't have time to go myself, but they have a fabulous looking spa. The prices are very reasonable and the setting seems super relaxing and professional. If you have more time than I had in Chefchaouen, take a morning and relax at their spa.) Since we were visiting the Blue City, it made sense that the hotel décor and the room décor was all in blue. Our bed was very comfortable with a great mattress and lots of pillows, allowing us to sleep perfectly. They have great air conditioning too. The shower had hot water and a good amount of pressure. The tile floor in the shower was a nice mosaic of different blue colors. It wasn’t the biggest bathroom in the world or the nicest, but it was clean and adequate and ended up being just fine. They do have a small fridge, which was nice for holding drinks and Jimmy’s leftover food when we had it. We had great Wi-Fi during our whole stay which is always a must for us.
Since we had our toddler son with us, we loved the double room layout of our hotel room. It allowed Jimmy to have his own room and space for sleeping and us to have our own room and space as well. They were very accommodating with children. They brought up his portable Pack n’ Play bed that evening as requested and set it up for us without a problem. The curtains in the room were very thick and dark blue, which was nice for naptime because they blocked out all the light, allowing Jimmy to sleep well. They acted similar to black out curtains.
Breakfast
This hotel offers complimentary breakfast for its guests. The breakfast at Lina Ryad and Spa was our favorite breakfast during our seven-day stay in Morocco. You can choose to dine in two different areas – the main inside level near the lobby or the outside terrace area. If you choose to dine on the terrace, you have to inform the front desk ahead of time so they are aware and can bring your food up to you at a designated time. We enjoyed two breakfasts at this hotel and we dined at both places – the first morning in the main lobby and the second day on the terrace. I would recommend dining on the terrace because the views can’t be beat!
The food really was the stand out. When you sit down, they ask you how you like your eggs cooked. Every guest gets two eggs cooked however they please and brought out to you hot and fresh along with a side of olives, cucumber, and tomatoes. Even though Jimmy wasn't counted as a paid guest, they still gave him complimentary eggs as well as a drink. They have fresh homemade yogurt topped with walnuts that you can choose to eat plain or mixed with add-ins of your choice - local honey, jam, or a fresh fruit salad. They have freshly squeezed orange juice and they offer you a choice of Moroccan mint tea or coffee. Their baked items were so tasty, and they offered a large variety. My favorites were the Rghifa with the local goat cheese spread on top. Rghifa is a chewy flaky flatbread that is square shaped. It’s what dreams are made of. They also serve little mini donuts rolled in sugar that Jimmy loved. Everything was so fresh and so delicious. We were very impressed.
Friendly & Helpful Employees
I was very impressed with everyone that worked at Lina Ryad and Spa. Every encounter that we had with the entire staff was positive and helpful. The front desk people were always very welcoming and friendly. They constantly answered our questions in a cheerful manner and gave us restaurant recommendations when we asked for them. Some delicious ones at that! The women at the front desk went crazy over Jimmy and were always trying to hold him and give him kisses on his cheeks. They couldn't get over his long blonde hair. When I needed anything, they were prompt in bringing it up to us. They let us hold our luggage in the lobby after we checked out so we could explore the city a little more before we left, bag free. It really is a great hotel that tries their best to make you feel welcome and at home.
Parking & A Word of Caution
Most people drive into Chefchaouen either with a rental car or a taxi. There are some bus options as well but not many. We drove a rental car in from Fez. We asked the hotel ahead of time where the best place to park was and they recommended parking at the city parking lot near Hotel Parador. When we arrived, there were several spots available, and a man in an orange vest was there to help us and take our money to pay for the spot.
However, when we parked our car, there was another man there that offered to help us with our bags and take us up to our hotel. He was friendly enough and spoke pretty good English, so we allowed him to help us. It is common in Morocco for people to offer help to tourists for a small tip, as a way to support themselves. As we started walking towards the hotel, a policeman stopped us, and shewed the man away from us, informing us that he was, "not to be trusted," and was, "not a good person." After about 10 minutes, to our surprise, the man found us and offered to help again, apologizing about the policeman and what happened earlier. By this time, we had an employee from the hotel assisting us, so we felt safe enough. We tipped the man a small amount just in hopes that he would leave us alone (and wouldn’t key our car). I would just say to be aware of your surroundings and maybe don’t be so trusting at times to people who are desperate to help you. Trust your gut.
My One Complaint
The one con that I have about Lina Ryad and Spa is that it isn’t perfectly suitable for the elderly or people who struggle to walk long distances or uphill. Chefchaouen in general is a walking town with lots of hills. It is built on a mountain, making all the roads either completely uphill or downhill. The roads are so narrow that calling a taxi isn’t an option, nor is it even available. To get to this hotel, you have to walk quite a long ways from the parking lot. If you are carrying a lot of luggage it could be pretty tricky. I would call the hotel ahead of time if possible and request someone to meet you at the parking lot, assist you with your bags, and show you to the hotel. Also, note that this hotel has no elevators. If you struggle with walking, it might be best to request a room on the first floor.
I hope you liked this post and that the information was helpful. Enjoy your stay at Lina Ryad and Spa, and enjoy the magical blue city of Chefchaouen!
