I wanted to experience a variety of different types of accommodation in my time here in Morocco and have chosen to stay in a traditional riad, or courtyard house in the medina of Fes. According to this blog the difference between a riad and a dar, like the one that I stayed at in Essouria, is that riads have a courtyard or garden.

I am staying at Riad Skilffo, it is very easy to find, although it is a little way into the medina, it is just off the main street and is clearly labelled. After having experienced trying to find my previous accommodation in Venice and Marrakech I wanted something I wouldn’t get lost trying to get to!

Most of the courtyards in riads are not used as gardens anymore but are tiled, often with a water feature or small pool. My room is on the ground floor next to the courtyard. The first photo here shows the amazing doors to my room.

It is clear why this traditional style of house was built as it is wonderfully cool inside. As in Spain, where we need our houses to protect us from up to 50 degrees in the summer, the emphasis is on shade and cool tiles. I really appreciated this yesterday as it was 24 degrees and I went for a long walk up to the nearby hill fort which I will show you in the next post.

Inside these houses are what looks like a small palace, my own version of the Alhambra or Real Alcazar in Seville. As you know from my post about the hotel in Casablanca I love staying in such amazingly built and decorated places. This is a small riad, just six bedrooms over three floors, and it is gorgeous, with so much beautiful decoration everywhere. There are smaller seating areas on the upper floors as well.

Many of the riads in this area have been restored as tourist accommodation, but it is still very much a working medina. Unlike the one in Tangier, where the majority of shops were aimed at tourists, this is a real market with butchers, spice stalls and so many massive piles of sweets and dates for sale. I will post more about the medina next time, but it is lovely to walk through and see everything for sale. I’m still being good though and not been tempted by any lamps 😉

Every morning I have my breakfast on the upper terrace, with views over to the ruins of the city walls and tombs. It is a stunning view, with the hills in the background, and I love it.

There is a small covered area to sit in up on the roof as well, and the top of the courtyard area has a cover that can be used in case of rain, which is clearly a modern addition.

The breakfast is equally amazing here, all this just for me every morning!

The staff here are so lovely as well, and as a bonus it has very good wifi, not very traditional but essential for all my updates!

I have been reading two autobiographies by Freya Stark, while I have been on my travels in Morocco. She was an explorer in the 1930s who travelled extensively in the Middle East, learning Arabic and Persian while she did so.

She arrived in Baghdad not long after the death of Gertrude Bell, another fascinating woman traveller. Freya writes brilliantly about constantly being told how ‘brave’ and ‘foolish’ she is to want to go on all these adventures on her own, as an English woman as well, in a very imperialist Persia. I think she’s someone I would loved to have been able to meet 😉

It seems highly appropriate to be looking at the sorts of ruins that she would have loved, while reading about her travels. I came across her last summer, when I read a number of fictionalised accounts of archaeological digs, as she was one of the author’s sources.

There are so many of these beautiful riads here in Fes. Just this morning Facebook showed me an advert from Booking.com, who I use for all my accommodation now, with some of these equally lovely places to stay. From the left they are Riad Dar Diwan, Riad Khouloud and below, Rian Maison Adam.

It really does make me feel as if I am having a very exotic adventure, to be here in my lovely tiled room, with its amazing corniche, and then to step out into the bustling medina.

I am so glad that I chose Fes as one of my destinations, it is an amazing place and I look forward to showing you more in the next post. Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.