Description: Stay at Les Merinides for its sweeping views over the medina of Fez, and you won’t be disappointed with your choice. The hotel’s location atop the bowl of old Fez is the perfect setting for its swanky Moroccan-style indoor-outdoor lobby and one of the world’s great spots for a drink. Even in a steady drizzle of rain, I was drawn to sitting on an outside chaise (under the cover of awnings) to take in the foggy, golden city below; it’s even become a sunny day in my memories.
Since you can’t spend all night sipping drinks on the terrace, the good news is that the rooms are equally welcoming havens from the chaotic town below. Draped in a royal-red theme, my second-floor room was comfortable and modern, if a bit worn at the edges. The room had cable TV with CNN International, the BBC, and Al Jazeera, and—my favorite part—free high-speed, wireless Internet access. My king bed and modern bathroom provided all the comforts I needed, though both were sites of major battles with the small army of flies I just couldn’t get out of my room.
The
best part, though—even better than the inviting lobby, pool, and restaurant—is that the prime hilltop location delivers Fez’s five daily calls to prayer in haunting stereo, including the earliest, a beautiful 5am version that I miss hearing every morning. Les Merinides may not be the newest hotel on the block, but it’s block is the best, and its perks as good as Moroccan hospitality gets.
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