Riad Idrissy, Fez

We booked this Riad because of the reviews and pictures we had seen. It looked beautiful, clean and well kept. Upon arrival we discovered that it was exactly the opposite. The room was very dark, the sheets seemed as though they had not been changed. We found so much hair in the sheets. The bathroom was disgusting and the smell of sewer would permeate. The bed is 3 meters away and we could smell it. The room was genuinely dirty. Dust everywhere, broken lamps and torn curtains from the hooks. No locks on the door. Ordinarily in a riad it would be fine but it’s open to the public because of the ruined garden restaurant (aptly named)in the same property and anyone can wander into the room. I am sure at some point this Riad was beautiful and well maintained. In our opinion it no longer is. Judging by the photos etc we were very excited to stay here. We didn’t unpack and In truth that evening we refused to shower and took to sleeping in our clothes to avoid as much skin contact with the bedding. At first light we just left having booked other accommodations.

We left the first chance we could get

The staff and property location was great. The concept of maintaining the vibe of an old histotic building was good however its execution was poor

Room was poor in hygiene , cleanliness and things were broken and maintained very poorly.

Beautiful property with amazing hosts

Nothing

Beautiful garden riad and lovely decoration. Interior of riad is very dark and although authentic very dark and a bit depressing to spend time inside. Very different from the courtyard. The dark wood room was authentic but lacked lights.

The facilities in the rooms are clearly not checked. The shower head was broken from being old. I can’t believe the had to be told the water is not coming out the shower head and only the side of the shower head as it was old and split. I told them at reception but they didn’t do anything about it. The cupboards are dirty. They had random rubbish on top - a broken telephone, random parts from the aircon and Manuel. The side table had a broken leg that kept falling off when you place items on the table. Needs an upgrade inside. The bathroom is also not very well maintained. Worst of all is that the doors in your room do not lock and there are no keys. Who wants to travel and just leave your door open. Not that Morocco has been the safest of places you’d trust your valuables to be safe in. The door only closes from the inside. There is a safe but that did not work either. Come on guys. Get your stuff sorted if you charging for rented rooms!!

I stayed 4 nights in the Shoowaf room and it's grand with an amazing ceiling, beautiful window coverings, and a comfy bed. It's on the middle level up some steep, narrow steps. The interior courtyard is large with lovely furnishings. The riad has a great location. The guy who helped with breakfast was very nice.

Breakfast was served daily in the adjacent Ruined Garden restaurant and it was the exact same every day. This is a restaurant, can't they offer something a little different each day? The Shoowaf room had windows overlooking an exterior laneway and men would be taking loudly out there past 11 pm. It seems like running the restaurant is the main enterprise and the riad is very secondary. The only staff around are at the restaurant. I needed to organize a transfer to a train station and sent a message via booking.com. Eventually, I received a reply but it wasn't quick. The hospitality I experienced at other riads in Morocco seemed to be lacking at Riad Idrissy.

This riad is one of the most beautiful places I've ever stayed in in my life! I was in awe of how lovely all the details are of every corner of this place! The room itself was massive, we stayed on the ground floor which had huge antique Moroccan doors. All the furnishings were beautiful and comfortable. The bathroom was big and clean. The rooftop and balcony of the property has amazing views of all of Fes. The location was great. Right in the middle of the old city. As soon as you step out of the riad there is a juice stand that makes fresh squeezed juice for you to take on your way to walk around all the lovely shops. The good at the riad was perfect! Breakfast was one of the best I had in all of Morocco and the dinners at the on site restaurant were delicious

Everything was perfect!

Breakfast was really good and the staff serving us breakfast at the restaurant was very helpful and kind, they even arranged the breakfast earlier for our early morning departure for a day trip. The reception staff was answering our request at WhatsApp so it was very easy to contact him, I wish he could provide the info a bit more in advance, as we asked for his help for several things such as the transportation to the train station and purchase of train ticket or asked him not to arrange room-cleaning as we put some personal things in the room, but he didn't update us the process and the room was still cleaned and our clothes in the room were rearranged by cleaning ladies.

We stayed in the room next to the "Library Room", which is without lock, so we could only leave the door unlocked the whole stay, although we were told by the reception staff that it is safe, but we didn't feel that safe, as there are some other guests can go to the library room and the balcony right next to our room door.

Beautiful Riad with very welcoming and helpful staff. The cafe/ restaurant in the garden serves great food and is one of the nicest places to eat in Fes.

Nice location in the medina of Fes with their own restaurant in a lovely walled garden! We got organized a guide immediately and loved the atmosphere in the garden!

The room facility was not the best, we had a broken showerhead, the door to the bathroom was so noisy and the restaurant was ok from food but nothing special.

The decor is incredible, the restaurant (ruined garden) it’s so beautiful and delicious definitely recommend! The staff was so sweet and friendly, very helpful with any needs we had!

