Yes, I know that the upholstery is heavy and tired. Yes, I know that the curtains are old fashioned and need changing. Yes, I know that the style can only be described as haute hodgepodge (a little art deco, a little neoclassical, a little Moroccan fantasy...). And oh dear, the bedspreads are... eeek....! But there is something, something about the Soundouss hotel in Morocco's capital of Rabat that requires a visit at least once.
Perhaps it is the sunny tiled reception area that greets you when you walk in the door....?
Or the stained glass in the most surprising places....?
Or could it be the company I kept in the breakfast room....?
I must admit that I felt safe with the hotel security prowling around. Yes, perhaps it was that....
Or it might have had something to do with the handmade Moroccan carpets everywhere....?
You see, I have a certain fondness for the golden orange carpets from Morocco's South....
Hmmm....I wonder if it is the the quirky art that appealed to me?
I certainly couldn't argue with the red white stripes - they reminded me of one of my favorite cities in Morocco -- Chefchaoen.
And the Moroccan tile work....! Why I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it. Just look at the dining room... Yes, maybe that was what was so appealing.
Why even the small elevators were tiled....! No reason to be bored and claustrophobic, if you know what I mean...
I adored the smattering of antiquities against the modern tile work..I think maybe that is what I liked so much.
Really, isn't this lovely....?
No, I am not sure what it is about the Soundouss Hotel. All I know is that when I walked out the door with its glamorous handle, I thought I might be coming back....
Soundouss Hotel ****
A. 10, PLACE talha. Agdal, Rabat, Morocco.
Tel: +212 37 67 59 59. Fax: +212 37 67 58 68.
