Hotel Details
Riad Alkantara
| Region: | Fez and the Region |
| Location: | Fez |
| Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation Type | Low | Mid | High | |
| Citadelle |
Junior Suite: four-poster bed, en-suite shower room. (Smaller than standards)
|
n/a | 150 € | n/a |
| Les Amants de Grenade |
Standard Suite: large double room with en-suite bath (for two) down some steps
|
n/a | 160 € | n/a |
| Le Jardin des Roses |
Standard Suite: ground floor, four-poster bed, small bathroom with shower
|
n/a | 170 € | n/a |
| Le Chant des Chants |
Standard Suite: courtyard-facing with a four-poster bed, and en-suite bathroom
|
n/a | 180 € | n/a |
| Le Sable et l'Ecume |
Standard Suite: ground floor double room with seating area
|
n/a | 200 € | n/a |
| Please note: All prices are per room per night | ||||
Check Availability
Facilities
Swimming pool
Air-conditioning
Spa on site
Sunbathing area
Internet connection
Disabled friendly
Vegetarian food
Smoking
Child-friendly
Bar and drinks
In-house restaurant
OtherA secure parking is only a 5 to 10 minute walk away from the riad.
A function room provides space for seminars, exhibitions and workshops with heating/air-conditioning, computer with photocopier, scanner and printer and a Wi-Fi connection.
Laundry service on request.
Description
Modernity meets antiquity in this riad located in the heart of Fez’s old city. Dating from the eighteenth-century, five riads in total combine to create Riad Alkantara. Each riad was originally owned by Moroccan aristocracy until they were bought in 1997 by Abdelfettah who painstakingly restored and reformed them into one house with the help of over a hundred local craftsmen until Riad Alkantara was finally unveiled in 2008.
Modern comfort and traditional Moroccan decoration synchronize throughout the riad. Each of the suites benefits from air-conditioning and en-suite facilities whilst keeping an authentic look with mosaic floors, stained glass and furnishings gathered on Abdelfettah's travels through the Mahgreb, India, Egypt and Syria. A further personal touch comes in the form of the hand-painted wardrobes made in Abdelfattah's joinery workshop to his own designs. Riad Alkantara is visually unusual on first impressions. “Le Chant des Chants” for example includes a bathroom styled in green, white and black zellig (mosaic), whilst “Le Sable et l’Ecume” shows off with intricate panels of mugarna (plasterwork) and details such as Egyptian satin sheets and a triple bank of feather pillows. Many of the suites have four-poster beds, and “Le Sable et l’Ecume” creates romance through fresh flower arrangements and scattered rose petals in the room.
The garden that surrounds the riad is lush with a variety of plants. An ancient olive tree, palm trees, bougainvillea, jasmine, roses, musk, orange banana and lemon trees offer aromatic and shaded spaces. Additionally guests may discover the tortoises and two house cats that live in the riad, as well as the exotic birds that visit during the day. Within the garden Riad Alkantara offers a large pool (unusual for inner-city houses) supplied with spring water and of a good size to swim in. Whilst the garden clearly allows shady spots, sun-loungers have been arranged around the pool for guests wishing to sunbathe. Floors above this offer various terraces with fountains for alternative spaces to relax. A lounge bar and smoking area situated on a shaded terrace provides a place for refreshments and alcoholic beverages in the evenings often accompanied by live entertainment.
Read MoreLunches and dinners are available at Riad Alkantara’s “Bougainvilliers Dining Room” offering International and Moroccan cuisine. Typical Morccan dishes include tajines (vegetable, fish, chicken and olive), Moroccan salads and simple desserts including chocolate or fresh fruit. More ‘familiar’ food can be ordered on request, including light snacks such as burgers and sandwiches. As the food markets are within walking distance from the riad many of the ingredients are sourced locally and benefit from being fresh.
Riad Alkantara is fortunate to be situated in the medina, not only because this is convenient for guests wishing to explore the city, but also because cars cannot access the medina area allowing the riad to remain undisturbed by traffic noise. This creates a calm environment and a perfect space in which guests can enjoy workshops offered by the riad. The activities on offer range from architecture, cooking, calligraphy and the art of story-telling, all of which can give an insight into the Moroccan way of life.
