Hotel Review: Le Méridien N’fis

I’d often seen the Le Meridien N’fis in Morocco on the SPG Hot Escapes list with very low rates, and had been curious what the property was like.

The Le Meridien N’fis is just 20 minutes from the Marrakesh Menara International Airport, making it a convenient place to stay the night before morning flights. As a category 1 property, the N’fis requires just 3,000 Starpoints for redemption (or an outstandingly low cash & points rate of 1500 Starpoints + 30 USD). Paid rates start around 855 MAD a night (around 90 USD) and can go up to around 250 USD.

Arrival and Check-in

The bellman outside greeted us courteously and asked if he could help with the bags. Since we just had hand luggage only there was no need for his assistance but we thanked him just the same.

It took my eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dark yet refreshingly cool lobby after the bright warm sunlight outside.

After the room came into focus, I saw that the domed periwinkle blue ceiling area in the middle was filled with beautifully intricate designs.

A smallish man in glasses greeted us from behind the reception desk, and asked how he could help. We didn’t yet have a reservation, and inquired about a possible stay for the evening. There are 277 rooms and 12 suites, and while typically a suite is nice for a little extra room this wasn’t what I wanted this stay.

I asked what they had available near the pool because I wanted to get some swimming in that evening. Did they had any rooms that offered direct access to the pool? He paused for a moment to think before carefully saying not really, but that there were two rooms he could recommend that we might like.

Grounds

He asked if we wanted to see the rooms and after agreeing we set out down a tiled hallway that meandered outside and under a covered walkway to the first building on the left. The walkway was lined on either side with brightly potted herbs and flowers, which lent a soft perfume to the air.

The hotel has a large garden area, perfect for when you want to get away from the city nearby and enjoy some greenery and fresh air.

Just inside the first building was a door on the right that led directly to the first guest room he had recommended. The room was fine albeit basic, but I went straight to the sliding glass door to gaze at the outside area since that was really my focus for the stay.

I could immediately see that this layout was not exactly what I’d had in mind. Although technically I could have traipsed through the weeds to get to the pool, the room hadn’t been designed for that, and I didn’t care for the immediate proximity of the elevator either which had been right outside the room.

The second room we visited was one floor up, and a few doors down in a quieter corner location away from the elevator. A Deluxe Room, 230 had a similar room layout as the Superior Room downstairs but had newer flooring and furnishings as well as a view over the pool from the balcony.

With easy elevator access down to the pool (but no noise from the elevator) and a great view, we decided on the second room quickly and went back downstairs to make payment arrangements. While we waited for the credit card to be added, we were offered and accepted some tea which was a very nice welcoming touch.

After the formalities were taken care of we headed back to the room. As I rode the elevator up, the signage gave me a little laugh. Some properties have a specific floors designated as a “preferred” floor for elite guests of their loyalty program. At this hotel, every floor seemed to be designated asn an SPG floor so maybe they wanted all guests to feel special. There were other buildings as well though, so perhaps this one housed the SPG rooms.

Guest Room

The room itself wasn’t huge or very fancy, but offered what we needed. The tiled floor was clean, the temperature maintained a wonderfully crisp coolness in sharp contrast to the heat outside, and there was a King bed as requested.

There was a cozy seating area near the windows.

There was a flat screen TV (that I didn’t turn on), and a large chest below with plenty of drawers. There weren’t a lot of charging outlets to be found around the room, but we found enough for what we needed to charge overnight.

The bathroom had a shower/tub combo with shower curtain. I wasn’t wild about the shower curtain nor the shower/tub combo, but the bathroom was clean. Le Meridien bath amenities were offered.

Different colored tiles arranged in square patterns adorned the area above the tub and toilet.

Of course, the best part of the room was the view of the pool.

There was a safe in the closet, and almost as soon as I dropped my items in there I bounded back out again, ready for a swim.

As soon as I reached the first floor, I found that the whole carpeted area near the elevator had gotten soaked somehow. As my flip-flops squished and I tip-toed across the area, I thought to myself that I was very glad I hadn’t chosen that first floor room right outside the elevator.

The pool area was quite large, and there were just a couple of people at the far end gathering up their belongings as I arrived.

Towel stands were set up, and I grabbed a handful and headed for the loungers.

I dipped my toes in the water to feel the temperature, and it was perfect! Not too warm, not too cold. The pool was clean and free of debris, so someone obviously took pride in making sure it was in tip-top shape for guests.

As the evening went on, the pool’s underwater lights turned on and illuminated the area. There was a little bridge you could swim under, and although the air temperature was still quite warm, no one else came out to swim.

The lights changed colors as well, cycling from a light yellowish to green, then to a deep blue and purple. There was also a jacuzzi, and a restaurant (closed, due to the late hour). The hotel has three restaurants, the Al Birkah, Al Seguia Terrace, and the El Menzeh.

Before going to bed, I noticed that the peephole in the door had not been set up correctly. There was no fisheye lens to limit people on the outside of the door from looking in, and the peep hole itself was fairly large with no cover. I wadded up some toilet paper and stuffed it in the hole, which was a reasonable remedy though not ok for a long-term solution at the property.

The bed felt a bit old and soft but was good enough, and the room stayed quiet through the night. No banging noises from down the hall, no slamming doors.

In the morning, I enjoyed a surprisingly good buffet breakfast spread with plenty of fruit, and hot egg items, and there were several computers steps away from reception in the conveniently located “business center” where boarding passes could be printed out if needed.

Back up in the room, I tried to hop online quickly but found the internet connection to be very slow. At reception, I mentioned the slow internet and they said that the lobby had the best connection so they encourage guests to go there if needing speedy wifi. I didn’t have more time so I’m unsure if the wifi issue I experienced was an isolated problem or if ongoing.

Checking out, we headed to the airport and were pleased with our choice for the night.

The Lé Meridien N’fis may be an older property, but it was a surprising gem. Staff was helpful, the room was quiet and comfortable, the pool was outstanding, and as a category 1 this place was an excellent choice for a stay.