Nothing, everything was perfect

The location (already in medina but halfway between main streets and taxis ;-). The restaurant in the exterior garden (where we had dinner almost every night), the room decoration, the terrace view, the common parts of this incredibly riad! And the GREAT breakfast!

The interior steps were indeed steep but doable. I would liked a greater air extraction from wc specially after baths but was tolerable.

Stunning Riad in a superb location. Loved our stay here.

Beautiful traditional decor. Spacious room. Attractive garden restaurant with decent food. Staff in restaurant at breakfast and lunch very helpful.

The shower was dark with an unpleasant smell for much of the time. The shower tray was cracked/broken. The roof terrace was very small. Little information given about the property on arrival eg fact there was roof terrace/other terrace. The description didn’t tie up with the Telegraph Travel description eg early morning tea/coffee delivered to room before breakfast.

Beautiful, charming, great food

Nothing

Once found it was relatively easy to negotiate the winding, crowded alleyways of the Old Medina.

The major problem was a double booking that meant that I had to move out for one night in the middle of my stay. Riad Idrissy did arrange everything for this including helping with the actual move but this really eat into 2 days, particularly as the Riad to which I had to move kept me waiting for over an hour on arrival. A great shame as a lovely property.

Loved the atmosphere of this beautiful restored 18th Century home. I thought the staff were super friendly and helpful. Youssef was particularly helpful when my daughter left her AirPods behind, he worked with me to help get them returned to us. Much appreciated . Loved the relaxed and charming feel of this place and the beautiful ruined garden where we ate breakfast every morning. By far our favourite Riad in Morocco , dreaming of returning.

Old beautiful road with a lovely garden and views in the historic medina of Fes. The property is old and has features such as steep staircase which was not a problem for us. The garden and restaurant attached to the property along with the memorable delicious breakfast sets you up for the busy Fes Souks. We decided to have dinner twice at the restaurant and the meals were equally good.

Nothing.

Lovingly restored property hidden away in the labyrinth of Fes. Truly a pleasure to stay there, one can feel the culture and history of the city at every turn. Guides offered by the hotel are a great deal and essential. And of course the restaurant is amazing!

The location is very central, the garden inside is a nice surprise and the staff is very welcoming. The rooms were clean and well furnished. We also had dinner at the Riad and the food was very good, same goes for the breakfast offered.

Great staff! So helpful and kind. Our party was running late for our dinner reservation and they accommodated us. They warmed up our room prior to arrival as we did not have heat in our prior hotel. Great touches every where. Restaurant is excellent!

Nothing al all.

This place is an oasis in the bussling fes, a garden escape. We ate at the restaurant downstairs and it was delicious. Breakfast was exceptional. Staff were so friendly and gave great advise. Would definitely stay here again if I was back in fes!

Nothing!

The breakfast was amazing and the location was perfect. The hotel staff were incredible and so helpful. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Would 100% stay again.

Beautiful traditional riad in the backstreets of Fez. Amazing painted and carved decorations in the central courtyard and bedroom. Friendly, helpful staff and a nice courtyard restaurant for breakfast and dinner. The wi-fi worked and there was plenty of hot water in the bathroom. If you ask the staff they will organise taxis, etc. and the taxi driver will come to the hotel to help you navigate out of the medina to the taxi (5-10 minutes walk) and help you with your luggage (you can hire a man with a cart to carry your luggage for only 2 euros).

The restaurant isn't licensed (a common problem in Morocco these days it seems). The stairs to the bedrooms are pretty steep - not a problem for me but if you have mobility issues beware (also a common issue in many older riads).

Ambience, location, decor were all excellent

The WiFi was patchy at best and regularly failed. Even the staff couldn’t fix it.

Water in shower room. It runs both ways and no way to turn into one. Lighting can be better, you should use yellow light bulb for all.

The breakfast was excellent.

I was on the top floor and hand rails along the stairway would have been nice.

Very well located. A bit decadent but very local. Clean and comfortable. Great bed and bath. Really convenient to have the ruined garden restaurant in the Riad. Great food

You can’t lock your bedroom door.

The staff were friendly. The room was well decorated and looked out onto the seating area downstairs. The breakfast was delicious. I had it every day and it was more food than one person could eat. The restaurant was always crowded and without reservations they still accommodated me when I wanted to have dinner.

The room smelled like cigarettes and the bed was a little hard. I couldn’t use the table in the room because one of the legs was broken and I didn’t want the table to collapse. My room was on the smaller side, however it was still well decorated.

We were met outside the city walls where the airport taxi, arranged by the hotel, delivered us by a lovely man with a barrow to take our cases. He took us down the winding lanes and to the hotel. What a fantastic place. We could not have been happier with the location and customer service that we received.

