Our Stay At Riad Fes

Our stay at Riad Fes lived up to every bit of my traditional Moroccan fantasy about what it would be like to finally visit Morocco. We stayed at Riad Fes, a Relais & Chateaux property, for 3 days. Initially we thought we would stay at multiple riads during our stay in Fes, Morocco, but ultimately we chose to stay at Riad Fes the entire time. Today I’m sharing a complete hotel tour, what we loved, what took some getting used to and whether or not we would return!

Our Stay At Riad Fes

We flew into Casablanca airport, so the drive up to Fes took around 3 hours. By the time we got there and checked in, we had been traveling for over 50 hours and…you could tell. We were exhausted despite our best efforts of sleeping on the plane.

At check-in, we were given mint tea and refreshing towels that sprouted to life when dipped in rose water – so cool! We were also greeted by the general manager and given a tour of the grounds. Riad Fes offers a spa, gym, several lounges, bar and restaurant.

Riad Fes originally belonged to a family of merchants and served as the family home. Since, the architect who owns the property has acquired the five surrounding buildings and created a larger hotel property for guests.

Walking into Riad Fes, the first thing you notice is the attention to detail in the architecture. Every piece of tile was hand laid when it was originally done. When contractors came in to add modern amenities, the tiles were lifted up, numbered and re-laid by hand to maintain has much original infrastructure as possible.

During our stay, Dane enjoyed a massage at the spa and he said it was very relaxing. They had tons of mini couches in the spa area with these gorgeous throws!

We loved being the first at breakfast every morning (it starts at 7AM and the buffet is amazing), followed by walking to the rooftop terrace to watch the sun come up over the Medina.

The location of Riad Fes is perfect for visitors wishing to explore the Medina, famous tanneries and Blue Gate. The old city (Media) is very walkable and the hotel staff is helpful in giving directions and recommendations based on what you’re interested in seeing.

We booked our stay at Riad Fes through American Express’ hotel concierge service (for platinum members, which came with a $100 spa credit, free breakfast each morning, an early check-in and a premium upgrade. Because of this, we were given a the beautiful Ambassador’s Suite, which is a ground-level suite with a garden view and private terrace.

The room was huge and more than we needed, but admittedly, it was really nice to relax in after so much travel.

The bathroom was entirely marble and had a double sink, zero entry shower and huge bathtub. The bedroom featured a large sitting area, desk and king bed, though admittedly it seemed much, much bigger than a standard king. I could starfish my body and still not touch Dane on the other side, so maybe a king plus?! Who knows, but we loved it!

The thing that stands out most about Riad Fes is the extreme attention to detail in nearly everything they do – from the architecture to provided toiletries, homemade pastries to turn down service – nothing goes unnoticed. I would also be remiss in not mentioning that the smell in the main reception area is intoxicating!

Was there anything we didn’t like about Riad Fes? Only one minor complaint was that because our room was right off the main reception area, we heard quite a bit of noise until around midnight each night and starting again around 5AM. Was it a deal breaker? Absolutely not, but definitely worth mentioning if you book the Ambassador Suite.