Karawan Riad

The former harem of Maqfia

Karawan Riad occupies a 17th-century house in Maqfia, in the Andalusian quarter on the east bank of the Fez river. According to the house, Maqfia was then a cluster of palatial riads separated by gardens, and this building was its grandest harem: the ladies watched the pashas' receptions from small square balconies set into each corner of the first floor. Those balconies are still there; today they belong to the Dzhari suite.

The restoration took about ten years. The owners had local craftsmen remake, exactly as before, the zellige (glazed terracotta mosaic), the wrought iron, the carved plaster, the pierced lanterns, the silk embroidery and the painted wood. They added objects brought back from their travels, on the theme of the caravanserai, the inn of the merchant caravans: several suites are named after a desert or Mediterranean wind (chergui, harmattan, zephyr, meltem).

The Michelin Guide, which has awarded it one Key, its distinction for hotels, singles out this attention to detail: black marble bathrooms, underfloor heating, cedar writing desks, carved plaster.

A quieter quarter, a view of the city

The riad faces the Kairouan quarter, the densest part of the medina, around the Quaraouiyine. From the terrace, the view takes in that bank. The Andalusian quarter sees fewer visitors than the streets around Bab Boujloud; the Michelin Guide counts this among the riad's strengths.

Access is on foot. Taxis, buses and the riad's shuttle stop near the former El Amal cinema, on the boulevard running from Bab Jdid to R'cif; the riad is in the pedestrian street next to it, Derb Ourbia. The team meets guests at the car park or the taxi stop and carries the luggage. The guarded Bab Jdid – R'cif car park costs 40 dirhams a day, with no booking needed.

Nine suites, and which one to choose

The nine suites are all different. They have underfloor heating and air conditioning, which matters in Fez in January as much as in July. The shared spaces extend the rooms: a library, a tea room, a Berber lounge, the patio and the terrace.

For a couple who want seclusion, Demani, on the roof, has a terrace shaded by linen and planted with roses: for privacy and views, the Michelin Guide ranks it above all the others. A family should take Chergui, with its mezzanine, or one of the two pairs of connecting suites, Suhaili and Laawan or Meltem and Nashi, which also suit two couples. Dzhari is the largest; Nashi, the smallest, suits a solo traveller or a tighter budget.

The whole house can be booked privately for a night or a week, for up to 18 people.

The table and the hammam

Karawan Restaurant serves what the house calls bistronomic cooking, Mediterranean and Moroccan, with local and organic produce. At lunch there is a light menu (Moroccan salads, khlii tagine with dried meat, dish of the day); for a fine lunch or dinner, a Mediterranean menu on booking, at least two hours before service. You eat in the dining room, the patio or on the terrace. The bar is licensed, wine and Champagne included. Moroccan breakfast is served from 8 to 11 am local time, and a brunch from 11 am to 1 pm on booking.

Leelah Spa & Hammam was redone in Ottoman style, with vaulted ceilings and heated benches. The beldi hammam ritual (steam, ghassoul and rose-water mask, black-soap scrub with the kessa glove) lasts 45 minutes and costs 450 dirhams per person; an argan or orange-blossom oil massage, 650 dirhams. The spa opens from 10 am to 6 pm and takes only one person or one couple per time slot. In summer the hammam's heat is deliberately turned down.

Sabaro's view

For whom: couples, honeymooners, small groups of friends booking two connecting suites.

Strengths: a nine-suite house restored room by room by craftsmen; the Andalusian quarter, away from the main flow; a proper restaurant in the house itself; the Michelin Key.

Good to know: children are accepted from age 8 only, and count as adults from 12; the riad closes for Eid al-Adha (Eid el-Kebir); high season covers the year-end holidays, March to June, September to mid-November and the Sacred Music Festival.

Our advice: plan at least one dinner in the house, booked on arrival; and if you are travelling as a couple, book Demani well ahead.