Blue Gate

Amazing place. Highlight of our Morocco trip. Even though all Moroccan hotels label themselves as riad, they are actually dars (lacking a tree or courtyad garden). This is a true riad featuring a sky high orange tree and a fountain right in the middle of courtyard. The whole place was beautifully decorated and each room was personalized. The hosts were the nicest. They made sure to put a crib in the room, even though I forgot to ask. They bent over backwards to meet our every request. The breakfast was amazing and their lunch was one of our best meals in Morocco. Their in-hotel hamam and massage service was also extremely reasonably priced and great. Overall, it's a gem of place and you won't regret staying here.

The property is beautiful. It's a sprawling resort with areas outdoors in the woods near a cascading springs that I enjoyed sitting at. I liked the lobby, the swimming pools and the exercise room. Checking in was easy. You're sat in the very nice lobby and you're greeted with a nice apple lemon ginger juice while the check in is proceeding. The staff is very nice, attentive and professional. The room is very nice, nicely decorated and the linen is crispy clean white cotton. The appetizers in the lobby were very good. But the drinks are crazy expensive. There were a few glitches: my minibar was empty. This is an expensive hotel. When I brought this issue to the management, they offered to fill it. But it did seem to me as if they were cutting corners. Also, my room was dark. The lighting was dim and not enough to read. It was a room to just retire to and go to bed and watch TV. It's unpleasant to not have enough light in a room, especially if you want to read. In the daytime, the room tends to be dark in the part away from the window. When I brought this matter to the management, they offered to upgrade me to a suite. However, the sitting room in the suite was even darker while the bedroom was brighter. I thus declined the upgrade. The lobby is very nice but it too needs a bit more lighting in some spots. I had to look for a corner with enough light to read the menu and see my food. The drinks are crazy expensive. But overall a very nice stay.

This is one of the highlights of our two-week trip to Morocco, and overall one of our favorite hotels we have ever stayed in. The staff was truly incredible, even by Moroccan standards (the Moroccan hospitality is unparalleled and we became accustomed to incredible welcoming service and attentive service throughout, but the Palais Amani team were on another level.) Nothing was out of the question if we asked, and they knew who we were from the very first day and always checked in to see how we were doing. We enjoyed 4 days here and would have loved even more time, from doing a spa package (pampering paradise for two), to lunch in the courtyard or on the roof, to evening drinks before dinner, to just sitting enjoying views over Fes from the rooftop. A truly beautiful hotel and memorable stay, we would (and already have!) recommend it to anyone going to Morocco in the future.