One goes to Fes to experience the other-worldliness of the ancient medina. In fact, Harrison Ford called Fes the most romantic city in the world. To get the most out of your trip, it is important where you stay. Do you choose a hotel, or do you adventure out and experience a riad?

Here are 5 Reasons to Choose a Riad Instead of a Hotel in Fes.

1. “The pleasure of Fes is its secluded riads,” Stanley Stewart, 2 time winner of the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, Travelex Travel Writer of the Year, and regular travel columnist for the London Times. Expert advice. Enough said.

2. “What’s the point of travelling if you don’t get a flavour of the place you’re visiting?” – Juliet Kinsman, editor-in-chief of Mr & Mrs. Smith, Boutique Travel Specialists. You come to Fes to be enchanted by the historic medina. Staying in a traditional riad is simply the best way to do that. As Kinsman noted, “It’s a world away from the anonymity of identikit chain hotels.”

3. It was good enough for Bono. When Bono and U2 wanted to get creative inspiration for their upcoming album, they thought the city of Fes was the best place to do that. When they wanted a place to stay that would recharge, them they chose a riad.

“We got this little riad, a small hotel with a courtyard in the middle and set up the band there, with a square of sky over our head… We’d record during the day and then disappear into windy streets of the medina at night. It was an inspiring experience and a drummer’s paradise,” Bono said.

Here is a pic, originally posted on U2.com

Here’s a video that shows them playing inside a riad.

4. Personal Care and Service: Riad’s pride themselves on their service. At a large chain hotel, you come in anonymity, you stay in anonymity and you live as an anonymous servant to the rules and procedures of the hotel. You are known as “Room 204.”

At a riad, it’s just the opposite.

You are warmly and personally welcomed. Staff are attentive to your needs and cater to your desires. “Would you like a tour of the medina?” Of course, we would be happy to arrange that. “Do you want a massage?” We know just the person. You are known by name. Your holiday matters.

5. Location, Location, Location. As noted earlier, the reason to come to Fes is to explore the medina. It is where the life is happening.

Traditional riads in Fes put you in the perfect spot to walk out your door and experience all that Fes has to offer. Hotels in Fes put you in the perfect spot to need to look for a taxi, drive through town and finally arrive at the place that has all the attractions you came to see.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 12:05 pm and is filed under Riads. 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.