The Amadil Hotel is well situated for those who decide to venture into town, which has a slightly different culture and architecture from the rest of the country, with its fashionable boutiques and traditional market bazaars only a twenty minute walk from the accommodation. Guests can also play golf, tennis, go sailing, or ride on a camel or horse on the nine kilometre long stretch of sand, or simply recline and top up their tan.
The hotel is set right on Agadir's beautiful sandy beach, and is close to the shops and bars of the town. Set out in three wings built around a huge central atrium, there are plenty of shops, bars and places to relax here.
Review by John Klejna from Manchester, UK on March 29, 2008 for stay during January, 2008.
Overall
Service
Room Comfort
Cleanliness
Food
Value
Tour Operator/Travel Provider: Independent Traveller
I went to Agadir for two weeks from 25 January to 8 February 2008, travelling alone with relaxation in mind although the trip was to include a stay in Essaouira sometime in between. Hotel Amadil was booked online on half board basis although previous experience of buffet food has not been forgotten as this is generally of poor quality compared to even some of the cheaper restaurants around town.
Main access to this hotel, as well as for the Founty Beach, Palais des Roses and others, is from Chemin des Dunes, a fairly quiet road leading from Boulevard du 20 Aout.
Access to the beach is direct from the hotel although works to the promenade did cause some problems. A walk along the beach one way reaches the kasbah and port (where one can top for lunch, preferably at Laayoune, the only decent restaurant at the port) and in the other direction one will be summarily stopped by a lone police officer at the approach to the Royal Palace which is a shame as the beach just beyond is by far the best.
The hotel is large and comprises 336 rooms and was reasonably quiet at this time of year. There are several shops onsite for souvenirs and gifts, books, clothing, sun protection products, postcards, newspapers etc. There is also a booking point for day trips. An ATM is situated in the lobby area which accepts all major cards (notify your bank before travelling to Morocco in order to avoid the cards usage being blocked).
As far as star ratings go, knock one star off a Moroccan hotel to get a comparison with european counterparts.
My room had air conditioning, a TV, seriously large bed (6ft wide), ample wardrobe space, dressing table, table and armchair. What was missing, though, was a fridge and kettle although Moroccan hotels rarely if ever provide the latter. I went prepared in light of this and took a travel kettle which was a life saver; this I kept out of sight so as not to upset the management. I used only bottled water for making tea as tap water is very unpalatable (being hard) and one should only ever drink bottled water. Tap water is safe to clean ones teeth with. There were sliding patio doors leading onto the balcony, which all rooms appeared to have, with the usual plastic furniture, the view from the room overlooked the pool and garden area and one could see the Atlas Mountains in the distance.
The bathroom was in general clean but would benefit from a thorough steam clean to remove suspicious stains from the walls. There were plenty of towels but none of those bottles of shampoo and shower gel which most hotels provide; anyway these are totally inadequate and I bring my own toiletries which I kept in a transparent bag which for some reason the cleaner felt the compunction to open on each visit.
The room had an interconnecting door but the people in the next room were heavy smokers, only smoking in the room and not on the balcony. This permeated my room but luckilly they had mysteriously vacated the next day, leaving a "do not disturb" sign on the door but the smell still lingered.
Breakfast was a sad affair, as said already buffet food is always inadequate and this was no exception. The food was probably hot when first placed in the dining room at 5am but this is not kept warm by any means. On offer was imitation ham (so adored by some european visitors but even the cats would not eat this), baked beans, harira (Moroccan soup), scrambled eggs either very runny or cooked solid and overcooked-to-a-crisp merguez (spicy sausage), all stone cold except the soup. Various fruit salad on offer and also freshly made pancakes and fried eggs. Several cereal varieties with cold (or warm) milk were always a good starter and to finish those very buttery cakes and pastries with tea or coffee.
Evening meals were not much better I fear, cold from start to finish. Occasionally pork on the bone was served which is not to my liking in any event, other dishes were prawns and rice, beef stew, chicken, various soups, lamb and kebebs made with poor quality meat. Bottled water was available at 18Dh for 1.5L, three times the price of local shops. Desserts were plentiful and sweet. As a substitute for water I would eat melon, which was sweet and juicy.
For those unfamiliar with Agadir, the tourist area is clean and very presentable, almost like a postcard in places. There are some problems with footpaths though and street lighting obscured by the dense low cut olive trees lining the streets. This can lead to major problems for the unattentive as there are many holes which even after five years have not yet been repaired.
After one week I went to Essaouira for three nights and then back to Agadir, staying at the Ramada al Mohades for the remainder.
On my departure from Agadir on 8 Feb I went past the Amadil on the beach and noticed this was being partly demolished to one side although I am unsure as to the reasons.
Would I go back? Absolutely!
Dissapointing
Review by Anonymous from Birmingham, UK on February 29, 2008 for stay during February, 2008.
Overall
Service
Room Comfort
Cleanliness
Food
Value
Arrived late due to flight delay. Were given a complimentary meal at the fish restaurant as we missed the evening meal (half board).
Hotel receptionists not very welcoming, they took passports and entry cards off us and seemed to be very unorganised, as they were trying to serve other people at the same time. very inefficient. waited ages to get our room cards.
We paid extra for a room with sea view. We were given a room with a view of the side of the hotel. When I brought this matter to the attention of the reception staff, they were unapologetic, but issued us with a card for a room with a sea view.
On the first morning we were woken up at 7am by the noise of the diggers and loaders outside our window, as there was a construction site where a wall was being built to separate the hotel from the beach. This made the view of the beach very unsightly. The Thomson rep told us that Thomson sent every customer a warning letter about the construction work. We had not received any literature of that sort. If I knew that there was a construction site at the hotel, I would not have booked the holiday.
The Thomson rep offered us the choice to change hotels (which would include a cancellation fee) or try and find a room with a better view within hotel Amadil. The reception staff gave us several cards for rooms overlooking the same construction site. When the hotel staff finally got the message that we did not want a view of the JCB's and cement mixers, we were given a room with a view of the swimming pool on the other side of the hotel. The hotel staff assured me that we will not hear loud music at night in this hotel room.
However, the loud music lasted all night until the early hours of the morning which did not help the fact that we needed a good nights sleep to be up early for the excursions the next day.
I asked the receptionist whether we could provide us with a quieter room but his response was to roll his eyes and said to ask in the morning.
The beach was littered with broken glass, plastic bottels and sewage. A relaxing stroll on the beach was out of the question as there were lots of morrocans hassling you to try and sell things.
The waiter service was very slow. Had towait over 25 minutes to have a drink.
No hairdryer, kettle or complimentary drinks in hotel room. This would definatley not be a 4 star hotel in the UK.
The fishing trips, surfing, and the 2 day excursion to Marrakesh were worthwhile.
melanie stadden said, "agadir is an up and coming resort there is alot of building work going on. the beach is ideal for surfers because of the breeze the sea is not clear so i only went on the beach once for a walk. the ramada les almohades hotel is run down and in need of refurbishment. lots of green h..." (further information on Amadil Hotel)
John Klejna said, "My 7 day holiday to Agadir was booked independently as single travellers get a very poor deal through travel agents or other tour operators. The flight over the Atlas Mountains was very exciting as they seemed to roll on for ever.
We landed at Agadir airport where a taxi was wai..." (further information on Amadil Hotel)
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