Review: The St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort, Tamuda Bay

Upon deciding to visit Morocco on our latest trip, the St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort, Tamuda Bay caught my eye as one of the premier luxury properties in the region.

Furthermore, it has a close proximity to the colorful blue medina town of Chefchaouen, a top tourist attraction in Morocco that we badly wanted to visit. 

As a newer property in a less developed country, I tempered my expectations a little. At the same time, the St. Regis name carries a hefty weight, and our great experiences at other properties in this brand in the past gave me optimism that our stay would be second to none. 

Read on for my review of the St. Regis Tamuda Bay.

Booking 

I was fortunate to book the St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort, Tamuda Bay, at a favorable industry rate for 4 nights in the first week of September 2025. The regular rate for a base room at this property is in excess of 6,500 Moroccan Dirhams (MAD) per night during the medium season, or 60,000 to 80,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.

About 1 month before our stay, I emailed the hotel to request an upgrade. They made a note on the reservation at that time. At the same time, I also submitted a Nightly Upgrade Award request. 

I was fortunate enough to be granted this request a few days prior to the stay, and to our excitement, we were upgraded to the luxurious John Jacob Astor 1 Bedroom Deluxe Suite.

Check-in

Check-in took place in a separate room called the Library. We were escorted in and shown to a comfortable couch to wait while the staff collected our passports and began the check-in. They asked us if we wanted coffee while we waited (we replied yes), however, this was never brought to us. This would become a foreshadowing of the service gaps we went on to experience throughout the stay.

After about 10 minutes, we signed off on the hotel rate and a separate staff member, a St. Regis Butler, offered to take us to our room and give us a quick tour of the property on our way. She was extremely pleasant and helpful in explaining every amenity the hotel had to offer, dining options, and so on.  

The grounds of the property were stunning with traditional and recognizable Moroccan architecture.

In our room, she showed us the room features and concluded by providing us a QR code to scan to add the St. Regis Butler Service as a WhatsApp contact. 

I used this contact throughout our stay to make small requests or ask questions, as I would normally use the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app’s chat function. The Butler service was timely and helpful for the most part.

Location

Tamuda Bay is a coastal area in northeast Morocco. The St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort, Tamuda Bay is located in Fnideq, Morocco. Specifically, it’s situated in Restinga El Manzah, on Route Fnideq at ​​267 Route Fnideq Restinga, Fnideq 93200. 

The hotel is a little bit isolated from other populous areas in either direction.  However, it’s within walking distance or a very short car ride to a beach and marina – to the north 1.5 km is Playa Almina, and to the south 2.5 km is Marina Smir.

Getting to the Hotel

There are several options for getting to the St Regis Tamuda Bay, depending on where you’re coming from. I recommend reading my Morocco Transportation Guide to be aware of all the options available.

For us, coming from Casablanca, we first took the Al Boraq high-speed train to Tangier, which is the closest large city to the hotel.  I inquired with the hotel prior to my stay about their recommendations for transport from Tangier. They offered a private car transfer for MAD 2,500 each way. This was over $380 Canadian dollars, which was frankly obscene for transportation costs in Morocco.

I was instead able to arrange my own private car transfer using a 3rd party transport company called TangierTaxi for €99 Euro. They offered a clean, professional, and timely taxi service. We also used them for a trip to Chefchauen and to get from the hotel back to Tangier Airport for our flight to Lisbon. We had a great experience with them every time we transited, so I would highly recommend them.

Alternatively, you have several other options for transportation to Tamuda Bay. CTM buses operate between Tangier and Tetouan, followed by a regional bus (#35) from Tetouan to the hotel. You could also hail a Grand taxi from Tangier or from Tetouan, or any other city or town. 

The last option would be ridesharing apps, mainly InDrive for intercity travel (as mentioned in my guide, ridesharing can be a little contentious in Morocco, so take caution if you opt for this option). 

Getting to Chefchaouen 

The hotel had only a private limousine to Chefchaouen available as an excursion at an extremely expensive rate of 7,850 MAD or approximately $1,200 Canadian dollars.

We would have been happy to pay a significant markup from public costs to visit the blue medina, but as with the airport transport, 7,850 MAD was too excessive. Instead, we opted to travel there ourselves using a combination of public transport and the private taxi service mentioned above, TangierTaxi, which charges around €119 Euro for the same route. 

