Staying in a 400-years old riad in Fes, Morocco

Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by

Love it or hate it but it’s undeniable the Fes Medina has a certain charm. Part of this fascination comes from its tangled city layout, beautiful architecture and the secrets hidden within its walls from the date of its foundation in the 8th century. One of the most incredible experiences one can do in Fes is that of opening one of its doors and pick a look of what lies inside. A forgotten palace? A hidden garden? An unexpected view point? In my case was a 400-years old riad. In this blog, you will discover an unmissable Fes riad stay in Morocco that will make your adventure extra special.

A house in Fes

There is something unexplainable about the ex-imperial city of Fes. It’s ancient soul, the way its people live, its deeply tangled and mysterious alleys. It is something that is frankly difficult to fully comprehend, particularly after just one visit. This caused me contradictory feelings about my perspective and experience of the city. In fact, I was able to catch only a glimpse of a much more complex essence of it.

Months before, when it came to plan my 10 days road trip to Morocco, I was looking at were to stay in Fes. My goal was to stay in a really meaningful place, but the choices didn’t look really exciting to me. Indeed, it was all reduced to two options. Ultra modern luxury hotels out of the medina, or unconvincing accommodations inside maze. The latter were excessively decorated, in sketchy locations or simply didn’t meet acceptable standards. For a second, I was temped to book a standard luxury hotel. Nothing against this, (don’t get me wrong), but just not what I wanted to understand Fes my way. This until Riad Idrissy appeared from nowhere.

I was actually looking at restaurants when I found this riad that is surprisingly hidden behind is much more famous restaurant, The Ruined Garden. Indeed, differently from Marrakech, Fes is not particularly famous for its riads. Therefore, it took me literally 2 mins to understand how special this place was. In this regard, I think one can understand a lot about a place from its traditional accommodations. It’s a slit in a world that we aren’t familiar and an opportunity to observe life away from the glamour of social media and the unreal filter of luxury accommodations. Riads represent a great type of accommodation to observe that traditional aspect of Moroccan culture.

What is a Riad?

For someone who has never heard about these types of accommodations before, it’s difficult to have a clear picture of how they differ from general hotels. In the Arabic language, the word Riad means ‘garden’. This is a type of domestic architecture that historically originated in the Middle East, particularly in Persia. During the Middle Ages, this architecture arrived in Spain as well as in Morocco. Indeed, one of the most famous riads in the world is the Generalife in the Alhambra complex. In Morocco, riads are the historical houses that feature one or more stories around an interior garden featuring a fountain. Traditionally, the centred gardens of the riads were full of fruit trees like oranges or lemons.

Don get confused between Riad and Dar. Indeed, differently from riad, the word ‘dar‘ means house. This type of domestic architecture is similar to the riad featuring a multi-storey accommodation. However, instead of a garden, dar usually feature a central patio. Dar are also smaller than riads and don’t have a central fountain.

What are the advantages of staying in a riad?

I am firmly convinced that a visit to Morocco, can’t be considered fulfilled without a stay in a riad. I know that many prefers the comfort and luxury of modern hotels (that in Morocco are most of the time located well-out of the medinas). BUT riads have their own unique charm. There are many advantages of staying in a riad compared to a regular hotel. First, most of these accommodations are real piece of history. Some of them have been saved from destruction, some other are rare jewels of architecture. Staying in a riad is a unique occasion of catching a glimpse of Morocco’s history all in one go.

Second, they are relatively small. Indeed, many riad have 4 to 10 room at maximum. This will grant you a major attention from the staff. More privacy and better service than the one you can have in a massive hotel with hundreds of other guests. A further bonus point is that, if you are lucky, you might be even the only guest having an entire riad all by yourself!

Lastly, historical and authentic riads are located inside the medinas in Morocco. This will grant you a car-free experience and the opportunity to have most landmarks at a walking distance from your accommodation.

Welcome to the Maze

We arrived in Fes in one of the warmest afternoons of June. My iPhone temperature indicated the beauty of 42 degrees. Moreover, we were exhausted from our 7+ hours drive straight from the golden sands of the Sahara Desert. Relieved to discover that our designed parking was actually OUT of the medina, we waited patiently someone to collect us while watching the parking workers moving cars like tetris blocks in the tiniest of the spaces.

