Last Minute Accommodation in Fez for the Fès Festival

Over the last couple of day The View from Fez has received a number of requests for information about accommodation during the Fès Festival of World Sacred Music. Most of the riads and guest houses are full, but we have discovered a small number of places available.

If you intend to stay for the full festival, then there is also the possibility of a 20% discount at some, but not all of the guest houses.

Should you need to find a place to stay, then please email us at theviewfromfez@gmail.com and we will put you in touch with the guest house owners.

Please also ensure that you have booked your festival tickets. You can do so online here: Fès Festival.

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Ryad Salama Opens in Fez

Today The View from Fez was lucky enough to get a preview of the latest guest house to open in Fez. Ryad Salama (le luxe autrement) is not a traditional Medina house, but rather a superbly renovated riad that combines many styles. Too often a mixture of styles can end up as a confusing mess. Not in this case. The time and thought that has gone into its design has produced an elegant gem of a house that feels more like a home than a guest house.

The creative mind behind this enterprise is Michel Trezzy, a man with a lifetime of experience in the luxury end of the international hotel market along with forays into gourmet food and wine. He has worked in Dubai, in Boston, Florida, Disney Europe outside Paris and was the general manager of the Cascades Hotel at Sun City, South Africa.

Michel Trezzy is a generous and friendly host with a wonderful knowledge of good food, New World wines and, naturally, of Fez. Long-time residents will know of Michel from his time as a partner at Ryad Mabrouka. Arriving in September 2000, he spent a year and a half restoring Ryad Mabrouka and turning it into a successful business.

Michel has now opened his own guesthouse, Ryad Salama. The house was constructed early last century by one of the true aristocrats of Fez, Mohammed Chergui. Sadly it had fallen into disrepair and so this renovation was no quick fix. “When I first entered the house, I knew it was what I wanted and I had a vision of how it could be,” Michel reflects. It has taken much thought and five years of work to bring Michel’s vision into reality.

The location of the Ryad, so close to the major streets and accessible from Ain Azleten car park, make it a perfect base for exploring the Medina. In addition it has free Wifi and air-conditioning. Every one of the suites – delightfully named, Chocolatine, Clementine, Almondine, Aubergine, Eglantine and Capucine – have private balconies offering views of the central courtyard.

And this central courtyard is a work of art; the pool and beautiful gardens give the interior such a sense of peace and tranquillity that it is all too easy to forget there is a world outside. This is no accident, but the result of careful planning. As Michel says "My first impression of Fez was that it was both peaceful and amazing. What was amazing was that the people in the Medina can live in the Medina and have no need to go out of it. It is the same with the houses. Every house has a curved entrance so that the interior is not immediately visible, but comes as a surprise."

Remarkably the prices at this guesthouse are truly affordable, and as an opening special offer Michel is offering very good discount packages for all rooms, a night’s accommodation, welcoming drinks plus a superb French-Moroccan “fusion” dinner for only 1700 dirhams. A second night is offered at a large discount. This offer is only available from June 10 until September 10.

Always keen to hear about food, we asked Michel about the menu:

Gravelax de saumon à l’huile d’argan et zest de citrons confits (Michel's own homemade gravadlax of salmon with argan oil and zest of preserved lemons)

Filets de St Pierre aux cèpes de la forêt de Mamora (fillet of Saint Pierre with ceps mushrooms from the Marmora forest)

Epaule d’agneau au miel et à la cannelle (shoulder of lamb with honey and cinnamon)

Pastilla aux mangues (mango pastilla)

Filets d’agrume aux amandes caramélisées (citrus strips with caramelised almonds)

And Michel Trezzy is optimistic about the future. “We have had downturns in the past, after 9/11, after the Casablanca bombings and of course the present instability in some parts of the Arab world. But given the peaceful nature of Fez, the extended airport and stability in the region, Fez will again become a prime tourist destination.”