To get there, we took a Grand Taxi to the Tetouan CTM bus station, then took a CTM bus to Chefchauen. The taxi and bus experience was unique.  While certainly less convenient than a private car, I wanted some more authentic experiences in the country and to learn more about their transportation systems as well.

We used TangierTaxi to return to the hotel more efficiently from Chefchaouen, as we finished in the blue city around 8:00 PM, and it was already getting dark. 

Nearby Essentials

ATM

Much to our surprise, there was no ATM located on the property or in the immediate vicinity of the property. While we should have, in hindsight, taken out more cash in Casablanca for our trip or confirmed the hotel had an ATM in advance, we mistakenly assumed that the hotel would have one.

This became a moderate inconvenience to our stay. I had to venture out not once but twice to find a local ATM. First, I was told by the St. Regis butler service that one was “conveniently located” in the nearby Marina Smir. This ATM was indeed easy to find, but it turned out not to be functioning.

I inquired again with the hotel butler service, who said another ATM was located in Playa Almina. They were extremely nonspecific, citing it as “near the beach” even when I pressed further for a specific location. I figured maybe this was a language barrier, so I went to the hotel front desk and asked for specific directions, but after having about four hotel staffers congregate to receive my question, it became evident that they simply didn’t know where the ATM actually was. 

Thus began my second excursion to the nearby Playa Almina, where I did indeed find a somewhat concealed ATM after asking a security guard at the turnoff to the public beach.

This ATM was much more modern and in a secluded private area near the Almina Administration Building. I would recommend this ATM over the Marina Smir ATM, even if both were functioning.

This ATM is not listed on Google Maps at the time of writing, but I tried to add it as a place submission. The coordinates are: 35°47’12.7″N 5°21’07.2″W, located across from the big building with the Almina sign, which also contains the Supermarché Azghay Almina.

Convenience Store

There are two relatively close-by convenience stores to the St. Regis Tamuda Bay, located in Playa Almina and Marina Smir, respectively. The Supermercado Marina Smir is bigger and better, and most importantly, has a relatively cheap and wide selection of alcohol compared to the hotel. They also accept credit cards.

I stopped here to stock up on some snacks and cheap drinks. The cost for alcohol at the St Regis is rather inflated, and signature cocktails can be as expensive as your entree, so this was a very good find for us.

Parking

The St. Regis Tamuda Bay offers complimentary on-site parking as well as complimentary valet parking and an electric car charging station. We did not make use of these facilities during our stay. 

Room – John Jacob Astor, 1 Bedroom Deluxe Suite, 1 King, Seafront, Corner room, Balcony

With only 17 suites located on the property, we felt extremely lucky to receive an upgrade to the John Jacob Astor suite with seafront view.

The suite opened up into a hallway connecting two separate rooms with two separate ocean-facing balconies.

To the left was the larger hallway with hallway closet, then bathroom, and then bedroom. To the right was the living and dining room.  

We were grateful to receive a St. Regis welcome amenity consisting of some snacks, macaroons, fruit, and local Moroccan pastries which were delicious.

The living room was gorgeous, complete with a large couch and chairs, television, dining table, and mini-bar.

 The dedicated mini-bar had lots of counter space, as well as hosting a Nespresso machine.

Unsurprisingly, the menu for in-room beverages was rather expensive.

The fridge was only partially stocked, so I suspect any of the alcoholic options would need to be ordered through room service or specially requested to be stocked.

There was a walkout balcony attached to the living room, which had a table with two chairs as well as a sofa.  The balcony gave a great view of the beach as well as the hotel pool.

There was also a narrower balcony that went the length of the room. This balcony was not connected to either of the two side balconies, but could be accessed through a separate door from the living room and from the bedroom.

The view from the balcony each morning during sunrise and also during sunset was truly spectacular. Pictures don’t do it justice, but hopefully give you an idea:

On the opposite side of the suite, turning left from the entryway, there was a small hallway with a double-sided closet. 

Beyond that was the bedroom which had an ensuite bathroom attached. The bedroom was large and spacious, with fantastic lighting from the adjoining balcony.

The matching side tables had a clock on one side and a phone on the other. Each side had lighting controls as well as both USB-A and USB-C fast charging outlets, and a universal AC outlet.

Across from the bed was a large smart TV, a work desk, and a small chair.

The desk even had a small organizer filled with paperclips, writing utensils, and Post-it notes.

