Here are 5 quick reasons why to choose a hotel instead of a riad.

Your going to Fes to experience the riches of the Medina Kdema, The Old City, the only fully functioning medieval city in the world. Why would you choose to stay in a hotel and not a riad?

1. Location, Location, Location:

Wandering the medina is awesome, but there is are a lot of other great things in Morocco besides the medina of Fes. If your trip to Morocco is largely based on traveling to the nearby areas, or you are only over-nighting in Fes then a hotel could be a great fit. Here is why: the riads are located in the carless maze of Fes Al Bali. If you are trying to get out early to see places like Volubilis, Sefrou for the Cherry Festival, the Hot Springs at Moulay Yacoub, the mountains at Ifrane or any of the other fun things to do around Fes, it is going to be far easier going in and out from a hotel in the Ville Nouvelle than making your way out from the medina each morning trying to catch your transportation.

2. Anonymity

When you go to one of the hotels of Fes, it is easy to be a nameless, faceless person. And lets face it, there are times on vacation where it is thoroughly enjoyable just to disappear and be to yourself. Riads are great, but even the most private tend to be more communal in nature than a room in a hotel. Riads are in fact, old family homes, where most of life was made to interact with other members of the family. Hotels, by their very nature are meant to be service the needs of guests independently.

3. A Break

For a Westerner, the shift from modern city life to a section of the city where the clock has not moved for hundreds of years can be a bit of a shock. There is a reason a book was produced called “Culture Shock Morocco.” And while the contrasts draw people to Fes, there can be a real need at the end of the day, to return to a world that is somewhat like our own. The hotels of Fes provide the balance of allowing you to soak up the mystery of the medina and to come home at night to a world that feels familiar.

4. Special Needs

Again, riads are restored ancient homes, and the riads of Fez are set in a medieval city. The roads to get to and from your riad are hilly and uneven. Riads don’t come equipped with elevators. They are not easily childproofed. If you have problems walking, are in a wheelchair or have small children with you a hotel might be a better fit. Most of the hotels are more suited to handling special needs travelers than the riads would be.

5. Price

If you are really looking to travel cheap, and we mean really cheap, riads are going to be out of your price range. At some of the pensions you can get a double room for 13 pounds. At even the cheapest of riads a double room would be at least 40 pounds. So if you had rather spend your money in other ways a pension or a non-classified hotel would be a better fit than a riad.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Hotels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.