Hôtel Sahrai
Neoclassical Ville Nouvelle
Hilltop over the medina
Hôtel Sahrai enchants travellers with its above-and-beyond service, skyscraping palm trees and city-facing infinity pool; all very apt for a hotel with a name meaning ‘magic’. A short spell in the traditional hammam or zellige pool should do the trick for travel-tired arrivals, but the real magic has to be the rooftop bar, its panoramic sunset views and cocktail-conjuring bartenders.
Facilities
Quartos
50 rooms, including one suite.
Checkout
12 noon; earliest check-in, 3pm.
Mais detalhes
Rates include a suitably palatial spread of Moroccan and European breakfast delights in the Amaraz restaurant – get medina ready with savoury staples, pastries, fruits, crêpes, yogurts and fresh juices.
Also
Four fully accessible rooms can be found on the ground floor, and there’s lift access to every other part of the hotel.
Academia de ginástica
Acesso gratuito à Internet
Lavanderia
Piscina
Restaurante no local
Serviço de quarto
Spa
At the Hotel
WiFi, free shuttle to the medina, fitness room, spa, infinity pool, four restaurant and bar spaces. In rooms: Nespresso machine, desk, tea-making facilities, TV, bathrobes, safe, minibar, glass bottled water, Acqua di Parma toiletries.
Our Favourite Rooms
All rooms have period features with a sprinkle of modernity; but the deluxe view rooms do what they say on the tin – expect vistas over minarets, medinas and mountains that make morning curtain-opening even more magical.
Poolside
Skyscraping palm trees, padded double day beds and tasteful dining tables border the infinity pool overlooking Fez’s maze-like medina. If you’re not content with sweating from the heat, workout at the hotel’s gym equipped with TechnoGym machines.
Spa
The Givenchy Spa was designed by spa-specialist Patrick Ribes; its traditional hammam and zellige-tiled jade-green Jacuzzi will have you floating back to your room. The five treatment rooms offer spellbinding massages, facials and body treatments using marocMaroc products.
Packing Tips
Lightweight maxis and loose-fitting linens to show your respect to one of the holy cities of Islam (and the heat).
Also
The hotel was designed by French artist Christophe Pillet – bringing zellige pools and local stone cladding – but its hand-carved curved-arch façade is in keeping with the property’s prior use as the summer palace of French army general Marshall Lyautey.
Crianças
Extra beds can be added to rooms for 700 MAD; a children's menu is available for in-restaurant and in-room dining.
Galeria
Food & Drink
Top Table
Whether you prefer to eat poolside or on your private terrace, the concierges will be happy to arrange a table to your liking.
Dress code
Go wild with colours and fabrics in the Jungle bar; refined in the Relais de Paris; or bell-sleeved and kaftan-clad for the Moroccan-spirited Amaraz.
Hotel Restaurant
With two restaurants, rooftop tapas, an open-air wine lounge with fireplace and a marble-clad bar under the arches, there’s little reason to leave the hotel in search of dinner. Amaraz’s city-lights view and luth player create a relaxed atmosphere. There are plenty of international options for pickier patrons, but we’d recommend the ‘flavours of Morocco’ menu – sample delicate tchicha, traditional harira or crisp pastries. Relais de Paris appeals to lovers of Parisian brasserie dishes (the steak frites is a staple). Sunday brunch is also served here, and comes with a recommended pairing of local rosé – which seems sensible. Breathtaking views will bring you to the Jungle bar where you can pair fruity glasses of sangria with Moroccan tapas.
Hotel Bar
The hotel’s rooftop Jungle bar is golden-hour glow on steroids; bartenders will conjure up a jug of sangria while you take in the spellbinding African sunset. The adjacent Lyautey lounge is great for fire-side wine tasting. The poolside marble-clad Arcades is a Fez institution under the hotel’s arched façade, with city views and a stand-out Jasmin Mojito.
Last Orders
Breakfast is available from 7–10.30am, lunch and brunch from 12 noon–4pm, and dinner finishes up at 11pm. Arcades bar and Jungle bar are open until late.
Room Service
A separate room service menu is available until 1am featuring moroccan salads, beef tagine and chicken nuggets for the little ones.
Planes
Fez’s airport is half an hour from the hotel, and welcomes flights from a handful of European cities including Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona and Rome. Contact the hotel directly to book transfers.
Trains
It’s six minutes by car to the Sahrai from Fez station, where you can link easily with Marrakech, Tangier and Casablanca.
Automobiles
With a medina that’s pedestrian-only and pollution-free, you might opt to do without wheels. That said, the Sahrai does offer private parking, and if you’re looking to hike the Middle Atlas Mountains, a car will come in handy for reaching the start of the remotest trails.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The staff at the Sahrai can abracadabra you to an array of local experiences including cooking classes, drum-making workshops and handcrafting inside Fez’s famous tanneries. Fez’s medina is certainly worth a visit – its car-free labyrinth of streets feature 12th-century architecture and exceptional eateries. Survey the souks or relish in the cooling walls of a café while sipping on a fresh mint tea. Those with a spirit for adventure might head to the Middle Atlas Mountains to explore the hiking trails, cedar forests and views across the desert, stopping at a rural mountain village – Azrou or Imouzzer Kandar are good options – for a local tagine lunch cooked over charcoal. Slightly further afield is Ifrane – Morocco's little Switzerland – designed to remind French settlers of home; or spa town Moulay Yacoub where you can spend the day in thermal baths, dipping in and out for a massage or three.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
