Traditional Moroccan Tea Making at Palais Amani in Fez, Morocco


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. This is ceremonial art. 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.

Moroccan mint tea is far more than a drink; it’s a daily ritual and a true symbol of identity and hospitality. The tea is embedded in Moroccan culture and for visitors, when experienced in a historic city like Fez, known for preserving Moroccan traditions, this becomes a  truly memorable experience.

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 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. 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.

For an authentic Moroccan foodie break, discover the city of Fez staying at Palais Amani.

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)