Medina Moments at Palais Amani in Fez, Morocco

Stay at this independent luxury riad, enjoy local cuisine alfresco at Eden restaurant, experience the traditional hammam and learn to cook with the Fez Cooking School, located on the hotel’s rooftop – all inside the Fez medina

Nestled within the labyrinthine alleys of the Fez medina; a UNESCO World Heritage site, visitors will discover Palais Amani, the city’s leading hotel. This family-run 21 bedroom and suite property is like nowhere else. This traditional palace has been lovingly restored and offers a tranquil haven. Parts of the palace date back to the 17th century and developments over time also included art deco touches, still visible today.   

The Fez medina is like no other in Morocco. Getting lost is part of the experience, although this is not compulsory. This is Africa’s largest car-free walled medina made up of many small, narrow streets and alleyways filled with souks showcasing everything from food to interiors.

In Morocco, a “souk” refers to a market where daily life and tradition intertwine. Beyond mere shopping venues, souks serve as communal hubs where locals gather to purchase goods and socialise. Each souk in Fez possesses a distinct character, often named after the specific goods sold there. All are within walking distance from Palais Amani.

The principal monuments in the medina including palaces, riads, mosques, libraries and fountains. There are a few museums also and many diverse dining options. Fez may no longer be the capital, but it has retained its status as the country’s cultural, spiritual and now foodie centre. But the city also has an eye on the future and each May over nine days, visitors can enjoy the annual Fez Festival of World Sacred Music which fills Morocco’s second largest city with sounds from across the globe.

Guests enter Palais Amani via two huge wooden doors into a peaceful garden and courtyard with birdsong as a soundtrack. Palais Amani is home to Eden restaurant with alfresco dining, a rooftop bar, a library bar with fireplace and an underground hammam. A large garden of 600m2 is at the centre of the palace filled with citrus trees. The traditional Moroccan afternoon tea ceremony is performed here daily in this tranquil haven.

Morocco is by far North Africa’s gastronomic star and the Fez Cooking School located on the hotel’s roof terrace, invites guests on a foodie journey of taste across the medina. The culinary school offers visitors to Fez a unique insight into this magical city combining a guided foodie tour of the medina followed by a cookery class, all in a purpose-built cookery school. Private and group workshops are available. The four hour experience includes a tour of the souks, tasting food along a two-hour tour, a two hour cooking class with the newly gathered ingredients and then lunch. Priced €176 per person.

Within the peaceful 600m2 garden at the centre of Palais Amani guests are invited to experience the quintessential essence of Moroccan culture – traditional Moroccan tea making. Palais Amani’s tea master Ba Mohammed will show guests the method and talk through the history behind tea making in this country. From boiling the water to selecting the freshest mint and sugarloafs. Guests will also learn about the tea sets used to serve the tea and enjoy some special baked goods too. The ceremony lasts 30 minutes, is available daily and priced €10 per person. The experience is open to non hotel residents too.

Palais Amani is a hotel built with passion and local knowledge. In 2006 Jemima Mann-Baha and husband Abdelali Mann-Baha bought the former home of one of Fez’s most prominent families (now Palais Amani), which had laid abandoned and deteriorating in the heart of the medina for over a quarter of a century. Four years of extensive renovation restored the property to its old splendour and revealed many stories about family, heritage and legacy. The renovation included the maintenance of art déco features dating back to the 1930s. The couple had previously lived in London for many years running several hospitality businesses.

Fez is a vibrant living city, for those seeking less tourism and more authenticity. Visitors are invited to taste their way around this unique city.

www.palaisamani.com 12 Derb el Miter, Oued Zhoune, Fes Medina, 30000, Morocco
B&B is priced from £180.00 per room per night

Getting there: Ryanair (London Stansted) two-three times weekly or  Ryanair (via Marrakech)