Contact details:
Tel (00 212) 535 635 730
Email: contact@ryadsalama.com
Website: www.ryadsalama.com
Ryad Salama can be booked through Fez Riads where you will also find a map of the location.

Postcard from Tetouan

"It's about to explode", says Maribel Jimenez of Blanco Riad in Tetouan, of tourism in the city. The View from Fez takes a look.

Tetouan's location close to the Mediterranean coast makes it a sure-fire winner when it comes to tourism potential. There are plenty of developments on the coast, especially at M'diq with its beautiful beach, just a short taxi-ride away. HM the King spends time there and has lavished attention on it and the surrounding area.

The city has a wonderful Andalusian heritage that is reflected in its Mauresque buildings. Moors and Jews escaped persecution in Spain, particularly Granada, from the 15th century onwards and took refuge here.

Bacturia Church (left) in Place Moulay el-Mehdi

Tetouan also has its own style of decor - it's well known for its furniture made of cedarwood inlaid with mother-of-pearl decoration, and Spanish-influenced, heavily decorated ceramic tiles with a bronze sheen. This form of tiling is best seen at the guesthouse El Reducto in the medina.

tiled column at El Reducto guesthouse

We made a special point of visiting the Archaeology Museum, set in pretty gardens. It features Roman mosaic floors all the way from Lixus, that we'd visited earlier in our trip (see the story here).

Best of all, perhaps, are the four quirky towers on Place Hassan II, outside the Royal Palace. No, they're not minarets; they're light towers, designed by a student of Gaudi.

light tower in Place Hassan II

The whitewashed medina is well worth a visit. We stayed at the new Blanco Riad, a wonderful blend of traditional architecture and furniture with a dash of modern Spain. The original zellij floors have been retained in some of the bedrooms, and are magnificent.

The ground floor has a hammam in one of the salons; another is a superb restaurant that's open to the public. Traditional Moroccan food is served, but with a modern twist - for example, pigeon pastilla with foie gras, or stuffed calamari tubes.

The dining room at Blanco Riad; Tetouan furniture (right)

Outside is a peaceful, Zen-like garden, shaded from the sun.

Interesting architecture, new places to stay, excellent restaurants, proximity to fabulous Mediterranean beaches - we think Maribel might just be right.

Blanco Riad: www.blancoriad.com. Tel: 0539 704 202

See all The View from Fez POSTCARDS HERE.

Restaurant review: Fez Cafe

The Fez Cafe at Le Jardin des Biehn in the medina is now open for fine dining. The View from Fez team sampled the fare recently.

This new eatery scores full marks for attentive service and a warm ambience. The restaurant is quirky and fun, and for fine days or evenings, there are tables outside looking onto the beautiful garden.

There are two menus - a four-course offering including meat or fish, and a simpler one of three courses featuring a pasta dish. At lunch time, there are also salads. The chef, Hicham, has an interesting repertoire: the pasta on our visit was dressed with a light, creamy sauce of preserved lemons which was very successful. The leg of lamb stuffed with a duxelles and served with mashed potatoes with peas, was tender and delicious. The only downside is the price - the simpler menu is Dh170 per person, and the four-course menu Dh340 - certainly Parisian prices! But you can choose an a la carte option.

The Fez Cafe is at the new guesthouse, Le Jardin des Biehn (see our story here), at 13 Akbat Sbaa, Douh, and is open to non-guests. Telephone 0664 647 679 for reservations.

Preview of new riad in Fez

Michel and Catherine Biehn opened the doors of their beautiful riad last night to celebrate the end of the construction phase of the project.

Le Jardin des Biehn is a large estate of around 2500sqm situated on Aqbat Sebaa in the Fes Medina. There's a beautiful garden (pictured above) with trees, flowing water and fountains. The guesthouse will have nine rooms arranged around the garden and is due to open within a month or so.

Michel Biehn

The house has been restored with care and decorated with flair and elegance, but retains its simplicity. M Biehn is a well-known antiquarian, decorator and collector specialising in fabrics and old costumes, and has published several books.

