Fez itself is quite a crazy place for the uninitiated but the riad ibn battouta provides sanctuary from the hustle and bustle and quite frankly is a tonic for the soul. The manager (I forget his name, sorry!) is a true gent in every sense of the word and nothing is too much trouble, the same applies to all his staff as well who obviously like the guy and respect him. The food is fantastic, the decor is tremendous and the rooms are out of this world, I could go on and on. We booked this trip through luxury-riads.com who were by far the cheapest for this riad and even cheaper than the stated priced in the hotel! Come back again? My bags are already packed; this is the type of place that makes going to work 9-5 worthwhile.

We stayed at the Riad Ibn Battouta - it's absolutely beautifully done. The host Anass El Kaabe is absolutely charming and will do anything to help.
The rooms are beautifully decorated, the location is just right and the food was the best we ate in Marrakesh - and we went to some so-called "top" restaurants. I suggested to Anass that he should promote the food more - there's a really good cook there.
This is an unqualified recommendation!

To repeat what another reviewer pointed out, their credit card machine is faulty when you come to check out ... whoops, if they try it ... miraculously it's not! To be fair, this is a common scam in Morocco - even in far larger hotels. Blaming the 'Ligne Fixe" telephone system (and thereby trying to avoid their credit card charges). If you've paid a deposit it advance you can simply insist they get the money from the card number they already have.

The hotel is without doubt beautiful and well restored. The service is a bit hit-and-miss and the food is not recommended.

My main complaint is that the hot water was not hot enough - and they seemed to think that 'tepid' was good enough. In our suite the bath was so big it couldn't be filled by the the tank. And without a place to hang the shower head, it was neither a bath nor a shower ... shame really, because it looked nice.

The location is GREAT though. Right next to the Museum Bartha - close enough to the Medina without actually being in it ... perfect.

The price we were charged (€150) was in my view a bit too much for something of this quality. It's NOT a luxury riad (they need more emphasis on good service and better food - and maybe a free Hammam?) I recommend you ring them direct and bargain hard - or find somewhere else.

Bonne chance!

This riad is located right next to La Place Batha, about a 5 minute walk from the famous Bab Boujloud and the medina.

The plasterwork and tiles all over this riad are outstanding! In typical Fes fashion, it has towering ceilings and archways everywhere, rich wooden doors, and is very cavernous, private and exclusive-feeling. I'm sure that the photos don't do it justice, because it really is beautiful throughout.

We stayed in the Damas Suite on the 3rd floor. Even more eye-popping plasterwork on the ceilings and walls, with yellow-motif. King-bed & TV with big windows that open onto the courtyard. There is a large dome above the bed, with more hand-carved plasterwork and coloured glass that allows light to shine thru. (wow!) Dark tadelakt finish in the bathroom, with a mosaic tile tub: Very unique. The room was big and comfortable.

There were a few points that kind of disappointed me, however: The courtyard wasn't open to the sky. It was covered over with a translucent plastic cover all the time, so it held the full sun out, while keeping the air and humidity in. This made it was a bit humid and stale, particularly on the upper floor. The finishes and feel were mostly traditional Moroccan, but also some 18th century French furniture and fixtures mixed in, which kind of spoilt the "I'm in Fes" vibe. Also, the rooftop terrace wasn't prepared for use, as all the furniture was piled up in the centre, covered over with a tarp...I guess for winter...So there was nowhere to sit up there. It would have been nice to relax and look at the view in the fresh air.

The staff were very friendly and unintrusive, but only the owner spoke a bit of English. That was fine as we speak a bit of French, but just something to think about...I was kind of put off on the final night, when I was informed that the riad's credit card machine wasn't functioning, so I would have to pay in cash...Even though I made a deposit with a credit card. They asked me to go to an ATM to get them cash for the room, my wife's hammam and 2 dinners...which wasn't exactly an insignificant sum.
I was having none of it, and informed them that they would have to work something out, as I wasn't prepared to pay in cash...Miraculously, the credit card machine became functional about an hour later for my payment in full...hmm...

All told, it was still a very quiet & comfortable stay, in a beautiful riad close to the medina, cafes and about a 10-minute taxi ride from the train station. Very good, but a few things could have been better.