The balcony attached to the bedroom was similar in size and layout to the other balcony, with two chairs and a small coffee table, but no sofa. It had a similar beach view, but of the public beach rather than the hotel’s private beach, the former of which was typically much busier.

Speaking of oceanfront views, the bathroom had one too, with a tall floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the balcony and private beach below.

Across from the bathtub was a double vanity.

While the counterspace was a bit limited, there was additional counterspace on a ledge beside the vanity, which made up for it. 

On either side of the bathtub was the toilet and shower housed in their own separate rooms. 

The shower was the typical waterfall style you find in luxury properties. I will say that it seemed to take ages to get to a hotter temperature than lukewarm, even when the shower faucet was turned to the max. 

The toilet was adequate, a Roca brand with a manual bidet. Of course, an electric bidet toilet seat with drying features is the gold standard, but you can’t have everything at every property you visit.

Restaurants & Bars

The St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Resort Tamuda Bay had two full-service restaurants open for lunch and dinner, as well as one bar, the signature St. Regis bar. 

Baie Blanche Brasserie

Baie Blanche Brasserie is a French restaurant located within the main building of the property. It is here that breakfast is served and I must say that we much preferred this restaurant to Bahia Vista by the end of our stay.

The restaurant has the following hours of operation:

• Breakfast: 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
• Lunch: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
• Dinner: 7:00 PM to 11:30 PM

There was also outdoor seating including covered couches and tables with umbrellas, which we enjoyed for a breakfast and a lunch during our stay.

You can view the various menus for Baie Blanche here.

Marriott Bonvoy Elite Complimentary Breakfast 

Each morning we enjoyed the St. Regis breakfast. As is typical of most St. Regis properties I’ve stayed at, there was an elaborate buffet spread available for guests, paired with an à la carte menu. 

We started almost every morning off with one or both of the Bahia Mary, which was complimentary at breakfast, or a latte (either iced or hot). The drinks were delicious and consistent day to day.

The buffet spread had a nice assortment of options, both local and more North American style. Everything was high quality. There were some subtle changes in items day to day, but it was mostly the same.

I’m always most excited to try à la carte options at places like this, and I tried every “From the Griddle” option on the menu by the end of our stay.  Some of my favorites were the French toast with berry marmalade and the crepe with chocolate sauce and banana. My partner also noted that the eggs benedicts (either salmon or turkey) were delicious.

Overall, the breakfast at St. Regis impressed and provided us with a great start to our day. The service was very consistent and timely here. I even frequently saw a manager visiting tables to check in with guests.

Lunch

We enjoyed lunch at Baie Blanche once during our stay at the St. Regis Tamuda Bay. The menu was the exact same as the pool menu, which was somewhat unusual, but logistically it made sense because the restaurant exterior was adjacent to the pool. 

We sat outside and had a nice secluded seat all to ourselves.

We both ordered the lobster roll with romaine salad and spicy mayonnaise. It came with fries and was exceptional. 

Dinner

We enjoyed dinner at Baie Blanche one evening during our stay as well.  As at lunch, the outdoor atmosphere was equally pleasant here.

We started off with two signature cocktails, the Vesper and Siesta. They were fairly average.

For our meal, we splurged and ordered the lamb shoulder “Mbakhar”, which is a steamed fall-off-the-bone lamb. It was 1,000 MAD and came with assorted roasted vegetables.

The lamb shoulder was supposed to be a two-person shareable dish, but it was enough meat to feed closer to 3-4 people. We felt bad that we were unable to finish all the meat, but not for lack of trying. It was a positively delicious dish. 

Bahia Vista Beach Bar & Grill

Bahia Vista is a beach bar and grill situated adjacent to the private beach. It has a large terrace with mostly outdoor seating in a Tiki-style setting.

The food menu is the same for lunch and dinner, and emphasizes seafood, sushi, and fresh meat cuts.

Bahia Vista operates a lunch service from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM and a dinner service from 8:00 PM to 11:30 PM. 

Lunch

Our first experience at Bahia Vista was for lunch. Frankly, the service was terrible. We had to go up and ask for menus ourselves and then waited about 20 minutes for a server to come take our order.

There were multiple dishes unavailable, to the point where I had to ask for three different entrees before my order was accepted.  

My partner ordered a cocktail, but it was never brought to her. By the time the food came out, we decided it wasn’t worth a follow up.   