So far, only one room has been furnished, and it gives us an inkling of what's to come:




One end of the garden will house the Fez Cafe which will be open to the public. It will specialise in flavours of the orient - not only Morocco, but other countries such as Lebanon and Turkey - and will offer a daily menu of soup, salad, pasta, all marked up on a blackboard. As M Biehn has published some cookery books, we have high expectations! The Cafe has wonderful lighting and features the ubiquitous star image found all over the house.

There's even a football table, as Frederic Calmes discovered:

At the entrance to the riad is a gallery, where M Biehn intends to mount various exhibitions. Here are some of his own pieces on show at the moment:

We wish the Biehns every success and look forward to the opening of their exquisite riad.

All photographs: Sandy McCutcheon

Where to eat in Fez

Fez is full of visitors right now for the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. But where to eat? The View from Fez takes a look at some of the options in the medina and in the new city.


FEZ MEDINA

*STREET FOOD is good - take your pick of any of the sandwich places around Bab Boujloud and the market at the top of Tala'a Kebira. Choose your filling from the display and watch as it's cooked on the grill. For around Dh20, you'll get half a round loaf, or a small baguette, stuffed with grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions and olives, or beef and liver, or merguez sausage. Chips or fried eggs are an optional extra. Many of the stalls also do vegetarian options with fried aubergine slices or green peppers.

*SELF-CATERERS are in for a treat with markets at the Bab Boujloud end of Tala'a Kebira and in R'cif. All sorts of meat (except pork, of course), fish and a wide array of fruit and vegetables are on display. Cheese is limited to a softish white variety wrapped in leaves - very tasty, too.

*BAB BOUJLOUD: there's a wide selection of restaurants near the famous Blue Gate, from well-known Thami's to Abdou's Restaurant Fassia, Restaurant Bouyyad, Rachid's and the Kasbah and several others. Choose one where the seatcovers appeal to your sense of style (gold with large bows, polka dots or zebra stripes?) and enjoy a fairly standard range of Moroccan traditional dishes. A three-course meal with water or mint tea will set you back around Dh100.

*CAFE CLOCK is in Derb Magana, just off Tala'a Kebira at the Water Clock and Bouanania Medersa. Excellent breakfasts, good coffees and teas, cafe food and the famous camel burger are on offer. The Clock also features art exhibitions and Sunday sunset concerts.

*F LOUNGE is well sign-posted about half-way down Tala'a Kebira and Tala'a Sghira on Zqaq Rouah, and offers tartines (open sandwiches) with camembert and walnuts, or anchovies and tomatoes and hamburgers. There's also a wide range of Moroccan dishes produced in the newly-enlarged kitchen. Relax with a shisha on the divans at the back!

*CHAMEAU BLEU is tucked away in Derb Tariana near the Bouanania Medersa and deserves much more recognition that it seems to get. Comfortable seating inside and a lovely terrace for evenings, the menu has good High Atlas trout and succulent lamb chops cooked on the charcoal grill, as well as pasta.

*RESTAURANT BERRADA is a little off the beaten track in Achebine, but well worth the effort. Traditional Moroccan fare is available and in such a wide array that you'll be taken into the kitchen to taste a little of each pot before you choose.

*FES ET GESTES has a lovely garden - the perfect place to escape the heat with a mint tea (see our review here). The lunch menu offers traditional Moroccan cuisine. Find it at 39 Arsat El Hamoumi in Ziat, phone 0535 63 85 32.

*NAJMAT SOUAFINE is a fairly new venture in Oued Souafine (see our review here). It has a roof terrace as well as a cool interior. Lunch is Dh120 and dinner Dh150. The emphasis is on light, fresh food.

*Brand new is AJI CHOUF in Ziat (see our review here) which features pizzas. For lunch you could also try the salads or terrine and well as a delicious dessert.

