Riad Fes - Relais & Chateaux

Riad Fes knits together several old Fassi houses inside the walls of Fes el Bali, the ninth-century medina that remains the largest car-free urban area in the world. Rooms open onto a sequence of courtyards, the most photographed of which pairs a dark reflecting pool with soaring white arcades and stained glass. Interiors mix Andalusian plasterwork and Fassi tile with a restrained contemporary hand.

The rooftop terrace is the hotel's signature: a long bar and dining deck with the medina's tanneries, minarets and satellite dishes spread out below, and the Middle Atlas foothills behind. Sunset here, with a glass of Moroccan wine, is the reason many guests book.

A hammam and spa handle the recovery side after long days in the souks, and the kitchen leans on Fassi cooking, a heavier and more perfumed tradition than Marrakech's. The hotel arranges guides for the medina, which is genuinely difficult to navigate alone.