For our meal, we enjoyed the patatas bravas, chicken satay, and the catch of the day.

The food was excellent. All really good flavors, perfectly cooked. We had no complaints there and it definitely made up a little bit for the service.  Still, I was a little apprehensive about having another meal here, but I’m always down to try anything twice.

Dinner

We ate at Bahia Vista again for dinner on the final evening of our stay. I wish I could say our experience was significantly improved from our lunch here, but it ended up being even worse.

We were seated at our table without any menus and were not spoken to by any staff member for some time. I had to go up and ask for menus once again. From there, it took another 20 minutes before someone finally came to take our order. 

We ordered two cocktails. As with lunch, it again seemed we would not actually receive the drinks. We were situated quite close to the bar, so after about half an hour, I went and asked the bartender directly about our drinks, and he clearly had no knowledge of our order. I also noticed he often had to go to the main property, which was quite a walk, to retrieve specific bottles of alcohol, which was hardly an efficient way to bartend. 

While we waited further, we received an amuse-bouche of anchovies, which were admittedly very tasty.

After about 45 minutes, we finally received our drinks. 

They were both quite good, especially my dragon fruit caipirinha. Also, a silver lining, we did still receive the drinks before our meals, which took closer to an hour.

Unfortunately, I received the wrong dish, which was promptly taken away, so mine took an additional 30 minutes while my partner ate hers. 

My partner’s dish of teriyaki salmon steak was great. I wasn’t as impressed with my marinated octopus. It was cold and seemed like more of a salad. I didn’t think the flavors paired together very well between the vegetable mix and the octopus.

When it was all said and done, we were at this restaurant for two and a half hours due to the agonizingly slow service.  

I am not a person who complains at restaurants; I can count on one hand the number of times I have. But this was sadly one of them.  The manager was apologetic and gave a predictable spiel along with a discount for us, but nonetheless, I cannot recommend dining at this restaurant to anyone staying at this hotel.  

Hopefully, they can drastically overhaul the service here in the near future.

St. Regis Bar

The St. Regis bar is located adjacent to the hotel lobby/library, and is open from 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM.

There was very rarely a staff member located at this bar, as it seemed the bartender was also operating the Bahia Vista Grill bar. The one time we stopped by to consider getting a pre-dinner drink, the staff member took 10 minutes to find us a menu.

We decided not to wait and so never ordered anything at the St. Regis bar. However I can note that the drink menu is the same as at Baie Blanche Brasserie.

Interestingly, there is a cigar bar and a cigar menu at the St. Regis bar. A nice touch for those guests who like to partake.

Signature Champagne Sabrage Ritual

As is tradition at St. Regis properties, there is a Signature champagne sabrage ritual held every evening, where a champagne bottle is sabred and complimentary glasses of champagne are served to guests. I’m impartial to the ritual as it is a bit gimmicky, but I won’t turn down free champagne.

Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication by the hotel regarding the time and location of the ritual. The Bonvoy app mentioned it was 7:00 PM at the St. Regis bar, while the butler service told us it was at 8:30 PM. We showed up to the St Regis Bar at this time to find out it had already taken place at Bahia Vista restaurant.  

As there were two other parties also at the wrong place with us, a manager was hailed and offered to do the ritual again just for us at Bahia Vista. This worked out great, as we had a reservation at the restaurant at 9:00 PM anyway.

In-room Dining

We ordered room service almost immediately on arrival, as we were famished from the travel and not wanting to wait. I was able to place my order directly through a webpage accessible from the Bonvoy app and also a QR code in the room, which was a nice convenience.

We ordered Ginger ale and Casablanca beer for drinks. They were nice but I was a little surprised that the ginger ale was delivered with the glass only half full at best.

For food we ordered squid ink spaghetti and the traditional club sandwich. Both dishes were great.

On another occasion during our stay, we ordered a dish of pad thai to share along with a chocolate mousse. 

The pad thai was fantastic, it stands up to some I’ve had in Thailand, even. It was different, though, more saucy with egg and apple slices on top. The mousse was also very good, rich, and tasty.

Nearby Restaurants

If the on-property dining options don’t impress, or you just want a change, there are a few other options within a reasonable distance. The closest is Marina Smir, which has a large number of restaurants and eateries. 

Although I didn’t get a chance to eat at any restaurants here, I noted a few that had decent reviews, which included a place called Ben’s Burgers.