At the top-end of the market, here are some ideas for a special dinner:

*DAR ROUMANA is a guesthouse with wonderful medina views from the terrace and great chefs. They're very sensibly offering dinner at 18h00 so that you can eat a leisurely meal before heading off to the evening concert that starts at 20h30. A three-course dinner is Dh300, two courses (starter and main, or main and dessert) is Dh220, and wine is available. Open for dinner to non-guests by reservation before 10am: +212 (0) 535 741 637

*RIAD LES OUDAYAS: this beautiful riad in Douh has innovative twists on Moroccan standards served in the leafy courtyard. Wine available. Dinner only by reservation: +212 (0) 535 636 303.

*RIAD FES has a superb restaurant featuring traditional Moroccan cuisine. Reservations: +212 (0) 535 947 610. Good winelist.

*LA MAISON BLEUE is a large restaurant in a magnificent house on Place de l'Istiqlal, better known as Batha. It serves multiple courses of traditional food, accompanied by musicians. Set dinner with wine included Dh550 per person (vegetarian options only on reservation). Reservations essential: +212(0) 535 741 843

*Over at Oued Zhoun you'll find the very stylish PALAIS AMANI. The rooftop terrace is a good place for lunch when Mediterranean cuisine is served. The dining room is open in the evenings for more traditional fare. Reservations essential on +212 535 633 209. Wine available.

DRINKING

And what if you're longing for a beer or glass of cold gris on a hot summer evening?

*Right next to the Batha Museum, venue of Festival afternoon concerts, is HOTEL BATHA which has a pleasant bar and courtyard in which to quench your thirst.

*Handy for Bab al Makina and the free concerts at Boujloud Square is MEZZANINE, just outside the medina walls at the Jnane Sbile gardens. Mezzanine has leafy roof-top views, and serves good salads, pasta and tapas.

*The bar at RIAD FES in Zerbtana near Batha, also close to the Museum is set around a reflecting pool and is very smart.

dessert at Maison Blanche

FEZ VILLE NOUVELLE (New City)

*Top of the pops and very trendy for lunch or dinner is MAISON BLANCHE, at 12 Rue Ahmed Chaouki, opposite the Jnan Palace Hotel. It has excellent cuisine, a good wine list and a bar upstairs. +212 (0) 535 622 727.

*THE MAJESTIC is worth the trek outside town (ask for free transport) for its contemporary cuisine and lovely deck for alfresco meals accompanied by the thwack of tennis balls from the nextdoor tennis club. +212 (0) 535 729 999
*TROIS SOURCES also provides free transport and is a hearty sort of country-club place with wooden beams and stone walls. The food is excellent (see our review here). Weekend lunchtimes will be noisy with kids using the large pool. Reservations +212 (0) 535 606 532

fish is superb at Trois Sources

To see all the Fez Festival 2010 stories on The View from Fez, click HERE!

New hotel in Fez medina

The Palais Amani in the Fez Medina is a new hotel that's been open for just a few weeks. The View from Fez team went to investigate.

the courtyard

Situated in Blida with parking at nearby Oued Zhoune, the house is a large riad with nine suites and five rooms. There's a library, salon, hammam with massage room, dining room and rooftop bar and dining terraces.

Co-owner Jemima explains that the house is one of the largest in the medina. It was rebuilt after a landslide in the late 1920s which explains its pleasing art deco feel. The current restoration process took two years. The central courtyard has an enormous garden with citrus trees, and a particularly beautiful fountain.

The rooms are pure luxury. All have a private sound system and wifi, and beautiful linen. No expense has been spared with furniture (made in Marrakech), fittings and art. The bathrooms are sumptuous.

the bedroom in the grand suite

and its bathroom

Palais Amani has a spa with a large hammam with several rooms, including a well-appointed massage room. On offer are a variety of massage and beauty treatments. They have their own range of massage oils made with essences from the Ourika valley. In good weather, you might prefer a massage in the rooftop tented pergola.

