We didn't know which hotel we would be staying at when we booked a 3 day trip to Tangier with the Spanish ferry company FRS. What a rip off. The hotel once was probably the place to stay in Tangier with it's view over the port. However that was 100 years ago and nothing has changed. We entered the hotel through a site full of building rubble up some urine-soaked stairs to the reception desk where some dirty hangers-on were leaning against the desk. We were given a key and had to haul our bags up 3 flights of stairs to a room on the third floor. The building was so cold, the receptionists were wearing overcoats. Our room was cold so I asked for a heater. A tiny little oil heater arrived but as there was only one power point in the whole room we couldn't have the ancient TV and heater on at the same time. Probably no loss. The shower was over the bath but the bottom of the bath was so slippery it was too dangerous to stand up. The overhead shower didn't work anyway so the trick was to sit on the edge of the bath and use the hand shower without flooding the floor. The shower curtain was balanced on a shelf and fell down if you touched it. There was a huge patch of mould on the ceiling and the walls were so thin you could clearly hear the conversation in the room next door. The hot water is turned on at 5.30pm until 10pm and then on again at 5am for a few hours. Too bad if you need hot water in between these hours. The curtains and blankets were filthy so we didn't touch them. There were scruffy men hanging around the reception desk trying to persuade you to hire them as a guide. The contents of the hotel shop looked as though they had not been dusted since last century. Breakfast was up and down flights of stairs and in a once-glorious old room full of old photos, but the breakfast was revolting. One glass of orange cordial and a couple of stale old pastries served reluctantly by a waiter in filthy clothes. I had been to Morocco before but not Tangier, but for my friend it was her introduction to Morocco and her first time in North Africa. I don't think she will ever return. I would only return if the Fairmont Group took it over. It could be restored to it's old glory like the Peace Hotel in Shanghai.

We were excited to see that this hotel was actually recommended by "Lonely Planet" and thought that we would be getting value for money. However, my husband and I will never return to this hotel!
The service at the reception desk is just awful! We were not even greeted. Our passports were just demanded and a key given to us. Personnel at front desk could not even speak english! Our room was very dusty and in fact, the whole hotel was upside down. Our bathroom was not cleaned properly and there were so many holes in our towels it was disgusting to think they could even think of putting them there! We were given a plate of dry, old pastries for breakfast which was quite pathetic. The floors in the dining area were filthy and so were the table cloths. Hygiene is just not up to standard in this place. Neither is the customer service.

Stayed in this place late December 2011for a few nights which I booked through the Spanish ferry company FRS as part of an extended 3day excursion deal (Tarifa to Tangiers)
The accommodation in room 203 was quite the worst hotel experience of my life. The floor was old bare floorboards with 2cm. gaps between the boards, The wardrobe was woodworm infested, falling to pieces with old newspapers lining the few shelves. Indeed it was so bad that I did not dare use it for my few clothes. The bathroom was another disaster, with broken floor tiles, a lavatory that moved around when one sat on it, a sink that was 7-8 cm out from the wall and a colony of ants that appeared for my entertainment on a frequent basis.
Since the bed linen/towels looked clean and white I decided to persevere seeing that my stay was for a short period. What a mistake that decision was. On the last day of my visit I noticed red swollen insect bites on my arms, wrist and legs which developed into running infected welts. Back in Spain for a further weeks holiday I had to seek medication to deal with these infections and indeed since my return home to Ireland nearly a week hence I am still taking medication. My concern was so great that immediately after arriving back to Spain I e-mailed the hotel Manager and FRS to convey my concerns about the accommodation and the potentially dangerous conditions for guests in the hotel and in particular room 203. Whilst the hotel is reasonably convenient, it is living on past glories as portrayed in the very many old and historical photographs that adorn the common areas. However when one looks for any more recent photographs/endorsements there are none, which surely says a lot about this hotel.

We were wary about booking this place as it has many mixed reviews, some REALLY bad. We caught a ferry from Spain and decided to rock up to reception.
The man at reception was slow but he gave us 2 sets of keys and told us to have a look at both the rooms and choose one.
The first room was small but had a view of the ocean (it did smell a little old) and the second was bigger & fresh so we chose that room.
It was great value at 70 euro for 3 of us.
The mint tea on the terrace was fantastic! 1.50 euros for a pot & the best view!
The beds were comfortable & all over a great stay! We only stayed 1 night which was great.
If your a really fussy person, don't stay here. If you like an adventure & don't mind a but of wear and tear then i would DEFINITELY recommend this hotel.
Also, breakfast was so relaxing & great service.