Palais Faraj Suites & Spa in Fes

We went for lunch on tge patio. Food was not good, cold meat was undercooked. When we said that the food was not ok, we wete treated very rudely, told food was fine and that it was cold as the kitchen was upstairs. And we just had to pay, even when we did mot eat it as we wete afraid to get sick from the still raw kebab. Second photo shows what was called a small salad.

Good location, beautiful building. terrible food, no shower only bathtub, no WiFi. There is a lot of noise at night. Not a good rest. This is not luxury is just expensive.

When researching where to stay in Fes, we were consistently told that the two best hotels were Palais Faraj Fes and Riad Fes. We chose Palais Faraj and stayed two nights, Friday February 6 and Saturday February 7, 2026. The hotel itself is in good condition. The infrastructure is solid and the property is well maintained. Unfortunately, our experience in Fes was significantly undermined by the tour guide recommended by the hotel, Fuad. From the start, the tour felt orchestrated around shops of his choosing. He repeatedly refused to stop at stores we specifically asked to visit in the medina, claiming that doing so would cause mosques to close or that we did not have time. We trusted his explanations, only to later realize that he exclusively took us to shops under pretexts such as “a women’s cooperative” or “the oldest leather tannery in the world,” which were clearly places where he appeared to receive commissions. When we asked again about visiting other stores, he abruptly stated that our time was up. Beyond this, his behavior crossed professional boundaries. He repeatedly called me “Muhammed,” saying I looked Moroccan, and made frequent comments to my wife about her appearance every time he took a photo. This was uncomfortable and inappropriate. The most serious issue occurred upon returning to the hotel. Despite us explaining in advance that we intended to pay the guide fee through the hotel by credit card, as we did not carry much cash, he aggressively demanded cash payment. He physically blocked the car outside the hotel and refused to accept any other option. When I suggested we go inside to clarify the hotel’s policy, he followed us in, raised his voice, and began arguing with the receptionist in Arabic. The front desk staff appeared intimidated and, rather than intervening or clarifying policy, told us it was better to pay him immediately. We felt pressured and uncomfortable and paid simply to end the situation. This entire interaction was extremely unpleasant. What made it worse was the lack of support from the hotel staff. Instead of protecting guests from an aggressive third party they had recommended, the staff deferred to him. We asked to speak with a manager, but none was available Saturday evening, and on Sunday there was no follow-up or call to address our complaint. Given that Palais Faraj is one of the most expensive hotels in Fes, we expected a far higher standard of service, guest protection, and accountability for vendors they recommend. Unfortunately, this experience became the dark spot of an otherwise beautiful trip to Morocco. By contrast, we had excellent experiences at Royal Mansour in Marrakech, Four Seasons in Casablanca, and Azalai Desert Camp in the Sahara, which made the shortcomings here even more noticeable.