Every morning in Fes, Morocco, we looked forward to a healthy and delicious Moroccan breakfast at the Palais Amani. This jewel of a luxury riad in the heart of the Old City of Fes happens to be my favorite. I stay here each time I am in Fes. 

The Palais Amani is not an over-the-top place, but everything is in very good taste so that you will find nothing wanting.  There is enough space and greenery, and everywhere you look is a feast for the senses.

THE ROOFTOP OF THE PALAIS AMANI

Breakfasts were pretty much served the same way each day. Everything was beautifully presented so I always felt like taking photos before eating. The Moroccan breakfast wasn’t a buffet, unlike in other luxury hotels, and there was never a table groaning with food. Nevertheless, we were never hungry, even if we’re both used to eating a lot at breakfast.

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HEALTHY MOROCCAN BREAKFAST

We so enjoyed the breakfasts here, which were different everyday. There was always lots of fresh fruits and a very good quality Moroccan yoghurt which I spooned lots of honey on. The chefs also made us an incredible juice based on fruits in season.

And then we were always served some sort of Arabic or Moroccan soup that seemed so healthy. The soups, made with vegetables and spices, were so good. I always felt like I was starting the morning right, having yoghurt and vegetable soup in my tummy.

FRESHLY BAKED BREADS AND EGGS TO ORDER

The assorted breads were freshly baked somewhere in the medina, and I loved also having these with the local honey.

For a hot meal, it was always eggs done anyway we wanted. And everyday, we always ordered an omelette with everything in it. You’d think an omelette with everything in it would be pretty standard fare, right? Not at the Palais Amani in Fez.

Every day we had a different kind of omelette. Each one was as delicious as the previous one, so that we looked forward to breakfast every morning. Just like we were excited for every wonderful but different day in Morocco, living our never-ending, and never-endingly eventful Travelife.  

Christine Cunanan is the publisher of Travelife Magazine.

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On a #Travelife to Morocco, I went shopping in souks and climbed hills in the middle of the desert outside of Ouarzazate. I also bought a Moroccan Berber carpet and learned how to make a chicken tagine at the Palais Amani in Fes. On this trip, one of my best memories was a stay at the Palais Amani.

HOW TO GET TO THE PALAIS AMANI IN FES

To say that the Palais Amani underwhelms at the outset is an understatement. I still remember with not a little trepidation our arrival on the first of my two visits to Morocco last year. We’d driven from Rabat, the capital of Morocco, to the edge of the ancient town of Fez. 

We passed by the palace of the King and skirted the walls of the medina before alighting in a parking lot full of wheelbarrows of food and dry goods. There were also vehicles in various states of disrepair, and masses of people – from rambunctious teenagers playing ball games to old ladies hawking homemade sweets.

And then we had to trudge up a narrow alleyway used by donkeys and pockmarked with stones, entering this via a steep staircase sandwiched by a budget hostel with a television blaring on the top floor and an equally cheap-looking café serving the ubiquitous chicken tagine. This was the way to the Palais Amani.

A BEAUTIFUL RIAD IN FES

It wasn’t quite the setting I’d imagined for a stylish boutique hotel in exotic Fez. In fact, my companion had very clearly asked me with unhappy undertones, as we navigated an unpicturesque passageway and walked along an equally spartan corridor towards our destination: “What kind of hotel have you booked?”

WHAT LIES BEHIND

Fortunately, I chose to ignore this rhetorical question and to simply let the hotel I’d booked eventually speak for itself.

Like many of the best experiences of Morocco, the beauty of Palais Amani lies hidden behind its heavy wooden doors. A dozen steps past these doors inside was a lovely 600-square meter garden. 

This was palatial, considering we were inside the medina of Fez. It’s a setting of greenery, dancing fountains and intricately tiled walls. In fact, the entire riad spoke  of a graceful past as the well-loved home of a prosperous family.

Palais Amani is the biggest authentic riad in Fez. But it’s also charming in an intimate way. I was instantly enchanted by the low-key and easy elegance of this hotel.

UNIQUE HOTEL ROOM IN FEZ

Our room was very interesting, as well. I’m sure it was the best suite in the riad because it occupied one whole wing of the second floor. We entered via a living room into a bedroom.

The bedroom had two separate dressing rooms and five large floor-to-ceiling windows with French-style balustrades that overlooked the garden. The bathroom was in a lovely room that was as large as a home in Fez itself.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT IN MOROCCO

It was definitely love at first sight, for me and this suite. We spent many happy days here at Palais Amani, discovering the best attractions in Fez. This is the kind of city one either loves or hates, and I loved it.

A major UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s a busy jumble of dark corners and nearly 10,000 alleyways. Most of the alleys are chaotic by day, and almost deathly quiet at night. There are  no in-betweens. But if you are charmed by this city of contrasts that is still stuck in time somewhere between the 13th and 15th centuries, this feeling about Fez will stay with you forever like an image from a fairytale.

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