Palais Amani, Fez’s best kept secret and its activities

Palais Amani is a luxury restored art deco riad enviably located in Fez. Each room is different, from the classic rooms to the suite even if the arab-style stands out and this represents the beauty of this Palais.

The city of Fez is rich in history, traditions, gastronomy and culture.

In fact, Chouara Tannery is the most iconic place in Fez. It’s the oldest tannery in the world and it’s an amazing experience to see people operating as they did in the Medieval times. It could be striking to see that hard physical labour but it’s an authentic experience! The smell can be intense sometimes but while entering in one of the many shops with the rooftops overlooking the tannery you will find salesmen giving you some mint leaves in order to cover the smell. The only way to see the tanneries in action is by walking through one of the leather shops, each of which has a terrace with different views.

Fez en Bali

Fez el Bali is instead the old part of city and it’s easy to get lost in this car-free zone. This is due to the narrow alleys and twisting lanes (my fav spot is the Rainbow street). You can find traditional arts and crafts shops, from leather to copper, pretty cafés and vegetable and fruits markets. Wandering in the streets of Fez is like a mystery tour with many flavors and colors.

Anyway, the best restaurant is Eden at Palais Amani in my opinion.

Eden at Palais Amani

The restaurant Eden at Palais Amani pampered us from breakfast to dinner, passing through lunch, to residents and non-residents alike. Starting with the breakfast, you will find a selection of cold and hot beverages, egg dishes, fresh fruits, yogurt, nuts, moroccan bread, honey, confiture, olives, oils and the discovery of the day which is a typical moroccan dish different everyday.

We loved having breakfast with the view of the 600sq metre oasis courtyard and garden and the sound of the birds chirping. The peaceful atmosphere with olive and fruits trees and the soothing sound of the central fountain make you forget that you are wihin the ancient walls of Fez.

During lunch and dinner you can taste moroccan cuisine twisted with French flavours focused on local products with an a la carte menu. You will find beef, lamb and chicken tagines, soups and vegetables seasoned with local spices and different desserts.

Fez cooking class

Otherwise, Eden have recently introduced the “market Moroccan”, a new concept which consists of a weekly changing three-course menu. The amazing part of it is that it starts with a tour of the food souk where accompanied by the chef and the interpreter you can see how they choose the ingredients you will cook during the four-hour masterclass and you will taste some delicacies.

Early in the tour we stopped to taste a bowl of Bessara, a fava soup served with garlic olive oil, chili and cumin on the top. It’s a typical one-pot breakfast usually consumed by local people.

Later we went to take some spices used for making the tagine and in that shop you could smell and those authentic flavors. Then we had the chance to try Moroccan donuts, usually fried and then to dip in the butter and honey.. Not so healthy but the taste is delicious! Obviously served with mint tea.

We spent an hour wandering the vegetable market in order to buy aubergine, onion, garlic and other herbs. It’s private tour of the medina, it’s a great experience.

After that, we went in the rooftop of Palais Amani to cook our lunch with the locals and the chef. First of all, the chicken tagine.

We chopped the vegetables and the fresh coriander to form the casserole. We put the salt and lemon juice marinated chicken (for at least two hours), the chopped onion and the grated garlic in the pot, we pour in water, spices and salt, we cover and we start to cook. At the end of the cooking, we put also the olive oil to thicken the sauce. While the tagine continues its slowly cooking, we started to prepare the side dish made with aubergine and tomato called zaalouk. Of course we used lots of spices to cook, for example white pepper, grounded ginger, curcuma and saffron.

After the cooking, we eat our dishes on the rooftop under the sun and with 26 degrees it’s so cool!

This is absolutely the better experience we had abroad and let us know the city also as a food location. We saw spots that we couldn’t see otherwise and cooking was so funny! The Palais Amani is the perfect location for escaping the hustle and bustle of Fez.

A note of merit goes to the staff which was able to meet all our desires and was very welcome and friendly.

Not least, you can organize with the staff the private tour to Meknes or Chefchaouen, the blue pearl of Morocco. Click here to read more about my experience in this city.

Well, I surely recommend this hotel but if you need some tips, don’t hesitate to write in the comment below!