Hotel Riu Tikida Garden

"The hotel is very clean and the gardens are very well kept. There isnt enough bars close enough to the pools. One main bar in the main building and a pool bar at the very top of the complex next to the smallest pool. The hotel needs a pool bar in the middle of the complex. The staff, on the whole are friendly, but unfortunately in the restaurants all the staff are more interested in hugging, shaking hands and chatting to guests than doing their jobs. Every mealtime my partner and i had to ask to for our table to have cuttlery, place mat and drinks. We always felt we was causing the staff issues by wanting a clean, laid table. The food is ok, but only ok. Most of the food is the same everyday and becomes very repetitive and unless we dropped on food having just been cooked, it was only warm, not hot. the glasses ran out and staff had to be asked to replenish. The bread for toasting ran out and staff had to be asked to replenished a few times. The meat that was served was mostly fat, gristle and bone. Yes this is a hotel in Africa, but thats not an excuse for poor food. Ive been to many countries, Mexico, Cuba, Kenya, Jamaica, a lot are poor countries, but all the others have prepared much better food and a lot more choice. Ive been to a lot of Riu hotels, and everyone has had optics in the bedrooms, apart from this one. There is barely enough sunbeds for everyone and most are reserved with towels by 7am, meaning pool staff have to be asked to find spare beds. The concierge was very rude when we arrived. He took our luggage off us before i could stop him, led us to our bedroom and waited for a tip. Because the currency is closed i had no money to give as a tip, so he turned his back on me and swore as he left. Most of the staff are friendly with the guests, but they are vastly different when tipped. I will tip if a good job has been done, but not to get a good job done. The security guard on the main gate was very helpful and genuinely nice, as was one of the ladies serving on the main bar. Overall, i wouldnt say this was up to Riu standards to say the least, the food and staff not doing their jobs being the main issue."

"I have to say, people need to be more realistic and realise what they're paying for. Firstly, the drive to the hotel. Someone has said that it is a 'slum'. A SLUM. Really? Clearly this person has never seen a slum. Is it a bit run down? Yes. Are you in Africa? Yes. It's not going to be like driving through New York. For what we paid, we found this to be incredible value for money. From the moment we arrived, we felt so welcome, greeted at the entrance with a nice drink and friendly faces. The concierge took us and suitcases to the room and unlike previous comments, was very pleasant and understanding when we didn't have any Dirham on us. We were there for a week, we had no issues in getting pool towels everyday. Likewise, we didn't have issues getting sunbeds. Yes, the better ones were taken at the crack of dawn, but there were plenty left by the time we got up. We didn't get up particularly early, because we're not losers who want to get up at 6am for a sunbed. Each to their own though. The pool bar is suuuuch a long walk if you're by the pool nearest to the entrance. In fact, I think it took me all of 45 seconds to walk it. Maybe some people are too bone idle and expect everything given to them, but we didn't find it to be an inconvenience. The drinks were the local spirits and yes, they're not amazing. But again, it's a 4* all inclusive. For the cost of the holiday, the drinks were absolutely fine. I didn't see anybody complaining, the bar was always rammed. You can also get an unlimited amount of bottled water which is a great touch. The food is perfectly acceptable. It's a 4* all inclusive hotel in Africa, not a Michelin star restaurant in London. I read that there was nothing 'authentic', but there were freshly cooked tagines every night. Pretty confident tagines don't sit in the 'chicken, chips and pizza brigade' area. The food changed daily and there was plenty on offer. Freshly cooked omelettes to order every morning, but obviously that's not 'plentiful' enough for some people. The entertainment wasn't for everyone, but there's no denying that it got people going. The bar was busy every night and had a really good atmosphere. The entertainment stopped at 11pm, but you could carry on getting drinks until midnight. Which again, I'm sure this isn't late enough for some people. The staff were excellent throughout. Were they working for tips? Probably. That didn't bother us though, it made us feel really welcome and looked after. This was our first time, so I don't think it was a matter of them looking after the 'regulars' as someone has suggested. The pools were relatively cold earlier in the day, but warmed up as the day went on (or I was just so hot that it felt warmer). Some people were asking if the evenings were cooler in Marrakech. Nope. No need to bring a jacket. Unless you land back in the UK at 2am in the rain. A jacket is then recommended. All in all, I can absolutely see why people return to this hotel. Lovely staff, decent food, good atmosphere, nice decor and good rooms. My only negative is that I didn't find the air conditioning to be cold enough in the room, the bar or the restaurant. That could just be my preference though as no one else has mentioned this in reviews. Oh, and the 2 Welsh ladies who didn't have an inside voice at 2am every night. They were a negative, but not the hotel's fault that people thought it would be appropriate to give each other hearing damage in the early hours of the morning. I would recommend this hotel."

"Just came back from here this morning(june 6th 2026)after spending a fortnight here.This is supposed to be a 4 * hotel/complex.The best about it was it was adults only,although the grounds are nice.Roughly 20-30 mins from airport,he streets outside,leading up to the hotel was a slum,you wouldn,t really want to venture very far if at all.The "concierge" who took us and our luggage to our room on arrival was very unpleasant when we told him we had no local currency at that time as he was waiting for a tip. The food;Although a decent variety on offer, very repetitive as it usually is in all inclusive hotels,vegetables either undercooked or laced with garlic and/or oil,the beef was fatty and not always tender,some chicken had small bones or gristle,sometimes the fried eggs would be a bit snotty,they also do scrambled,boiled and omlettes,the omlette filling of your choice is not plentiful,other options at meal times are cereals,pizzas,french fries,jacket potatoes,salady stuff,etc.The waiting staff need to learn to be more alert as sometimes we had to ask for cutlery or drinks,even though they,d walked past and seen we needed them.The a la carte restaurant is worth a visit the food was lovely and you had a choice of 3 or 4 options for starter,main and dessert plus a choice of red,white or rose wine. Rooms got cleaned every day and towels changed if you put them on bathroom floor.The poolsides are all very nice but it took us a couple of days to actually get a pool/lounger towel. We visited the medina,did a buggy trip,quad biking but these are with a guide,had a 50 minute body massage in the hotels spa which was worth it. Now for the entertainment(really?)You have bingo,quiz,karaoke,a few various "acts"that will do their bit for about 10/15 mins or so,2 separate soloists then you just get a group singing very random songs but ok .Take a pack of cards or some other game just in case its not your thing neither. Drinks of lager,cocktails,soft drinks etc but no fresh orange juice in the main bar,but the bar staff are pleasant enough.If you not keen on strong coffee take your own along with a mug as you only get small cups.You have to ask for milk at the bar if you like a drink in your room/balcony,no iron in room but I think you can ask for one.Rooms are spacious as are the beds. All in all,it was not great as a 4* rating hotel and there was nothing really inspiring me as to want to go back there,although some guests there had been several times before,even on their 6th,8th, visit.When asked what did it for them they all said the friendly stafff,who we saw only bothered with those that were regular guests.There,s a couple of resident cats but they don,t really bother you.It is a quietish place during the day and you,re guaranteed the hot weather."