1

When i stayed in Casablanca it was at Ibis Casa Voyageurs. It was located next to the casa Voyageurs train station, (literally a stones throw), which swayed it for me - some of the other hotels i saw in the centre were a bit hit and miss.

The ibis rooms were clean, the breakfast was superb, the area was quiet, altho get a room at the front to avoid the train noise. It sounds like you have done the Riad experience so at least you wont be missing out on that.

The petit taxi cost about 7MAD on the meter in the day to get to downtown in the daytime.

http://www.ibishotel.com/gb/hotel-2032-ibis-casa-voyageurs/index.shtml

2

I agree, the Ibis is easy and comfortable.

Dave

3

...... The Ibis, beside the Railway Station at Casa Voyageurs, a 30 minute train journey from the Airport.

4

Is it safe enough to take the train to the airport at something like 6am or would a taxi be a better option then? Thanks everyone for your input. Ibis seems to be getting a lot of votes!

5

..... on the Ibis site you find an interactive map, see how close the Hotel is to the Station, its in sight of it, a very short distance. Its a busy area for commuters and for sure a number of police persons will be hovering around the Railway Station.

There's a train at 06.07h. http://www.oncf.ma/Pages/ResultatsHoraire.aspx?depart=CASA%20VOYAGEURS&arrivee=AEROPORT%20Med%20V&CodeRD=0093&CodeGD=00200&CodeRA=0093&CodeGA=00190&heure=0000&date=29/08/2012

6

Hello,

I stayed in Casablanca in April this year, at the Hotel Mon Reve, 7 Rue Chaouia, it's centrally located in the old French quarter, close to all the main places of interest, the central market, medina and the main street, Boulevard Mohammed 5.

It's an old French hotel, recently modernised, I got a single room on the fourth floor with ensuite bathroom and everything clean and comfortable for Dh100, much less expensive than your projected budget, but next door is the posh-looking Hotel Manar, if you want to go upmarket.

Rue Chaouia is crammed with cheap and cheerful eateries, both sit in and take away, but I preferred to walk the short distance up to Boulevard Mohammed 5, turning right along the new tramway towards Place Nations Unies, and just before McDonalds and KFC, down a side street to the left (Ben Dahan, but not signposted) I found a restaurant with no name, but just checking out the ambience, it looked " the business " and I enjoyed an excellent inexpensive dinner, in convivial atmosphere and surroundings.

The Casa Voyageurs train station is a long way from the city centre, essential for your onward travel, but by staying in the old French quarter you escape Casablanca's night and day frenetic traffic, just trying to cross the wide boulevards is nerve-racking and exhausting, but the small red taxis are the easy way to get around, being in the traffic hell, but not part of it.........!

Enjoy your Casa "experience"......the nightlife is something else !

Miguel.

7

It is perfectly safe to take the train and much cheaper than a taxi.

Dave

8

Hello again,

I can only speak from my recent experiences in Morocco this year, it was perfectly safe, as a foreign tourist, just walking alone around the streets, even after dark, when surroundings may appear intimidating, the perception of danger is sometimes more worrying than danger itself.....

In any case, my regular, reliable bar-room informants revealed that the Moroccan government has increased street police capacity by fifty percent, in response to recent terrorist atrocities, and in particular to protect the all-important tourist influx, vital to the country's economy.
Most of these new young-generation police are invisible to the ordinary tourist, dressing inconspicuously in smart but casual attire, to blend in with their surveillance territory.

Sometimes, they give the show away by carelessly allowing a set of handcuffs protruding from underneath clothing, at other times uniformed police can be seen on patrol wearing a holster without any visible automatic pistol, but be assured, they have the gun concealed elsewhere on the body.......I think they were all big fans of " Miami Vice "!................

So, feel safe on your Casablanca investigations, I never had a nervous moment, except just trying to cross the roads !

9

there are some useful info on this link.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2240735&messageID=20237708#20237708

10

I stayed at the Casa Voyaguers IBIS in late June of this year, and would definitely recommend it, especially for a short stay. I caught the train from the airport at 10:30 in the evening, and everything was fine, so think the early morning would be no problem at all.

11

I heard also only good about hotel Ibis.

12

Thank you all so much you are awsome!

13

We stayed at Hotel Central located inside the medina in Casablanca. It is only a 10 minute taxi ride from the Casa Voyeurs train station. We also stayed one night at the Ibis right next to the train station. While I found the hotel to be very convienent, it was noisy with the trains coming and going.

Hotel Central is cheaper, and they have a really good breakfast, and it is located near the water front and within walking distance to the Hassan II Mosque.