Kenzi Azghor Hotel - Ouarzazate, Morocco

Ouarzazate is known as the Hollywood of Morocco. There are a couple of movie studios located here. However, Ouarzazate is more of a stop-over location for bus tours headed from the Sahara to Marrakesh (or vice versa). It is somewhat located midway between the two destinations. The selection of hotels in Ouarzazate is limited. But I think we ended up in one of the worst rated hotels in the area. The Kenzi Azghor hotel in Ourarzazate was the hotel we least liked during our trip to Morocco.

The Kenzi Azghor gives a favorable first impression. The entrance to the hotel leads to a large courtyard with a fountain and nice landscaping. The lobby has a large ceiling with relaxing sitting areas near the front desk. As you head down the hallway towards the dining room, you come upon the pool area, which also offers a spectacular view. The surrounding scenery provides a nice backdrop for the elevated swimming pool area. A spa and gym were located downstairs from the pool, but we did not visit that area of the hotel.

The common areas soon felt like window dressing for an otherwise minimal experience. Our room was located on the second floor, not far from the stairwell from the lobby. The view from the room was decent. Our room overlooked the courtyard, where the fountain and landscaping offered a bit of a view. Beyond the manicured palm trees of the courtyard, we could see the mountains in the distance. It was a pleasant view. We only spent one night in this hotel (thankfully), because the room itself didn't offer much in the way of comfort and convenience.

The room had minimal furnishings that offered little comfort. An old chair, and old desk and a hard bed. Beds tend to run hard in other parts of the country. But this bed was exceptionally hard. It was a difficult bed to get comfortable in. The floor was tile. Large, cheap tiles that didn't look new or well maintained. The room was also a bit cramped, with little room to place luggage, restricting movement with open suitcases. The bedding appeared to be clean and well maintained, which was reassuring.

The bathroom really needed work. The water took a while to get hot and didn't maintain temperature steadily. The bathroom looked out of date and was also minimal in it's accessories. The bathroom had complimentary soap and shampoo, but it seemed of low quality. The bathtub/shower were elevated, requiring you to step up into the shower. The plumbing had seen better days. Aside from a bathroom which offered just the bare essentials, the room had no wi-fi. Even in the common areas, the wi-fi was shoddy at best. In all of the other hotels, the wi-fi was weak or non-existent in the rooms but generally good in the common areas. Wi-fi was practically non-existent throughout this hotel.

Breakfast was included with our stay. The dining room seemed to be well maintained, with plenty of seating. The food was decent, but not exceptional. Average at best. They ran out of coffee cups at breakfast, so we had to wait to get coffee, which inevitably resulted in a long line once the cups were brought out. It was probably the least favorite breakfast of any hotel we stayed at as well.

Overall, Kenzi Azghor served one purpose. It was a stopover on the way to Marrakesh. The hotel itself was spartan in what it offers travelers. The hotel looks beautiful from the outside and judging by the common areas, but this is definitely one of those don't judge a book by its cover situations. The rooms offered none of the luxury apparent in the common areas. The rooms need serious work. Major renovations in many cases. From the shower stalls to the floors to the furniture to the walls. The small room size would be much more tolerable with a bit more comfort and updated furniture. It was fairly clean. But I would check out another hotel in Ouarzazate if I had it to do over again.

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