Hotel El Oumnia Puerto

Hotel El Oumnia Puerto is a four-star hotel at 10 Avenue Beethoven in the Ville Nouvelle, the French-era new town of Tangier in northern Morocco. The bay-side location places it close to the port and the beach promenade, and the medina and Grand Socco lie within a short taxi ride or a longer downhill walk. The central position makes it practical for travellers arriving by ferry from Spain, since the port is nearby, and for those using the main train and bus connections across the city.

The hotel is a modern, business-and-leisure style property rather than a historic building, with a straightforward layout of standard rooms, double or twin rooms and suites. Rooms are air-conditioned and Wi-Fi is available, and the upper floors on the bay side are the ones that deliver the water views suggested by the hotel's setting. Prices are listed at about MAD 700-1,200 per night, roughly $75-$128, which sits in the upper-middle band for Tangier.

Dining is provided by an on-site restaurant, and a breakfast buffet is the usual morning arrangement. For evening meals, the surrounding Ville Nouvelle has a wide range of cafes, seafood restaurants and Moroccan grills along the beach avenue and in the streets behind it, so guests are not tied to the hotel.

Facilities include a swimming pool and a fitness centre, which makes the hotel more useful for longer stays than a simple city-centre bed. The pool is most appreciated between May and October, when Tangier's weather is warm and dry.

Service is geared toward a mixed clientele of ferry passengers, business visitors and holiday travellers. Front-desk staff can usually arrange taxis, airport transfers and excursions to Cap Spartel and the Caves of Hercules. The beach promenade makes evening walks easy, and the location suits visitors who prefer the modern part of the city to the narrow lanes of the medina.