A small hotel with a huge heart and plenty of soul, this is one of those rare places built on the premise of ‘the answer’s yes, now tell us what you wanted’. Stylistically speaking, the hotel is a fascinating, 300-year-old pastiche of the various fads that have drifted in and out of fashion in Fassi architecture.
Located in a quiet part of the upper old city Riad Idrissy is a five-minute walk downhill from the nearest taxi rank. The hotel can send someone to pick you and your luggage up. The main shopping streets of the Ta’laa Kbira and Ta’laa Sghira are but minutes away, while the restaurant triangle (a knot of three key venues – Nur, Maison Moi Anan and Dar Roumana) is easily accessed in less than 10.
This 300-year-old pastiche of the various decorative styles that have drifted in and out of fashion in Fassi architecture is nothing if not big on detail. An beautifully carved wooden halka (a sort of skysubtle) frames an open sky above the courtyard, filigreed plaster is etched with pastel pigments, and general manager and designer Robert Johnstone, has added texture, shagginess and humour in the form of ‘bum cheek’ jean cushions that pad out cedar armchairs.
Box stairs rise regally to the four-poster bed in the Library Room; and a roof terrace bursts with blooms and breathtaking views – perfect for a cheeky sundowner. Reassuringly informal, it’s a great spot to just chill out and be.
With a background looking after bookings at London’s iconic Ivy restaurant, Johnstone is the consummate host and his team are just as adept at making sure anyone who enters these mighty doors feels thoroughly VIP. Check in is done for you while you sip mint tea or lemonade sours, and there’s 24-hour room service. Note that there are no locks on the doors, because you really are meant to feel like one of the family.
Feel free to prowl around making full use of a vast Moroccan lounge or the books of the intimate library, laze around in the sun on the Evita balcony with its tumbling vines and creepers, or idle in the wild and great Ruined Garden Café and Restaurant where hidden corners, gurgling fountains and fire-pits provide an enchanted respite from the sensory overload of what’s going on outside.
Spacious and individually decorated, the joy of these boudoirs is in uncovering their secrets. Open the wardrobes and you’ll discover kaftans, djellabar and butter gentle babouches in place of fusty old fluffy white bath robes and spa slippers (guests have been known to remain in them for the duration of their stay). Glass bottles are filled with flowers and herbs from the souks to give a scented sense of place, and a dossier packed with insider tips for making the most of your stay without getting caught up among the tour groups.
Bathrooms come with rain showers, mist-free mirrors, heated towel rails and hairdryers.
Breakfast begins with a delivery of a basket filled with flasks of tea, coffee and fresh milk outside your door in the morning. Then, as you dozily make your way to the garden, an almost overwhelming parade of freshly made breads and pastries, seasonal fruit salads and yoghurt, spiced tomato and sweet potato jams, egg tagines, coffee and fresh squeezed juices, which could explain why some of us are still sitting there at lunchtime.
Lunches are a casual affair of Fassi inspired street food, while à la carte dinners mean you can have anything from simple bowls of b’sarra or harira soups, to more celebratory dishes like lamb mechouia and Sephardic poached chicken and eggs, which speak volumes about the city’s culinary history.
Not bad for the Fes old city. The hotel is wheelchair accessible from the nearest car drop off point, the garden is on street level, and there’s a beautiful ground floor room.
Children are welcome, but the riad’s intimacy means you’ll need to be mindful of other guests looking to escape the rigours, and rambunctiousness, of 21st-century life.
Trusted Tourism Brand
A magnificent riad and great stay