Facilities

Fitness Center

The fitness center was located on the main floor of the property, near to the spa.  It was a small but very nice facility with gorgeous seafront views.

The fitness equipment was provided by TechnoGym, an exceedingly common brand at Marriott properties. There was a solid selection of treadmills, free weights, exercise balls and mats, as well as a bench press. 

There was also some cucumber water and a few apples and other Moroccan treats. 

The fitness center is open 24/7.

Outdoor Pool

The outdoor pool was a highlight of the property. We spent several mornings enjoying the warm water and gorgeous views of the Alboran sea. 

The pool opens at 9:00 AM every morning. It was pretty quiet around breakfast time, but from 9:30 AM onwards there is a bit of a rush to get the cabanas and shaded loungers and they are typically all occupied by 10:00 AM.  We learned from our first day at the resort and claimed a cabana right at 8:55 AM before going to breakfast on the last two mornings of our stay.

There were plenty of seating options aside from the cabanas, including a shaded patio area, couches with umbrellas, and typical pool chairs. 

While we lounged around the pool, on one occasion, we received a refreshing welcome drink provided by a staff member. Other than that, there wasn’t much service for guests seated at the pools. To be honest, I think this is simply part of the service culture in Morocco.

The pool closes around sunset, which was roughly 8:00 PM during the time of our stay, but is subject to change based on daylight hours.

Spa

The St. Regis Tamuda Bay had a full-service spa with a comprehensive menu of Moroccan and international spa services, including Hammam and couples Hammam. The couple’s Hammam involves separate Hammam massages followed by a traditional massage where you are in the same room with your partner. 

The spa also has a set of three different temperature pools available along with a sauna. These were all complimentary for guests. 

We enjoyed these pools several times during our stay, and they were a pleasant addition to the property. 

The St Regis spa, including the jacuzzi, sauna, and pools, are open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Private Beach

The property has a private beach that was fenced off from the surrounding public beaches on either side.

There were several lounge chairs with tables and umbrellas available. Unlike the pool, we never had an issue getting the perfect spot on the loungers at the beach. 

There was no real service out on the private beach, which seems like a bit of a missed opportunity. We always had to bring a towel or any drinks down with us from the pool if we wanted them.

There was a station on the beach which seemed like it was intended for hotel services, but it was never manned by any staff.

The beach water was always fairly warm during our stay and very enjoyable.  The sand on the beach was warm to hot and full of shells. If your feet aren’t hardy, you may want water shoes or sandals. 

At the entrance on each side of the beach were full showers and foot showers, which were convenient. 

Watersports

It added a bit of disappointment to our stay when we learned that the resort no longer offered watersports. We had found a menu online that listed underwater scooter and jet ski rentals, and had planned to partake in these activities. 

However, it turns out the property has not offered these for almost a year now. Unfortunately, it’s still not super clear as the on-property watersports rental service is still an entry on Google Maps and has a live website:

The St Regis Butler who informed me about the watersports no longer being offered also mentioned they could recommend a 3rd party watersports company. However, after pressing twice for them to provide the actual name, they said they would look into it and get back to me.  

Spoiler: they never got back to me…

Conclusion

We had a great stay at the St. Regis  La Bahia Blanca Resort, Tamuda Bay, in spite of some pretty big gaps in the quality of service. However, the property is simply not quite up to the standard the St. Regis brand aims for.

While the food was high quality at both restaurants on the property, the service at the Bahia Vista Beach Bar & Grill was some of the worst I’ve experienced at any hotel. I simply wouldn’t recommend eating here during your stay. Unfortunately, when your resort only has two restaurants, it’s not really an option for either of them to be lacklustre. 

Beyond that, the helpfulness of the staff was quite lacking at times, particularly outlined in my experiences with watersport rental, finding a nearby ATM, and transportation.

Although we knew there wasn’t a whole lot to do in Tamuda Bay besides visiting nearby towns of Tetouan, Chefchauen, and relaxing at the property’s pool and beach, some other activities available on the property would be nice. Something simple like paddleboard rentals, or something more unique like a local fishing excursion, would be great additions to the property.

The St. Regis Tamuda Bay Resort still has a lot going for it. The physical aspects of the property are amazing and have clearly been meticulously designed. Hopefully, the resort matures a bit further and becomes the premier luxury resort in the region, but there is definitely some work to be done to get there.