The restaurant is open to non-guests. At midday, lunch is served on the roof terrace, and the menu includes Mediterranean dishes as well as Moroccan fare. Dinner is served in the dining room and offers Moroccan food.


On our visit, we sampled the lunch menu under parasols on the terrace. Fresh salads and home-made quiche, followed by coffee and excellent desserts came to Dh375 for two, including wine and a tip.

With room prices ranging from Dh1950 to Dh5500 for two per night in high season, the Palais is unashamedly luxurious and is a welcome addition to options for staying in Fez.

Riad Les Oudayas, Fez Medina

It's a while since we visited Riad Les Oudayas in Ziat, but The View from Fez team popped in last week to see the new improvements to the guesthouse.

the courtyard

The lush plants in the courtyard are much bigger since we saw them last, and provide ample shade. Carpets cover the zellij. Owner Fouad Loudiyi has made big changes: he's added a plunge pool in the patio and made one of the ground floor salons into a large library, bar and media centre. The other salon is a lounge and dining room. There are no bedrooms around the ground floor patio now, just five suites upstairs, some of which have their own terraces. The roof terrace has been refurnished, but of course has the same wonderful views.

the courtyard pool

the library

a suite

There are also new kitchens, as Riad Les Oudayas is well known for its good food.

one of the kitchens

One thing Fouad hasn't changed is the fabulous hammam. In earthy tadelakt tones with arches and a deep pool, it's pure delight. There's a massage room, too.

the hammam

Fouad is a Paris designer who hails from Fez, and his superb flair shows throughout this wonderfully peaceful riad guesthouse. His sister Houda runs the guesthouse.

For more information, see the Riad Les Oudayas website, or book through Fez Riads.


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music: have you booked?

With only a little over two weeks to go before the Festival of World Sacred Music, bookings for accommodation in Fez are down on last year, reports Helen Ranger.

Riad Charqi is full for the Festival

Fez Riads told The View from Fez that many of the cheaper pensions as well as some of the well-established guesthouses are full, but there's still lots of availability. One riad owner reported several cancellations, though whether this is due to the financial crisis or fear of swine flu is not clear. Another reason could be the Festival's programming which is, perhaps, less inspiring than some year's, though the afternoon concerts look worth attending.

There are still a few private houses to rent, and opportunities at mid-range riads, starting at around 85 Euros per double room per night. Luxury suites are plentiful too. Staying in a riad guesthouse in the medina is definitely the best way to attend Festival events, which all take place in the medina.

This interesting house is still available for the Festival

Tickets
We're told by Objectif Maroc, the ticketing agency in Fez, that Festival ticket sales are also down on previous years, but there's still time to order them. Concert tickets range from 9-56 Euros depending on the performance and seat location; a full pass that will get you into all events including the Fes Meetings, costs 310 Euros for the whole week.

Fez Riads has a ticket collection service - make use of this if you'd like your tickets delivered to your guesthouse in time for your arrival.


Tags:Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Real estate in Fez - a sign of the times?

Is this sign - a sign of the times in Fez?

With a slight real estate slump in Fez affecting many property companies, the trend seems to be towards the smaller dars and riads. Hopefully there will be an upturn in the market again soon, but, in the meantime, it is good to see enterprising people in the 24/7 superette riad business! So if you want a mini riad....


Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Tourism boom in the Fez Medina

Tourists from around the world pour into Fez

Global financial crisis? What crisis? Good question if you happen to be in Morocco at the moment. Despite ( or maybe because of) the economic downturn in the USA and Europe, travellers are descending on Morocco in droves. Official figures will not be available for some months, but even to a casual observer it is obvious that Morocco in general and Fez in particular are doing extremely well at the moment. Many of the tourists say they were attracted by the relatively low cost of a Moroccan holiday compared to many other destinations.

The Fez Medina cafes are crowded

Just prior to the Easter holiday weekend the level of enquiries for accommodation was a torrent rather than the usual steady stream. As one guest house owner in the Fez Medina told The View From Fez, "If I had another half a dozen properties I could fill them all."