Where is it?
Riad Alkantara is situated in the heart of the medina and is 30 minute taxi drive from Fez Airport.
Travel Times
| Airport | 30 minute drive |
| City | 15 minute walk |
| Beach | 2 hour drive to Moulay Bouselham |
Other useful information
Workshops are offered by the riad in architecture, meditation, cooking, calligraphy and the art of story-telling.
Honeymoons, birthdays, weddings and can be arranged by Riad Alkantara.
Manager Abdelfettah is highly knowledgeable of Fez and can arrange guided tours, golf, tennis, Atlas Mountain trips, and visits to other Moroccan cities and to the desert for guests.
Riad Alkantara limits the use of detergents and makes sure to recycle the water used in their garden and only use natural perfumes and insecticides in order to protect the environment.
A small gift shop located inside the riad sells traditional Moroccan dresses and art pieces such as sculptured plaster, painted wood, ceramics and books on Morocco.
The hotel scores are aggregated individual user scores which have been audited as authentic and accurate through due enquiry by Morocco Gateway.
Morocco Gateway reserves the right to exclude any reviews submitted by users which cannot be validated as authentic and accurate. Equally we will resist any request from any hotel to delist any negative review.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 8.0 | Food and drink | 8.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 8.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 8.5 | Value for money | 7.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 7.5 | Overall rating | 7.8 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
User Reviews on Riad Alkantara
Below you'll find reviews written by our users, that have stayed in this hotel. The reviews are vetted and verified by us and may have been summarised by our editor to give you a meaningful summary.
The Editor's Summary
Riad Alkantara has received positive reviews from recent guests who have discovered it to be “a safe-haven”. “Beautifully styled and very comfortable” the riad benefits from “indulgent interiors and a spacious scented garden” that is improved by a swimming pool of “a generous size”, creating “an oasis”-like environment. Guests have been made to feel “very special” by the staff who are “friendly” and encouraging. Additionally Riad Alkantara’s “restaurant’s open attitude to food” allows guests the option of Moroccan or International cuisine. Both a place for “peace and quiet” and “a great base to explore the city” Riad Alkantara has been highly recommended by those who have recently visited. 
This place is a safe-haven, the indulgent interiors and a spacious scented garden with swimming pool really hit the spot. Riad Alkantara is a great place for some peace and quiet lounging around the pool and enjoying the restaurant's open attitude to food, or as a great base to explore the city and surrounding areas. If we got the chance, we'd definitely go again.
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 8.0 | Food and drink | 8.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 8.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 8.0 | Value for money | 7.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 7.0 | Overall rating | 7.6 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
We spent three nights at Riad Alkantara and really enjoyed ourselves. For the staff nothing was too much, we arrived to mint tea and a room filled with fresh flowers. It was very special. Over the course of our stay we were really pleased to be able to explore Fes as we hadn’t visited the city before and the manager was always on hand to help out with where to go and what to see. We also tried the cookery lessons which were great fun! My friends all want the recipe for the tajine but theres no way im giving it to them! I’m really glad we tried this as we hadn’t expected to but the staff were so friendly so we were encouraged. Similarly meals at the riad were gorgeous and quite varied, we had two meals here and opted for a change on the last night to see what was out there, but slightly dissapointed we wished we'd stuck to what we knew and eaten at the riad's restaurant instead :(
The house itself is beautifully styled and very comfortable - air-conditioning in every room was a relief as we had worried about travelling in the summer season. We’d definitely recommend this, especially for those wanting a pool as this one is of a generous size and the gardens surrounding it make the space an oasis!
| Condition of rooms and the hotel | 8.0 | Food and drink | 8.0 | |
| Overall cleanliness | 7.0 | Relaxation | 8.0 | |
| Pool and facilities | 9.0 | Value for money | 7.0 | |
| Quality of staff | 8.0 | Overall rating | 7.9 | |
| out of 10 | out of 10 | |||
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