Marrakech
and Tangier have long shared double billing as Morocco’s most alluring cities.
In contrast, Fez, the country’s intellectual and spiritual capital, has always
been respectfully admired for its architecture and its authenticity. Classified
as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981, it’s a reserved but fascinating town
that has been ambivalent about courting tourism — and until recently, has never
had an opulent luxury hotel akin to Marrakech’s famed La Mamounia.
Now that
has changed, with the opening of the 50-room Hotel Sahrai overlooking the
medina, the beehive-like quarter that is the largest surviving traditional
urban neighborhood in Morocco. In deference to local sensibilities, however,
the Paris-based interior designer Christophe Pillet, one of France’s rising
young talents, designed the hilltop hotel to be discreet and respectful of
local aesthetics. The visual richness of the Sahrai comes from the sumptuous
quality of the raw materials used to build the hotel and a respect for the
principles of classical Arabic domestic architecture, especially the zones of
light and shadow created by atria and arcades.
Pillet’s
décor speaks to Morocco’s rich craft tradition with its handmade leather
headboards, copper-framed lanterns and hand-painted Fassi ceramics, but
otherwise projects serenity with its walls of biscuit-colored Taza stone and
hand-carved plaster wall coverings. There are stunning views of Fez and the
Atlas mountains from the teak deck around the outdoor pool, rooftop bar and
lounge bar, where there’s often a live D.J. at night. The Givenchy spa offers traditional
Moroccan and European treatments, and the hotel has two restaurants: the Relaisde Paris, which has become popular with the local expat community for its
diverse continental menu, and Amaraz, a gourmet Moroccan eatery. If the Sahrai
looks set to be a game-changer for Fez, what many locals appreciate most is
that it offers a witty riff on history rather than ignoring it.
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