The stately Sahrai is the buzziest spot in town among Moroccan cool-hunters and resident expats, mixing an exotic history with the sort of contemporary good looks more familiar to Marrakech. Stay here if you like DJs with your evening drinks and Sunday brunch, relaxing by the pool and posh spa treatments.
Perched on a hilltop above the Ville Nouvelle (new town) with expansive views across the city to Fez’s very own Table Top – Mount Zalagh – is a great base if you find medina life a little claustrophobic; luckily it’s close enough if you still want to dip in and out of the souks for some retail therapy. The downside is that although the new town makes for an interesting stroll, especially if you’re a fan of faded Art Deco architecture, there’s very little else.
Note that the hotel was originally known as Dhar el Mehraz, and many taxi drivers still know it by its former name – useful to remember if you’re coming by a drink or dinner.
Hotel Sahrai was once the holiday home of General Lyautey, military governor of the French protectorate from 1907 to 1925. All that remains of the original structure are the arches, which run along the façade in a glorious galleried terrace that remains the most bucolic spot in town. Elsewhere, acclaimed French interior designer Christophe Pillet was given free rein to mix elements of classic Fassi design, such as the intricate carved plaster walls of the dining room and bedrooms, and the hand beaten, filigree brass lanterns of the spa, with a more contemporary aesthetic.
Exposed sandstone from Taza and sleek geometric waterways demarcate spaces inside and out, and floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows flood the space in shimmering North African light. Contemporary Italian furniture, muted Beni M’gild Moroccan rugs and lavish plants keep the interiors stylish but relaxed.
Many guests don’t actually leave the five-star hotel at all, such is the depth of facilities here. It has three restaurants and two bars, a state-of-the-art gym and an L-shaped infinity pool where you can swim laps down one side, or simply float around on the other enjoying the view.
Sahrai is home to the only Givenchy spa in North Africa – complete with swanky marble steam rooms and a jade green dipping pool. A top-flight scrub-down in the hammam will cost you around £30, and a sublime 75-minute massage with rose essential oils is £100. There’s also a couples treatment room with private a terrace for a spot of post-treatment canoodling.
This is quite a substantial pad with 50 guest rooms, all generously proportioned and with the same floor-to-ceiling picture windows that make the rest of the place feel so bright and breezy. I particularly like room 314, which gives the best views over the pool and across the city (to be enjoyed from a handily placed chaise longue). There’s also a desk – a welcome touch in these days of nomadic working – cable television and ample wardrobe space.
The bathrooms are a less successful piece of design, enclosed within a glass case with drapes that are awkward to pull and a sunken bath that is so tricky to get into you could imagine it being a real headache for anyone but the super agile.
Relais de Paris, the bistro-style restaurant, gets good food right; try the excellent-value steak frites and a substantial French salad for around £18. Amaraz – the hotel’s flagship restaurant – serves a tandem menu of solid Moroccan dishes, and rather less successful Lebanese classics.
The rooftop tapas bar and bodega, with its conservatory-style chill-out lounge is more relaxed, and a hot spot for late-night drinks when the weather’s balmy through the summer. Thursday night means free tapas between 7pm and 8pm, and there is live music on Fridays and Saturdays. Sunday brunch (all you can eat for £28) is a very pleasant way to to spend a couple of hours, accompanied by cool bottle of locally made Moroccan rosé.
Day-to-day breakfasts are a generous buffet affair groaning beneath the weight of Moroccan breads and pastries, fruits salads and farmhouse cheeses as well as some more traditional fare like bessara (fava bean) soup sprinkled with cumin.
Double rooms from $182 in low season; and from $273 in high. Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi. Tourist tax is $2.50 per person per day.
Taxis can drive right to the door, the terraces are on ground level and there is lift access to every other part of the hotel.
For all its hip-factor, this is actually a very family-friendly hotel (particularly for Sunday brunch). Children must be supervised at the pool and not disturb other guests in the restaurants; many couples come here for a romantic weekend and may not appreciate little ones bouncing around.
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