Into the Medina

A silent guy with a sort of handcart showed up a few minutes lates. He collected all our stuff and invited us to follow him with a nod. Cross the street, then right, left, left, right, right again, straight, oh! Are we going down? I was trying to memorise the street back to the car. Nevertheless, it took just 3 minutes to loose sight of the real world while descending into the depths of the medina. Yes, you heard me right. While Marrakech‘s medina looks almost flat, the Fez one is built inside a steep valley. Ergo, after crossing one of its gates, you’ll go literally down a maze, leaving the sounds of the city far behind you.

Disoriented but happy

I don’t know for how many minutes we walked, but the sense of disorientation was real as soon after we descended the first alley. Everything was unfamiliar, arid and tight. Almost as a the roots of a plant who hasn’t received water for a hundreds of years. I struggled to find a reference point while we were crossing dark alleys, going downs steps and turning left and right in what it looked like a never-ending illogical walk. But I trusted the porter who confidently crossed that well-preserved medieval labyrinth without blinking an eye. Before we even realised, he stopped in front of a nice archway. When I read the sign next to the arch, I smiled knowing that we’ve made it to a very special place.

I think the little downhill walk we did with our porter made me realise that the real beauty of Fes isn’t catchable at first sight. Fes is one of those places which likes to keep its gold behind its unassuming doors, probably for those who are open to search for this rather than those who stop at what they are currently seeing. It’s when you cross those doors that your perception of the city completely changes.

Riad Idrissy

Riad Idrissy is composed of two main sections. The 400-years old riad, now a boutique guest house restored to its traditional Fassi beauty, and its main restaurant called Ruined Garden. This, as you can suspect, lies in the shell of another centuries-old merchant house that apparently took “five donkeys and five months” to emerge from the rubble. Both projects, curated by the genius of John Twomey and Robert Johnstone brought to life one of the most unique settings in the whole Fes.

Arriving at Riad Idrissy

After crossing the entrance archway, we walked through a forest of exotic plants and colourful tiles. These were leading to the famous Ruined Garden. During that moment, I was still unaware of how much I would have loved that little green courtyard during my stay in Fes. Nevertheless, my eyes were certainly full of wonder as soon as we arrived. After a warm welcome, we were directed to an unassuming door well-hidden behind lots of plants and tiles. It took just two steps to walk into a magnificent three-storey riad. This opened beautifully into a zellije ornate courtyard surmounted by a traditional wooden halka (the skylight structure covering the building). A feast for my eyes!

While doing our check-in accompanied by a freshly-squeezed lemon juice, our host informed us that we were the only guests of the riad. For this reason, he would it be pleased to offer us the better room of the house for our entire stay at the same price of our booked room. Not that our room had something wrong, I want to specify. However, Moroccan hospitality definitely comes to play when you are the only guest and your hosts wants you to have the best stay possible. Indeed, our initial room was called Markabas and was located on the ground floor.

One riad, many rooms

The reason why I booked that room was purely aesthetic. Indeed, I liked the colours and the pictures I found online. So, I didn’t pay much attention if it was bigger or better than others rooms in the riad. However, our new-proposed room was much larger and included a secluded terrace and a private library. Hence the appropriate name “Library room”. To note that I originally booked the room on Booking.com. From the platform, it wasn’t really clear that one room was “better” than the other. Therefore, for a better explanation of the different rooms’ layouts I recommend to have a chat directly with Robert.

A door with no locks, the Library Room at Riad Idrissy

Fes Riad Stay Morocco. Layout of the Library room

The Library Room at Riad Idrissy is, as the name says, a room adjacent to a lobby turned into a small library. The room itself is located on the middle floor of the building. However, being attached to the Evita Balcony (a terrace with a view into the Ruined Garden) it feels almost as a separate house with its own private space. This grants guests a more privacy feeling compared to the Markabas room on the ground floor. The room itself is devoid of any particular decor, except for those on the windows featuring colourful stained glasses and a flower decoration that once was probably painted in blue.

This detail made me think the construction was probably of a later date compared to the ones I’ve seen open while getting around the riad. For example the Shoowaf room, on the same level, features a much more intricate ceiling and a beautifully carved door. I thought that room was originally used for a more important guest in the past. Our room instead, featured a big canopy bed that was so high that needed a staircase to be jumped on! Our wardrobe was also full of traditional dresses and lovely babouches we could potentially use on the grounds, but that unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to try.

One of my favourite parts of the room we stayed was the direct access to the Evita Balcony. A nice terrace with an unbeatable view over an inedited corner of Fes. After a crazy day getting around the medina, this place was our retreat from the chaos and we spent literally the whole evening hanging there and simply listening to the joy of the children playing football on the street.

