Look! When I travel to another country, I make sure that I experience how the locals live and attribute my version of stars to the establishment accordingly. That is my feeling when I go to the Hotel Balima where I am expecting the old doorman to open a historic door, expecting to get the change in your pocket as a tip. The reception area has kept its distinctive style, something that incorporates an Islamic look with colonial style desks mixed in. The multilingual personnel act as though they have spent their lives at their jobs, keeping an eye on guests and dealing with them sensitively according to their culture. They know that European and American tourists want to be steered towards bazaars and restaurants where you are not taken advantage of, while a man from Arabia expects to be treated with reverence and given priority. Expecting a generous tip, a porter will guide you to your room, open the window, and make sure you notice the welcoming fruit basket. Overall, when you are at Balima you are living a Moroccan experience. The small elevator reminds you that it has been added as a luxury to the historic hotel. Breakfast is served in your room, your coffee may not arrive as hot as you like on a busy day, but you get plenty of local butter and jam. Do not expect air conditioning, but rather you will do as the locals do and open your window, an authentic and bearable experience because the air is dry and the stone and brick structures help you to feel comfortable. I like the Balima and I hope that it does not change.

I've stayed at the Hotel Balima several times -- 1984, 1990 and in Nov. 2011. I love the classic old-timey French colonial atmosphere. You really can't beat it for historic importance in Rabat. Due to its central location directly across from the parliament building, it's been at the center of all important historical events in the city. I've swapped stories with a friend's grandfather who stayed there in the early 1950's and we had similar experiences. When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco in the mid-80's, the Balima terrace was where we'd hang out to have a coffee and watch the world go by, in uninterrupted tranquility. I was delighted to find on my 2011 visit that my fond memories of the hotel were still accurate. The public rooms are grand but of a simple elegance, none of this over-the-top Disneyified concept of Morocco that you get in new hotels. The Balima is simply the real thing. Our 2 rooms were simple and clean, nothing luxurious. That said, I wasn't fond of the floral decor, and the bathrooms could stand an update. The location is also amazing, walkable to the medina and all the major tourist sights, convenient for cafes and restaurants, and only a block to the train station. Considering the low cost -- approx. $100 US for 2 adjoining bedrooms with 4 twin beds and a shared bathroom -- the place is still a bargain. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone staying in Rabat. People who want to feel as if they're in an American hotel may not find it modern enough, but even they will appreciate the location, historic ambiance, and good value.

I'm not quite sure why this hotel has such bad reviews....

Booked it last minute to be closer to the train, 2 blocks away. It's massive and easy to find, also close to La Mama which was a plus. Our room was pretty big and we had a wifi signal (yay!). Breakfast (included) was pretty lousy and consisted of some bread with jam and butter, a laughing cow wedge, a hard boiled egg, and coffee. There's also a restaurant and cafe attached. The cafe is nice because it has a lot of outdoor seating space but the restaurant is awful. The price is midrange; plain pizza was 28dh, tajine was 80dh. But it doesn't even matter because the food is so bad you shouldn't eat here. The pizza was straight out of the freezer and the tajine was the worst we've had since coming to Morocco. If you're willing to spend the money, just go to La Mama down the street for good pasta (around 60-75dh) or Le Petite Beur for good tajine (110dh).

Also, the room is really cold at night so bring an extra sweater. We paid $75 for the two of us/night.

Our visit to Hotel Balima began with the rates being substantially more then the website advertised. 1100 Dh for a four person room instead of the advertised 800 Dh. They then gave us a hard time about passports and took the copy of one of ours that was the only copy we had for our current travels around Morocco. Promising to give it back the next day we checked in. Later that night we tried to go to the bar that was supposed to be a hot spot in Rabat. It was across an alley down a dark flight of stairs, full of smoke and prostitutes. When we came back to the hotel we found out that a man who had a key walked into our room on the one of us who had stayed behind (this was at 11PM) the manager on duty was unconcerned and had no explanation but we could easily have been robbed or worse. We did get him to change our rooms after a great deal of argument. The next day the reception had misplaced the photo copy of the passport they had insisted on taking. Very, very bad experience.