This charming seven-room riad hidden in the alleyways of the Fes medina combines Moroccan heritage and hospitality with French style, and is a tranquil place to escape the hubbub of the city.
Finding this riad may be the first challenge of a visit to Fes, but its location between the two main streets of the Medina is one of its attractions. If driving, guests need to park at Ain Azliten and hire a porter to transport luggage to the riad. But the advantage is in being just five minutes’ walk from the market streets of the old city, in the thick of the action.
Built as a secluded home for Moroccan aristocrat Mohammed Chergui at the beginning of the last century, this elegant three-storey building has been a ryad since 2005 when owner Michel Trezzy completed a five-year restoration. Traditional craftsmen from the old city were used in the restoration project, and the rooms have been beautifully furnished with French antiques, handmade wooden furniture, Moroccan art and wood carvings.
The central courtyard is a garden thick with orange trees and alive with birds in the morning. All is set around a beautiful courtyard garden thick with orange trees.
A small swimming pool – open only in summer – sits to one side of the leafy courtyard that is the centrepiece of the riad. There is an in-house hammam and classic massage is offered by appointment. A manager and small staff are eager to help with directions, maps, or booking guided tours of the old city, excursions to the 17th-century Berber town of Sefrou (about 22 miles away), or full day tours to Meknes or Ifrane and the Middle Atlas Mountains.
Service is friendly and efficient. Same-day laundry service is available in house.
Ryad Salama has six rooms and one suite. Every room overlooks the garden, either from a secluded balcony or at ground level. Each is decorated with different colours, and named for fruit or flowers. It’s worth the climb up the narrow tiled stairs to Amandine, to find a secluded verandah behind an intricately painted Moroccan wooden door.
Rooms have king/queen-sized or twin beds, some have a bathtub as well as shower, and all have robes. All rooms have air conditioning/heating. The Grenadine suite has a four-poster bed and a mezzanine floor with an extra bed.
Breakfast is served on the patio if the weather is warm enough, or in the dining room beside the fireplace. Croissants, Moroccan pastries and bread, with small tubs of jams and honey, yogurt, and fresh fruit (bananas or oranges) are all presented on matching painted plates. Eggs are cooked to order.
A set menu is offered at dinner: soup, vegetables, a tagine dish and dessert (four courses for 250 Moroccan dirham/£20). Specialities include the classic lemon chicken tagine or shoulder of lamb with honey and cinnamon, for dessert citrus slices with caramelised almonds. The wine list includes Moroccan, French and Spanish labels.
Not suitable.
All rooms can accommodate three people, with day beds in a separate area suitable for children.
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