Here's the good part. It's a fine looking hotel inside and out, with a great view over the old town of Fes from half the rooms (the other half facing the opposite direction have no view worth looking at). The viewside rooms are lovely with great balconies. Just make sure you get a higher floor or you wont have a view.
Here's the bad part.
1. Staff are evasive, unresponsive, careless, and badly trained. They act as if they are doing you a favor to register you or take your money. They couldn't find our reservation at first, and couldn't get an accurate bill together at the end. Other people waiting in line before us at check in and check out had problems. If you look through previous Trip Advisor reviews you will see that complaints about the staff at this hotel are a regular feature, over and over and over again for several years now!
2. Don't get suckered into using one of the guides the hotel recommends. They are overpriced because the hotel takes a great chunk of the fee. Official guides can be hired for half the price or less. Don't believe hotel staff if they tell you that you must have a guide. Don't let them book a taxi for you or provide a car and driver for you because you will be overcharged. Just walk outside the hotel toward the main road and you will find plenty of taxis.
3. The views over the medina are good but the most interesting part of the medina is around the blue gate, which is quite a distance away and requires a taxi ride. You're basically isolated from most of the action when you stay here so be ready to take taxis throughout your stay.
4. The restaurant is too expensive for what you get and service is erratic. You can eat just as well in the Medina for much less money.
There are lots of riads in the medina that offer better accommodation and attentive service. Most of these have only a few rooms and guests get great personal attention. They are usually cheaper and give much better value. Morocco is not an expensive country and this hotel is way overpriced.
Ask yourself: if this is really a great 5-star hotel, why does it rank so low on the Trip Advisor list of Fes hotels?
- Accor Palais Jamai Fes
- Sofitel Fes
- Fes Sofitel
