Dar Anebar

This Riad (hotel) is located close to the edge but within the old city (Medina) – it requires assistance to access, as taxis and other wheeled vehicles have no direct access. The Riad will arrange to meet your taxi at the closest main gate. It features a beautiful atrium, three stories in height, and onto which all the rooms have a direct outlook. There is also a roof terrace with recreation area and good views of the city. While there is no elevator, the obliging staff are only too willing to carry your suitcases to your room. A traditional breakfast is included in the tariff, and a limited-menu dinner can also be provided at an additional charge if desired. The proprietor, Ahmed, is friendly and obliging. For example, he arranged to purchase a train ticket for me so that I did not need to make a special trip to the train station (online ticket purchases seem to be restricted to those with a Moroccan credit card). The free wi-fi worked well, and the rooms were elegant and charming, with an old-world, Arabic ambience. Ahmed also arranged for an English-speaking Guide for me, as it would be impossible to negotiate the narrow streets, lanes and alleyways of the Medina without a Guide. Fortunately, the Medina in Fez does not permit wheeled vehicles of any kind (except small trolleys), which is a great advantage over the equivalent precinct in Marrakech, where you take your life into your hands as the sometimes fast-moving scooters etc. negotiate their way around obstacles such as pedestrians! Fez uses donkeys and mules to transport heavier loads through the streets and laneways of the Medina (beware the manure).

I did find, however, that the lighting level in my room was a bit too low for functional requirements. My only criticism was that my Guide appeared to be nothing more than a tout for various tourist venues and retail establishments. At every stop, I was passed over to a merchant who started doing a sales pitch. I told the Guide I wasn't really interested in buying tourist souvenirs, but he took no notice (he's probably on a commission).