Fez - a hit with the Irish

"It's the people - and the sights and sounds of the place. It is absolutely beautiful."

That was the way Yvonne from Dublin felt about her second visit to Fez. "And, having the children here was the best thing. It is the most welcoming place for children, which makes it so easy to be here. The children have been treated so generously and warmly. It really touched my heart."

The children, Nathan and Nisha (2 & 4), have walked the Medina with their parents and with Moroccan friends over a nine day period and not had a single negative experience. Husband Mark says "This is the most child friendly place we have every visited. Much better than Spain, or even home in Ireland."

Staying in a riad has also been a fascinating experience and, to their delight, the children have enjoyed eating the street food as well as meals prepared in the riad. "Eating on the streets and being able to watch the world go by was stunning. The quality of the food was so good - obviously organic and fresh," said Yvonne.

Another experience that the family really enjoyed was being invited for Friday lunch in a small Moroccan home, where the family treated them to couscous with chicken and a wonderful range of sweets.

Yvonne was impressed with the light and decor of the riad."Staying in a riad was amazing. To actually be living in a place, rather than just looking, was superb. Meeting Moroccans rather than tourists meant that we had a much better understanding of a totally different culture. Being around the Moroccans, the calls to prayer ... things we would never experience at home."

For the kids it was the Moroccan people that impressed them - and the donkeys, which they found fascinating.

And would they come back? "Of course!" says Mark, "At least every couple of years, if not more often. When the kids are older we plan to explore more of Morocco, but we will always return to Fez."

Moroccan tourist statistics show an increase in Irish tourists and a large growth in Irish couples looking to purchase property. The visitor numbers in general did not show any dramatic change in the month of Ramadan, according to the latest ministry of tourism statistics.

Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news