The place with no locks

One of the things you have to know about Riad Idrissy, is that their doors have no locks. Indeed, all the rooms have been kept as much as possible in their original condition and and once you are there, you are being treated as part of the family. So why you should lock yourself? The riad is very safe, we pretty much left all our belongings there for days, even with the restaurant full of people and nothing as ever being touched (except for the daily cleaning). However, some people might find this uncomfortable, so it’s a good thing to know prior your visit.

The Ruined Garden

The Ruined Garden is the main restaurant of Riad Idrissy. It is itself another riad with its own fountain, tiled floor and different sections. However, these are the only parts surviving of this ancient merchant house, which is now converted into a beautiful garden space. As guests of Riad Idrissy, we had the chance to experience the Ruined Garden differently than the regular restaurant customers. Indeed, we often had the space all for ourself in the morning. I loved to photograph various corners, while Alessio made friendship with all the little creatures roaming around. We loved watching the ladies working at the riad being busy preparing their delicacies for the upcoming restaurants guests, and really felt the privilege of being in such a peaceful corner in a chaotic city like Fes.

Moreover, breakfasts are a feast each morning at Riad Idrissy. The table is full of Moroccan delicacies and freshly made breads and jams covering the entire table. One day Mr Youssef even got us a still-warm bread he bought from the local oven. This was absolutely delicious and went perfectly with the honey and yogurt we had already on the table. We even had our little cat friend popping for a visit every day, which made us feel very much at home. Breakfast will always be my favourite meals of the day as I like taking it slowly savouring the start of a new day.

Dining at the Ruined Garden

At night, the Ruined Garden changes face. There is a goods smell coming from the open kitchen, floating baskets of fresh bread pass under our noses to refill each table while the riad workers move frenetically to get people’s orders and welcome new diners. There is music and a lively atmosphere. It really looks like all the tourists in Fes decided this is the place to be at night!

Dinner is nothing less than delicious, so much that we ditched completely our plans to try different restaurants in Fes just to dine here each night. We didn’t even need to get around the medina in the dark because our room was just over the restaurant (what a lush!)! Smoked aubergines, cheese and Kofta Tagine was our go to for each night, making this the perfect ending for each day in Fes.

Fes Riad Stay Morocco. When your hotel, is actually the experience

I have travelled all around the world and stayed in the most diverse places. So that I am feeling confident enough to say there are not that many gems to be considered an essential part of the stay rather than just an “extra” of the holiday. Riad Idrissy and its Ruined Garden are one of those rare places. It doesn’t happen often that I prefer to stay at my accommodation rather than going around, but it happened here! Me and Alessio kept returning to spend time in the garden or just relaxing in our terrace and this is probably one of the best memories I have from Fes.

The Practical Stuff

Now that you know everything about our experience at Riad Idrissy, here below you will find some practical information to book a room yourself or just visit the restaurant.

How do I book a Room at Riad Idrissy?

Riad Idrissy used to be on Booking.com but at the moment is no longer possible to book rooms via this platform. You can book rooms into two different ways. The first, and probably the best one is the only is by contacting directly Robert or Fatima at riadandgarden@gmail.com.

The second way is too book via Airbnb.

What are the rates of the rooms and what is included?

Depending on the rooms and occupancy, rates goes from 90€ to 160€ per night with breakfast included. Be aware that being a traditional accommodation, some services like television are not available in the rooms. However, there is wi-fi and basic room services.

How do I book a table at the Ruined Garden?

If you are staying at Riad Idrissy, you can just ask one of the guys who work there to prepare a table for you at your preferred time. If you are an external customer probably the best way is emailing the address above or sending the team a message on Instagram.

Other services

The riad organises also cooking classes and can help you also with possible tours of the medina.

How do I get to Riad Idrissy?

The only way to reach Riad Idrissy is by walking. Indeed, the medina is a car-free zone and there is no way to access the riad with a car! I warmly recommend you to get someone to picking-you up. Not just because of the luggage, but mainly because the risk of getting lost in the medina is very high and if you are not familiar with the area, the best thing to do is following your porter to the riad!

Where I should park my car in Fes?

If you are coming by car, like we did, you’ll need a parking space because you can take this inside the medina. The closest parking space to Riad Idrissy (10 mins walk) is that located at Fontaine Batha. It’s an underground parking space that you can find from the map above. There you have to wait someone to collect you and guide you to the riad.

Plan your trip to Morocco

No time to read? Pin it for later!