We loved everything, no negatives at all!

- The idyllic setting and the assistance the staff gave us throughout our stay.

- Breakfast lacked variation. We stayed for 5 nights and ate the same food every morning.

Wondeful in every way. The staff were all so friendly and helpful, the rooms are huge and the building is stunning. We gad both rooms on the top floor and there was a lounge and an outdoor terrace.

We really enjoyed our daily breakfast! The cafe garden is absolutely beautiful. Rooms are spacious, and we also enjoyed the terrace from our room (Family Room).

During our time of arrival, it took us very long before we were escorted to our room. Also, the riad does not reply on messages and inquiries via email or booking.com, they only replied on our day of arrival. Since it's a traditional riad, there are no locks on the doors, but despite this all our things were in place and nothing was lost.

Great staff, particularly the breakfast team, who were very caring. Beautiful garden where you eat breakfast, which is served promptly. Easy to find in the maze of lanes. Superb transfers in and out with a guy who meets your taxi and puts all your bags in a cart. Fes is fine at night too, there's a lot of nonsense written on that point. If you're used to London or any big city, you know how to stay safe and actually, I would say Fes feels safer. What a beautiful building! Owner has had the taste and sense not to refurbish but to let its original splendour shine. We loved, for example, the old tile work in the bathroom. The decor is perfect unless your taste is for nondescript modern hotels. This is an old, loved building with yards of charm. Lovely cheese at breakfast, rare not to be doused in sugar for a moroccan breakfast. Lovely beads and griddle add pancakes.

Unsweetened orange juice please! Sometimes slightly slow message responses.

The staff are amazing. Warm and helpful. The garden and food amazingly beautiful and great food.

It’s a bit shabby and needs some love.

The building was lovely, it was very unique and peaceful. The room was beautiful and the ruined garden was a delight to relax in.

Breakfast was amazing, probably the best we had in all Morocco. Unfortunately that was the only good thing about this place :(

The room was not clean when we first arrived, with lots of dust everywhere (I had to wipe everything). The garbage wasn't clean on the second day, so we had to ask for it to be cleaned. Service is not great and as a 3 women only group, we didn't feel the men that were working there treated us very well. It seemed that they were always "doing us a favour" and we would see them being polite and nice with other male guests but not with the female ones. This excludes the morning team. The rooms don't have locks, and the place is shared with a public restaurant, so we din't feel 100% safe. Overall for the price it is ok, but I wouldn't go back to this Riad if I had a better option.

Charming, clean, outdoor terrace

Nothing

Awesome location with rooms set in beautiful surrounds. Room was cool, large and comfortable. Breakfast is available in the gorgeous garden. Staff so helpful, friendly and professional. Enjoyed it so much we are returning after our desert trip. The staff looked after our luggage while we were gone.

The team are incredibly friendly, welcoming and attentive while the accommodation is visually stunning with plenty of space - just the best place to stay!

Beautiful old building. Garden restaurant lovely. We were the only guests staying due to Eid celebrations. Large room with comfortable beds. Very good staff helpful and friendly without being overbearing.

If you’re not very mobile the stairs to the bedrooms may be an issue if you stay on the upper floor. Good exercise for us! I did ask for coffee to the room in the morning which did not appear. I’m not sure whether it was delivered to the incorrect room?

the staff was in very good spirits and very helpful and great atmosphere in the garden.

the only thing that could be improved is the cleanliness in the rooms. in the bathroom sink drain there were hairs from previous guests.

Lovely Riad in the heart of the Medina retaining its traditional style. Lovely restaurant that is part of it called the Ruined Garden. It was a great place to recover from all the exploring. Very nice Double Room Library that we stayed in with provision of an additional bed for our 10 year old. Breakfast was large and nice.

Stunning building and garden, exceptional hospitality

quiet quirky good location lovely staff

Very receptive staff who meet you at outer point of medina and help with bags, navigation to them. Lovely garden for breakfast and other meals if desired. Large room with access to 2 outdoor terraces. Beautiful entry area. Fez medina lively, fascinating and great to stay in its midst for easy access. Very clean, quiet.

Steep (but lovely) steps to room but fine if you're good with it.

Fez medina can be hectic, so super nice to have the garden to retreat to. Clean, nice room. Pretty quiet for being in the medina.

This is not particularly bad, but the property seems to be first and foremost a restaurant / cafe that also has rooms. Staff are around, but pretty busy with the restaurant in the afternoons/evenings so you have to actively seek them out if you need something. Also has more backpacker vibes as opposed to traditional riad vibes. Again not bad, but just something to be aware of.

The restaurant is great and location is perfect. The riad is beautiful.

There are no locks on the doors and no one is at the concierge. We could not get a hold of them to help us find it within the Fes labrynth, and there rarely was someone at the front desk.