Backpackers and tour groups enjoying the warm weather in Fez

Fes Riads, the premier service for finding riad and guest house accommodation in Fez, also has experienced a huge upswing in enquiries. According to Helen Ranger, principal of the company, "It is tragic to disappoint so many people who left it until the last moment to book. It is not only the moderately priced properties that have filled up, but also across the broad spectrum of what's on offer."

Other observers have also attributed the upswing in tourist bookings to the popularity of the Sufi Festival

Ms Ranger went on to comment, "April is very busy but there are still opportunities for accommodation in May leading up to the Sacred Music Festival. Festival time will be hectic and then thankfully there will be riads and guest houses available through June, July and August."

The moral of the story is: don't leave booking your accommodation until the last minute.

More on the festivals in Fez
Fez Festival of Sufi Culture
Sacred Music Festival

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Andalous Riad

Helen Ranger went exploring in the Andalous quarter and came across an interesting riad ...


The medina of Fez offers lots of places to stay north of the river, but when it comes to the Andalous quarter, this is the first one that Helen Ranger has come across. Owned by a trio of Brits, Riad Rmila is large and airy and has a spacious courtyard and garden with fountain. They'd like to rent out the house for holidays to finance the renovation of another house they've bought. This one has been well renovated, keeping the original tiles and plaster as far as possible, only augmenting them where necessary. There are two double bedrooms and two singles, and bathrooms are a treat; the one on the ground floor has a jacuzzi too.

Most visitors to Fez are familiar with the view of the Chaouwara tanneries. This house has a view of the pits from the other side, which puts a quite different perspective on things.

Best approached from R'cif, it's a ten minute walk from the taxi rank there. It's not for the faint-hearted, being in an area of the medina where you simply don't see any tourists ... yet. But there's a guardian to show you where the house is. It's interesting that just a couple of years ago, anywhere out of the Batha area was considered a bit risque, but houses in more and more areas of the medina are being bought up by westerners to convert into guesthouses or simply houses to rent for holidays.

You can find out more about Riad Rmila at Fez Riads or www.riadrmila.com.

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news

Riad Alkantara opens its doors

Riad Alkantara is now open for reservations from the beginning of October. Lumen investigates:

This splendid complex of five traditional houses has been painstakingly restored over the last few years by Abdelfettah Seffar and Camille Lorenzetti. Luxurious in the extreme, the first house to open is Dar Feshadara. Here the suites are decorated in a refined Oriental theme with hand-crafted cedarwood furniture, antiques from across the Maghreb, Syria, Egypt and India, Italian fabrics and Egyptian cotton bedding, embroidered towels and dressing gowns. You'll have your own music system with a library of CDs, a DVD library, your own laptop computer with Wifi internet connection, tea-making facilities with a variety of infusions, a minibar, hairdryer and Occitane bath products.

Jardins des Roses Suite

4000sq m of established gardens invite a stroll. There's a large swimming pool as well as fountains, water channels and lush planting. Shady terraces, panoramic views of the medina and a solarium complete the scene. Inside there's a dining room as well as a restaurant (open to the public), an exhibition space, a lecture room, bar lounge, smoking room and shop. No expense has been spared, and there's superb attention to detail.


Next year workshops in the creative arts such as cooking, art, crafts, art therapy, music, dance and yoga will be offered. Evenings of music, poetry and story-telling are also on the cards, as well as weddings and events organisation.

The spa will open in September next year. There's a hammam, jacuzzi, Finnish sauna, massage rooms, beauty therapy and solarium. At the same time, the second house, Riad Constellation, will open its doors, with the third, Riad Sahar, in October 2010.

Situated in Oued Souaffine in Douh, Riad Alkantara is reasonably close to parking and very convenient for exploring the medina. The suites start at Dh4000 per night, including breakfast.
Contact the riad at 035 740 292 (the website www.riadalkantara.com is still under construction), or book through Fez Riads.




Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news