Riad Averroès

Comfortable beds, roof terrace, friendly staff with good English. Substantial healthy breakfast. Adequate kitchen for simple meals. Beautiful Riad.

The location, once found was good.

•My stay started with a nightmare due to the Riad’s unreliability. After my transport to Fes was canceled, I arranged (and confirmed via WhatsApp/call) for staff to meet me at 4:30am at the Blue Gate for safety. No one showed up, and they ignored my calls. Stranded alone in the dark, I was harassed by strangers offering "help" until tourist police intervened. The staff later claimed it was a "misunderstanding"—unacceptable after clear confirmation the day before. •Room Issues: Be aware the bed is two pushed together with an uncomfortable wooden divider in the middle. Fine for a single person but would be uncomfortable for a couple. Narrow room on the sides make movement in and out of the bed difficult. •Noise: Some windows face the outside to a public fountain (expect throat-clearing, yelling, and washing sounds 24/7—bring earplugs). •No Housekeeping: No cleaning service during my stay. •Breakfast: Minimal protein—mostly bread, spreads, and drinks. The location is good, but the lack of care for guests’ safety and comfort overshadows it. I would not recommend, especially for solo travellers.

Beautiful riad building in a good location. Unfortunately, its host let it down.

One day the host decided to make a party with his friends in the lobby involving very loud music and smoking something that was not tobacco. At midnight I couldn’t sleep so got out of bed and came down to complain. I couldn’t believe that the room they were in was full of smoke (and it was not tobacco). They stopped the party and 5 min later when I was back in bed trying to sleep the host came to my room and asked me for my passport and the city tax. I said it didn’t feel right to complete the check-in/checkout at that time when I was in bed, and that it was not acceptable to make a party on the lobby with very loud music at midnight. Then he got very upset and aggressive, took out his wallet from his pocket, opened it violently, and said “I’m a rich man,” , and something like “tomorrow give me the keys and don’t ever come back” pointing his finger at me very aggressively and making me feel not safe at all … Having said this, if you decide to stay at this place you should probably be fine if you are OK with a mediocre not fresh breakfast and a room without heating (which can get cold in winter), but be careful about complaining about something (like a host party in the lobby with his friends at midnight) as it might not go down well. You’ve been warned…

The detailed instructions to find the Riad were amazing and spot on. The host was waiting to help with our bags and get settled with some tea. The room was clean with warm, comfortable beds. Would stay here again!

The stay here was simply magical. Ares went above and beyond to make our stay amazing! I highly recommend this play to people who want to stay here. Great rooftop as well! Appreciate you Aras!

The internet connection was strong. We liked the lounge chair and seating area around the tv. The lounge chair was comfortable to sleep on, I slept out there most nights. It had 2 separate bedroom spaces which is the reason I booked the accommodation for my husband and I and our adult son. There is a mezzanine which has a king bed and single and is reasonably spacious and open with the window light lighting it up because it is quite dark up there. On the main floor is a bedroom with a king bed. The mattresses on the beds are quite hard and a bit lumpy I think because there is no mattress topper. The main floor bedroom is tiny and a bit claustrophobic but if you leave the door open you get the light from the main living room window coming in. If you close the door you will be locked in a little box of a room with no ventilation. I slept on the couch due to this. Both bedrooms are hot with no ventilation. We had the aircon on all night to keep it cool. The aircon was great. Next door to the main floor bedroom is the tiny shower and toilet. There is no window so you have to leave the exhaust fan going the entire time of your stay or it just smells damp and musty very quickly. When you shower you have to push water down the drain or it floods the little room, and then mop up the floor after every shower to avoid slipping on wet tiles. The bathroom is very nicely decorated and the towels are a good size and dry well. The host kindly brought me a table so that I could put my laptop on it and work. The small kitchen was adequate with a small fridge. There was a kettle and no cups for tea & coffee. We asked for one and got a glass. We ended up buying our own cups so that we could have tea and coffee and not break the glass they gave us putting hot water into it. I realise that breakfast and no coffee cups are cultural lifestyle differences but we did not find this at other riads we stayed at who did have coffee cups and more breakfast options.

The walk up to the room is via a long steep narrow winding stairway that just goes on and on. I had no idea from the ad that this was the access or I would have sought different accommodation. Elderly people or those with walking difficulties or heart conditions will find it difficult to access maybe impossible. But I didn't know this until I went there and saw it. There is no indication in the ad. There should be. My Mum couldn't get to the room. The room is tiny but high ceilings makes it seem less tiny. There is only 1 window in the property which is quite big and up high to let in light and some air. You can hear people below but you can't see anything because the window is high and you can't see out of it. I was anxious the entire time about how we would get out if a fire broke out downstairs and access was blocked off. Only 1 window in the room would not be an access out because it was barred and too high to get up and too high off the ground. My escape plan was to take the narrow steep windy stairs up to the terrace and then climb onto another rooftop to get out. Luckily I didn't need it. But I am always prepared. The breakfast was subpar in comparison to other Riads we stayed. It was breads and jams. A fresh squeezed juice and a mint tea. Some peaches one day and banana another. 1 day we had a boiled egg each. We did partake of some in appreciation to our hosts and then went out to buy breakfast, eggs tea and coffee. The breakfast table on the terrace was in direct sun so it was hot. An umbrella would have been great but instead I moved or I would have baked. I arrived to the Medina on my own and had arranged to be met at the Blue door. Nobody was there to meet me. I was overwhelmed by the hawkers and felt very uncomfortable and exposed on my own to a new place. They eventually turned up 30 minutes late. My phone calls and messages all went unanswered. Not impressed. Language was a big barrier.