This is arguably the hippest guesthouse in the Fes medina. Expect jazz crooners on the stereo, chic but unfussy décor, an intimate rooftop scene that wouldn’t look out of place on a beach in Ibiza, and a grown-up drinks list in your room. Instagrammers flock here for photos framed in the pretty, wrought-iron windows.
It’s less than a minute from the nearest taxi drop-off point in the bustling little neighbourhood of Batha. Try to avoid coming home when school gets out around 5.30pm, it’s full on. It’s also easy strolling distance to plenty of medina hot spots; the details of which owner Valerie Janczewski has compiled into a natty insiders’ travel booklet that you’ll find in your room.
This is the kind of place where you immediately feel at home, while still getting to bask in the contemporary design details of a proper boutique hotel. There are dusky pink courtyard armchairs and a wood panelled bartal (the recess traditional to medina townhouses) that, in this case, is large enough for a long built-in sofa, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a wood-burning stove.
Janczewski worked closely with Belgian interior designer Audrey Vermeersch to bring together traditional artisanship with more modern tastes. You’ll find pressed concrete tiles bearing a swirling Islamic motif line in subtle, dove-grey on the floors; intricately carved plaster that outlines ancient cedar wood doors echoed in bas relief on the walls; and pared-back bedrooms just begging to be chilled out in.
For a small space Riad Anata manages to cram a lot in. Starting at the top you’ll find a lushly planted roof terrace with shady dining area (no view to speak of alas), a plunge pool with a macramé hammock strung right above it, and a private deck on which to soak up the rays of the African sun. There’s a well stocked library (in the Courtyard salon) and hands on cooking classes on the terrace for €40 (335) per person. Take part in one to learn how to tell your tagine from your tangia, while getting to grips with essential Moroccan herbs and spices.
Adventurers who can’t be bothered with their own planning can partake of one of Anata’s artfully curated day trips built around cultural, sporty and nature themes. Best of all, you can do it in the loving hands of a team that truly embodies the spirit of Moroccan hospitality that the country and its people are famous for.
Each of Anata’s five, colour-coded rooms is unusually bright and airy for the medina and each has its own personality. Handmade homewares, from up-and-coming local brands like Anajam Home and MedinART, are mixed with with souk finds and vintage treasures like the so-cute-you’ll-be-tempted-to-steal-it songbird lantern in the Red room.
Choose the Red or Green rooms if your feeling romantic, the loft-style White room that’s off the courtyard for easy access, the Orange room if you’re after twin beds, or the Blue room on the roof if you hanker for spending lots of time outside. All have air conditioning and heating, and bathrooms brimming with Riad Anata’s own deliciously scented organic toiletries.
Evening meals span a wide range of traditional Moroccan soups and salads, hot starters such as lobia (the local equivalent of baked beans, but a lot, lot better), and various tagines including a sensational lamb and prune concoction dripping with silken onions and sprinkled with sesame seeds. There’s also vegetarian couscous, fragrantly spiced grilled meats, sardine kefta, crunchy briouats (puff pastry), and homely desserts such as rice pudding with almonds, or poached pears.
Breakfast is no less ambitious, and offers chia seed pudding and cardamom infused honey, as well as the usual array of Moroccan breads and pastries. Local wines, expertly made cocktails and beer are served to those who like to end their day with something a little stronger than a cup of mint tea.
Double rooms from $110 low season; and from $149 in high. Breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi.
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Children are welcome, but as with all traditional medina houses be mindful of the fact that noise carries, especially in a fairly small one like this. Very small children would need to be supervised at all times.
| Check In | 12:00 pm |
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| Check Out | 12:00 pm |
Séjour Parfait