Villa Guest is a lovely guest house in a residential district called Targa. It’s a nice concept – a private villa in peaceful surroundings but close enough to the sights and main action when you want it.

There are only about 10 guest rooms in the villa so you feel part of a small ‘family’ with the services of a cook, private driver, cleaner etc.

We spent the first few days of our stay sightseeing in Marrakech so made good use of the villa’s driver Nordine. He chauffeured us around wherever we wanted to go, gave us insights into Marrakech and the local area.

Staff at the villa were very accommodating and most had a basic understanding of English. Even though we arrived early, our room was ready and waiting for us. We enjoyed a calming mint tea on arrival before a personal welcome, tips and local information from the manager.
Food at the villa is very nice and we say a huge thanks to Fatima the cook who seemed to work from dusk till dawn to serve all the guests. Breakfast was varied slightly each day and best served on the veranda overlooking the gardens (not a bad start to the day!).

We had lunch and dinner at the villa several times during our stay. We found the food very tasty and reasonably priced (mainly a Moroccan menu with the usual salads, tagines, couscous etc). Particularly recommend the chicken and lemon tagine which is one of the best we tasted during our stay in Marrakech. Do be aware that meals are prepared fresh to order so it can take 1.5-2hours to arrive. We found this to our peril on our first day but soon got the hang of things by day 2 (tip – order in advance and you’ll be fine).

As other reviewers have mentioned, alcohol is not served at the villa’s restaurant. But the driver is happy to take you to the supermarket in Guilez which has a good choice of alcohol so you can buy your own.

The villa’s chauffer service is very useful and we used it most days. Priced about 50 dirhams each time you go into the city. We found it a good service and very reassuring knowing you have a safe journey back to the villa after an evening out or day in the medina. It also saved the hassle of haggling taxi prices. The chauffer service was available every day during our stay but the last pick up from the city at night was around 8.30-9pm.

Onto the room – we stayed in a Senior Suite on the first floor. It was a comfortable triple room with en-suite shower, toilet and sink. Plenty of storage for our clothes in the wardrobes and towels were provided and changed daily. Beds were comfortable with extra pillows dispatched quickly on request.

If you book through ‘booking.com’ as we did, please note the room information on this site is rather exaggerated. For our senior suite it promised a private balcony (we got use of a shared one along the corridor); a mini bar (we had an empty fridge in the room which was useful but all drinks had to be ordered from reception), free toiletries (just a small bar of soap daily). There was also none of the promised free bath robes, a safety deposit box in the room, an iron or radio. We were able to get a hairdryer from reception after asking though. That said, these weren’t show stoppers and didn’t spoil our stay as we’re pretty easy going and they weren’t essential items. However you can’t help feeling a little short changed at not receiving things that have been advertised.

The free Wi-Fi for guests throughout the villa was a useful addition. There was even Wi-Fi reception at the swimming pool should you need!

The garden areas are well established and cared for and perfect for loosing yourself if a book or enjoying a lazy lunch. On cooler days, there is a large lounge area inside as well.

The large balcony on the first floor has two large seated areas overlooking the gardens. The downstairs verdanda is also a top choice for breakfast or lunch out of the hot Moroccan sunshine.

The pool area was nice and there were free sun loungers and umbrellas available.

Most staff had a basic understanding of English so we didn’t have any major problems. French and Arabic is also widely spoken.

Marrakech itself is an exciting and mesmerising city so make sure you take time to explore. Jemma Del Fna is about 15-20 mins drive from Villa Guest and we recommend you sample the changing atmospheres at day and night. For evening meals, we recommend Guilez (the new city) as it had a wide choice of places to eat, most serve alcohol, and it’s only a 10 min drive from Villa Guest. For a quick bite to eat within walking distance there is also a pizza takeaway and restaurant about 10 minute walk from the villa.

The owners seem to be marketing the place as a ‘luxury’ mansion with spa. As lovely as it was, I’d say this was a little exaggerated as we felt it was somewhere between a homely guest house and a 3 star hotel. And from what we could see, the spa was a man who was available for hammam and massage a couple of days a week. Don’t go expecting 5* luxury otherwise you will be disappointed. But if you want a relaxing base for a stay in Marrakesh it is ideal and we would definitely book again.