Pestana Casablanca Seaside Suites & Residences

Rooms and decor

Picture one building that stacks a shopping mall, offices and apartments above the Atlantic — that's the Anfa Place Living Resort in Casablanca's Aïn Diab district, and Pestana Casablanca Seaside Suites & Residences is its residential floor, run by Portugal's Pestana group. What sets it apart from a standard 4-star is the format: most rooms are suite-apartments, from studios up to 2-bedrooms, each with a kitchenette, electric hob, microwave, fridge and its own washing machine. Open the door and you land in a living area with a sofa, separate from the sleeping zone — closer to your own seaside flat than a hotel room. Decor runs cream and warm brown in a Mediterranean-Moroccan key, with wood and small geometric textiles. Most units have a balcony or a big window, and some face straight onto the pool and the open Atlantic, so you wake to the surf hitting the Corniche. If you like trips where you don't repack every two nights and want space to cook, this layout fits.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is the outdoor pool facing the Atlantic, lined with sun loungers and long parasols. Late-afternoon light is what reviewers call the highlight — the sunset turning the sky orange and pink over the ocean horizon, kids in the water, adults with a cold drink from the poolside bar. Downstairs the complex connects to Morocco Mall, the largest mall in the country and about a 10-minute walk, with a Carrefour supermarket for kitchen supplies, Moroccan and international restaurants, an aquarium, a cinema and a musical fountain out front that kids love at night. The hotel itself has a lounge, a work area and a restaurant serving a Moroccan-continental breakfast buffet — fresh bread, eggs to order, cheese, juice and hot mint tea. Staff speak French, English, Arabic and Portuguese, and plenty of reviews credit them with sorting taxis, restaurant tips and aquarium trips for the kids.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits on Boulevard de la Corniche in Aïn Diab, west Casablanca's seafront strip where locals and visitors walk in the evening. Step out and you hit a coastal promenade running for a kilometre along the Atlantic, with the El Hank lighthouse not far off; the Aïn Diab beach is a 5-minute drop down. Hassan II Mosque, the city's signature landmark and the largest mosque in Africa, is a 15–20 minute orange-taxi or Careem ride, and Centre Ville with the old medina sits in the same range. Casa-Port station, for trains to Rabat or Marrakech, is 15–20 minutes by car, and Mohammed V airport (CMN) lies about 30 km out, a 35–45 minute drive or a ride on the airport train line. It's a base for people who want the sea and breathing room over the dense city centre, while still reaching the big sights quickly.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, the Aïn Diab location is far from the old medina and historic sights — if you came to Casablanca to walk the medina, photograph the French colonial Art Deco of Centre Ville or visit Hassan II Mosque daily, you'll be in a taxi or Careem every time, fares stack up, and rush hour bites. City-first travellers should compare a Centre Ville hotel. Second, the decor and furniture look dated against newer 4-star builds, and some units show wear, especially bathrooms, showers and kitchen kit that a few reviews report as incomplete or worn — flag anything off at the desk and they can usually swap or top it up. Third, watch the extra fees: some packages bill breakfast, parking or faster Wi-Fi separately, and Corniche-facing rooms can catch traffic noise on lively weekend evenings. Light sleepers should ask for a high floor or the pool side, and expect slower weekend check-in when it's busy.

Our take

After reading hundreds of real reviews across Agoda, Booking and Tripadvisor, Pestana Casablanca Seaside Suites & Residences nails one thing: an Aïn Diab seafront location, suites with a kitchen, and Morocco Mall in the same complex, all at a reachable price. If your trip looks like several nights with the family in a roomy unit, cooking some meals, kids swimming at a sea-view pool and visiting the mall aquarium, then evening walks along the Corniche, this is the most convenient pick in the area. If you expect a freshly finished 4-star polished in every corner, or want to be near the centre to walk the medina daily, the location and room condition may not fit. Overall we give it 8.2/10 — best for families and couples who want to wake up to the Corniche and the Atlantic, and who value apartment-sized space over hotel gloss.