(Continued in Hotel Balima - Part 1)
The long dark corridors are decorated with framed tourism posters and locally produced carpets. Too bad the corridors were lit too dimly to appreciate them. Our decent room had a small balcony facing west towards the Parliament; this was by far the best feature of our room. The room furnishings are a bit simple except for the decorative window curtains and long pillows atop the stiff twin beds. The small TV broadcasts a few stations, seemingly one each in Arabic, English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese (did I miss any?). The bathroom has a claustrophobic cylindrical shower stall, with just enough room to wash but not enough to towel off. The minimal toiletries include small bars of soap and towels that were, shall we say, a bit off-white in color and rough in texture. Otherwise, everything in the bathroom did function satisfactorily.
Our breakfast was included in our room rate at the Hotel Balima. I suppose you could stay there at a room-only rate also at a slightly cheaper price, but we opted to see what breakfast was like. This was our first Ramadan meal in Morocco during the daytime, so the only diners here were non-Muslim guests like us. We reached the pleasant breakfast room (with a view of Parliament) after going up and down a series of steps. The decent continental breakfast included baguettes, croissants, hard-boiled eggs (all with an allotment of one per guest, served to you by a waiter), accompanied by spreadable cheese, butter, marmalade, and coffee or tea. This light breakfast is nothing special, though it did bridge us over to our late lunch, also at the Balima.
After a seemingly citywide search for lunch during the daylight hours of Ramadan, we retreated to our hotel and were allowed to eat in their dining room. The staff was very gracious to open things up for us, as I imagine that they did not have to do anything at all for us. The curtains were drawn and the lights dim so no one could really look in at us, though we could see just enough of the outside world. The vegetable puree soup, rolls, chicken tajine and a big bottle of mineral water were served very promptly, all quite welcome after a lengthy, drizzle-laden stroll through Rabat. The tajine is perhaps your most typical Moroccan dish, found at most decent local restaurants. You can get a heartier version with boiled vegetables found in an average stew (carrots, potatoes, chickpeas) or sweeter versions with toppings like raisins, prunes, caramelized onions, or slices of citron. The latter type is for the more adventurous palate that does not mind a sweeter, tangier main course. The menu also had some mainstream western-style items like burgers and pasta.
Since we were the only diners, the service for our mid-afternoon lunch was swift and immediate.