Four-star One MICHELIN Key Fes el Bali, Fes
Riad Laaroussa
A seventeenth-century house in the medina of Fes, restored around a courtyard of citrus trees and a fountain. Thirteen rooms, each with a wood fire, and a heated pool below the roof terrace.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- MICHELIN
- One Key
- Rooms
- 13: five suites and eight doubles
- Building
- Seventeenth century
- From the airport
- About 30 minutes from Fès-Saïss
The hotel
A palace annexe in the old medina.
The house dates from the seventeenth century. It was once part of the annexe to the Mnebhi palace, then a Koranic school, then the home of an Italian family, the Larussa, whose name it keeps. By the time two French partners found it, the building stood empty. They restored it room by room, keeping the arches, the tilework and the calligraphy.
Fes el Bali is a walled city of lanes too narrow for cars, and the riad sits between Bab Boujeloud and the Qaraouiyine. Taxis stop at a gate and someone from the house walks you in. Inside, citrus trees shade the courtyard, and lanterns light it after dark. The roof terrace looks across the whole medina, and dinner is served for guests only.
- The hammam Carrara marble and tadelakt plaster, with black soap scrubs and massages with essential oils.
- A pool in the medina A heated, open-air pool, something few houses inside the old walls have.
- The roof A terrace bar with a view over the whole old city, warmed by heaters in the cooler months.
Rooms & suites
Thirteen rooms, thirteen colours.
Each room has its own colour, with traditional tiles, calligraphy, arches and a wood-burning fireplace. Steep stairs lead to the upper floors.
- Ground floor Orange and Green Suites The two largest suites, sleeping three or four, and the ones the riad suggests for guests who prefer to avoid stairs.
- Suites Cream and Terrace Suites Two more of the five suites; the Cream Suite takes an extra bed.
- Doubles Eight double rooms Named for colours and people, from the Blue and Red Rooms to Nadim and Ghizlane.
Dining
Dinner at home in the medina.
Dining as described by the MICHELIN Guide and i-escape. Shown for information.
- The restaurant Mediterranean, with Moroccan classics A set menu at lunch and dinner, for guests
- Rooftop bar Drinks Indoor and outdoor seats over the medina
- Breakfast Served where you like In the courtyard, the dining room, your room or on the roof
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Cars cannot enter the medina. Taxis stop at Bab Boujeloud or Ain Azleten, where the riad meets you.
- Children All ages welcome. Cots and babysitting can be arranged, and extra beds fit in two of the suites.
- Pets Not accepted.
- Stairs The upper rooms are reached by steep steps. Ask for a ground-floor suite if that matters.
Getting there
Flying to Fes.
Fès-Saïss airport is about 20 kilometres south, roughly 30 minutes by car to the medina gate by our estimate. Private jets land at the same airport, which is open day and night, and the riad can send a car.
- Madrid 1 h 20
- Geneva 2 h 30
- Paris 2 h 40
- London 2 h 55
- Dubai 8 h 00 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- How many MICHELIN Keys does Riad Laaroussa have?
- One. The MICHELIN Guide lists Riad Laaroussa with one Key.
- Can a car reach Riad Laaroussa?
- No. The medina lanes are closed to cars, so taxis stop at Bab Boujeloud or Ain Azleten and staff from the riad walk you in.
- Does Riad Laaroussa have a pool?
- Yes, a heated open-air pool, along with a hammam in marble and tadelakt.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Fes?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Fes, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Fes
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Riad Fès A Relais & Châteaux house with a MICHELIN Key, owned by a Moroccan architect, with a pool, a hammam and a restaurant across three dining rooms.
- Hotel Sahrai Fifty rooms and a suite designed by Christophe Pillet, on a hill between the old and new towns, with an infinity pool and a Givenchy spa.
- Palais Faraj Suites & Spa Thirty-one suites on a hillside at the rim of the old city, several looking straight down over its roofs.
- Karawan Riad Seven suites in a seventeenth-century harem palace that took a decade to restore, with a French-Fassi kitchen and a MICHELIN Key.
Staying at Riad Laaroussa?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Fes, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.