There is a great sense of relief when entering the Ryad from the gloomy alley on which it lies but don't expect an overwhelming welcome if you the ask for something like a coffee. The staff are Ok, but Hasan, whose role we never discovered but seems to be some sort of Manager reacts in a way which makes one feel that the request has been made at the most inconvienient time in the history of mankind without saying a word.

Dinner, which we had once was good but expensive.

Breakfast was basically the same every day and we were glad to move on after our 4 days.

Overall impressioon - very tastefully restored and clean but very pretentious.

The Riyad Mabrouka in Fes is a blissful; from the moment you step through the big doors into the courtyard, to the moment you leave. We stayed in the Royal Suite, mainly because there was none other available at the time, and we had a regal time for a reasonable sum. The room was sumptuous, in a very Moroccan way: tiled, rugged floor, delicately carved stucco walls, fabulously, but subtly decorated ceiling. There were candles in the candelabra, and, matches to light them. The bedlinen was spotless and beautifully ironed, the bed comfortable. As it was March when we stayed the room was initially a little chilly, but the friendly and professional owner quickly rectified that situation. The bathroom was superb, an experience in itself, right down to the local 'black soap' and a kind of hair conditioner cake in beautiful pottery containers. More candles in there, and even an incense cone ready in a silver container, actually replaced when we used the first one. The gardens downstairs, incidentally are fragrant and fine.

The one thing we worried about when we arrived, i.e. that the room would be noisy because it overlooked the courtyard and was on the same level as the restaurant turned out to be not a problem. You could hear the clatter of the pots at breakfast time, for sure, but it just added to the sense of this once being a real home with all the family sounds etc.

And the peace in the evening was absolute. Watch the sunset frm the terrace and marvel at the roosting birds, like it says in the Rough Guide,

Maybe, though the food is very very high quality, don't eat in every night unless you check the menu first, we had chicken tagine for the main course twice in three nights.

Mainly though, we loved the Mabrouka (as you may have guessed). And no, we aren't family or on the pay roll.

Last thing, don't go there if you like big hotels and all that go with them, it's not the point of this place. And don't go if you want a huge pool for your power swim in the morning. A swim here would be fragranced by orange blossom, but it would be a more a cooler than a work out.

But if you want a gorgeous, gentle, calmly romantic experience, just go!

Coming to Morocco for the first time is a true assault on the senses. And if you want a haven then there is no doubt that this Ryad is peaceful.

Good things:
1. Great breakfast, delicious pastries, jams, coffee etc, attentive staff.
2. Dinner was excellent (we had it twice), great wine list and wonderful food. The balcony level where you eat is very nicely designed.
3. Both rooms we had (we were asked to switch for some reason) were lovely. Lots of space, cool air, and lovely bathrooms.
4. The sheer calm of it: running water, moorish designs, blissful indoor space.

But is Mabrouka the complete paradise I had been led to expect from the other reviews? In my view, not quite:

1. Day to day business when we where there was handled by Hasan, not Michel, who only dropped in once to shake a few hands. Hasan is obsequious but to my mind sometimes disconcertingly so. It felt during the day as if you shouldn't have been cluttering the place up bothering him. Asking for juice at dinner time and not at breakfast got you a pained smile with your yes. On our first arrival at dinner, Hasan smilingly asked us if we could sit at a table with another couple because they had run out of tables! Ok, this wasn't a disaster, we got on with it, but it wasn't a great first evening, and I didn't feel it was handled diplomatically enough.

2. I just didn't think that much of the plunge pool or roof terrace, both places for possible sunbathing. The roof just feels basic and very exposed to a not very nice cityscape; the plunge pool only has full sunlight first thing in the morning. Again, I just felt the Ryad wasn't particularly welcoming as a place to pass the time during the day unless you wanted to just sit in the central courtyard and read a book (if you're middle-aged and fancy that, good for you). Ultimately, space outside is strictly limited; remember, this Ryad is in the middle of a (medieval) urban jungle.

3. Maybe I'm naive, but I wasn't impressed with the guide that the Ryad arranged for us. A very cosy deal for guide+hotel I'm sure, but despite our protestations that we were there to see cultural sites our man took us on the usual round of shops to buy the usual things, including an unpleasant encounter at the carpet shop which our guide had the chutzpah to say he "rescued us" from afterward!

The truth was that he assumed if we were from the Ryad Mabrouka then we were rich, naive and probably American - and therefore suckers. In fact we are young people who splashed out on a nice place to stay. Finally when it came to paying our guide, he looked hurt when we paid him the amount the hotel said he cost. Well I'm sorry but I won't be accused of being a cheapskate for paying a rate that I'm sure is being supplemented by backhanders from the hotel management anyway. They shouldn't let him get away with fleecing tourists for extra cash.

4. Ultimately, I think I'd hoped that the Ryad staff, including the largely absent Michel, would be a little bit more proactive in helping us with what we wanted. In fact trips/excursions/guides are all dealt with rather cursorily; it just looked like everyone else was getting on with it and, frankly, the staff would rather you did the same, left them alone and just turned up to dinner (sometimes it was actually hard to find anyone at all to ask anything, particularly in the period between breakfast and dinner).

Maybe you know all this - maybe you know a Ryad is actually more of a very smart, small guesthouse, with personal and not regularised service, and friendlier to the experienced traveller than the newbie. But it's worth pointing out, I think.

Situated on the northern edge of the Medina, Ryad Mabrouka offers a warm wlecome, attentive but unobtrusive service and attention to detail.
We stayed for four nights toward the end of January 2008 - after some difficulty finding the Ryad (a not uncommon problem in Fes!), we walked into an oasis of beauty and calm that proved to be a wonderful retreat from the streets over the rest of our stay.
With seven rooms only, most overlooking the tranquil (and traditional) central courtyard of the ryad, the owners and staff made us feel remarkably welcome. Our very large room was comfortable and functional - and had access to a rooftop terrace overlooking the medina.
The continental breakfasts included in our room price were fresh and delicious - and, on the occasions we chose to eat in the ryad, the food was fresh, Moroccan and uniformly delicious - served with a choice of Moroccan or European wines.
We organised two guides through the ryad - one to show us around the medina - arranged within 30 minutes of our request - and, a few days later, a guide to the Middle Atlas, Sefrou and Bhalil. All money well spent.
I would recommend a stay at the Ryad Mabrouka as an intregral part of a stay in Fes - truly a hidden gem of the city!