hotel review: hotel continental in tangier

Hotel Continental view from the ferry terminal.

Although many people opt not to spend the night in Tangier and either head back to Spain or move on to other parts of Morocco, I opted to stay one night at the Hotel Continental. I used booking.com to reserve a room.

The Location

The hotel is located across the street from the Tangier ferry terminal. In fact, one may walk from the terminal to the hotel without getting a taxi.

View of the Ferry Terminal (to the left) from my room.

It is also located in the medina and a short walk to the Petit Socco and the Grand Socco.

The train station is also just a short taxi ride away (about 10 Dirham).

The Hotel

The hotel is old but it comes with a lot of history (and free wifi). Apparently, Degas, Matisse, Delacroix and Kerouac have all stayed there. Many of the hallways and common rooms were beautifully decorated. I could almost sense many artists hanging out there back in the day.

Looking up from one of the hotel's indoor courtyards.

My room was large but it was a bit cold. There was no central heating in the room. Instead, I had to take out a lot of blankets stored in the closet to stay warm. That did the trick. 

My room.

My room.

I chose a room in a high floor so I could have a nice view. I did get a nice view but there were no elevators. Luckily, I traveled light with only a backpack. Otherwise, I suspect traveling with a large luggage would have been a challenge.

View from my room: sunrise over Spain.

View from my room: Tangier medina to the right and the new town ahead at dusk.

The breakfast that came with the room rate was fairly basic and served buffet style. But, I had a nice view of the port, Spain (across the ocean), and the medina while eating it on the patio.

Breakfast.

The Staff

The breakfast room.

The staff were friendly and helpful. The first receptionist spoke English but the other one did not speak English as well. (It's not a criticism but an observation. After all, the country's official languages are Arabic, Berber and French, and not English.) 

When I was taking pictures of the hotel's decor, another staff person kindly showed me many more of the hotel's nooks and crannies that were just beautiful.

The Price

I paid 437 Dirham for one night and for breakfast. The hotel accepts credit cards. I thought it was a reasonably affordable place to spend the night in Tangier. 

Have you stayed at Hotel Continental? What was your experience?