Having only been in Morocco for a few days, this was our first of many stays at a Riad, and this one, by far, was the best. Historically, in an effort to hide the presence of wealth, Riads were built to be very nondescript from the outside, but passing through a series of doors leads you to a pristine and beautiful courtyard that is the centerpiece of a traditional home. For westerners, the closest equivalent would be a bed and breakfast, but that description doesn't quite do this justice...

Walking down a narrow passageway in the medina, between high earthen walls you arrive at a door. There are no other windows to the outside world, and no indications of what lies within. We are greeted at the door by our host, Kasim and led through the first door into a small greeting room. Passing through the second door and turning to the right, we are led into a beautiful, sunlit courtyard, elegantly tiled and lushly decorated, with a central fountain. As is common everywhere you go in Morocco, guests are greeted with (totally awesome) mint tea and some conversation.

Narrow, winding staircases take you up to the upper levels of the riad where the guest rooms are located. All of the rooms face into the courtyard and the only windows point inward Continued climbing takes you to the roof, where you are met with an excellent view of the city and a multitude of satellite dish antennas that are mainstays of rooftop views all across the country.

Within the walls, all is quiet and cool; a pleasant reprieve after the hustle and bustle of the medina. Our room ran the length of the courtyard (read as HUGE) with open air windows that faced the interior. The bed fits about 16-43 people (an estimate, we didn't really put it to the test) and the room has all the amenities one will need including cable TV, speedy wifi, A/C, hot water.... When you close the shutters on the windows, don't plan on seeing anything until you open them again. Without the lights, the room is pitch black and silent, perfect for sleeping. If you don't set an alarm, you might just sleep for several days, and within these walls, that is NOT a bad thing.

After a long day on the road, we opted to have dinner in the riad, as opposed to going out and it may have been one of our smartest decisions ever. The in-house chef, Fatia whipped up a lamb and prune tagine that I still find myself dreaming about weeks after being there, and I'm not a particularly huge fan of lamb. All meals are served in the courtyard, at quaint tables surrounding the fountain. Even with other guests eating close by, the fountain allows for private conversation without whispering. The staff provides excellent service with the kind of personalized attention that makes you feel more like a guest in someone's home.

If you are staying in Fes, Riad Ahlam is the perfect place. The staff are friendly and accommodating; excellent hosts, and the riad itself is exceptional beyond words. I highly recommend it!

We had a wonderful time at Riad Ahlam for the 2 nights we were in Fes. The friendliness, decor and food were all amazing. The location of the Riad is very convenient to the markets and walking distance to many of the sites. We had one of the larger rooms and enjoyed the room. The a/c was nice on a few of the hotter days. We had dinner at the riad one night, and it was one of the better dinners we had on the trip.
The manager treated us like family and went out of his way to make arrangements for us to do the things we wanted, hired a guide for us one afternoon, and made sure we were taken care of.
We would definitely recommend this riad, and also would stay there again.

Our heartfelt thanks to Kassem and the staff at the Riad Ahlam for making our visit to Fez so memorable and comfortable (and our apologies if we misspell anyone’s name). Our visit started with a late night (midnight) arrival on a flight from Northern Europe but we experienced no safety concerns. We had asked Kassem to arrange ground transportation from the airport, and when we arrived a Petit Taxi driver was waiting for us with a sign in hand. Once parked nearby, the taxi driver escorted us to the Riad door.
We were greeted by Omar the night time attendant, who dispensed of all registration formality, making our comfort the priority and escorting us immediately to our beautiful room for a great night’s sleep.
In the morning we met Kassem who greeted us warmly, efficiently completed our registration and assisted with our inquiries to commence our first day of sight seeing. It is sometimes difficult when you are on vacation to distinguish whether the people are friendly because they have to be, or because they genuinely are. It was not difficult at all here. We felt we were getting the real deal with Kassem and the entire staff.
JoeR674 commented on Fatiya's "infectious smile and contagious laughter" and he was not exaggerating a bit. We never once saw her without that smile, making sure we were enjoying ourselves, and every breakfast was a delicious feast. She also prepared a delicious lamb and prune tagine for us on our final evening, which was by far, the best meal we had in Morocco. Raja was equally cheery and worked hard keeping the riad and our room spotless so that we fully enjoyed its beauty and the wonderful reprieve provided from our busy days exploring Fez. I realize that in each case I have mentioned the smile. It is hard not to notice that each person seems to actually enjoy the fact that you are there at their Riad, and they want to make sure that your visit was everything that you hoped it would be. I think it is fair to say that they deliver on every aspect of service, comfort, location and value. In addition to the great service and value provided at Riad Ahlam Kassem arranged for a tour guide to show us around the Medina in particular, and Fez in general. We were guided by Khalid who we found to be so knowledgeable, informative and very personable. We gained more spiritual, cultural, and historical insight into Fez and its people from Khalid than we have from any guides we have engaged in our previous travels anywhere. Our tour included a visit to the largest tannery where we met Dahak who conducted the tour of the facilities and the process. Dahak let us know that he was going to try to sell us something, but we never did feel pressured to do so. All fascinating and very valued memories and a very unique destination.
The Riad Ahlam was a truly wonderful and magical place to stay and visit. We had a wonderful vacation due in no small part to the wonderful staff of the Riad. Thanks so much Kassem and Ahlam staff and Khalid for making it such a memorable vacation.

This is the most unique, beautiful, friendly, helpful and courteous establishment that we’ve ever stayed at. We were pampered every day in every way.

The staff, Kacem (Manager Par Excellence), Fatia with her infectious smile and contagious laughter was the Best Cook and most bubbly personality Anywhere. We wanted to take her home with us. Rajae is a super nice person and Omar was extremely helpful and always there to assist. Together they are beyond Outstanding. They are truly one of a kind!

We were not treated as customers, we were treated as Family. This is the best hotel/Riad experience we’ve ever had and would recommend this establishment ahead of all others anywhere in the world.

This Riad was absolutely beautiful and very large compared to others we stayed in, and had a superb rooftop view of this magnificent city, which is the jewel of Morocco. The main gate to the old city is only five minutes walk away. The service by manager Kacem was gracious and very helpful. We had dinner one night and the cooking was incredible. They have a good breakfast, welcoming tea at arrival, wifi everywhere + rooms. . Overall an excellent experience. Highly recommended – if fact, it you are staying in Fes or anywhere around Fes, this is the ONLY place to stay!

The location is well situated at edge of old medina and very easy to find in an otherwise congested old medina. The Riad is just off a public parking area next to the center of the long souk street. Very convenient to say the least.
Rooms were very well decorated, clean and hygienic contained all of the modern amenities, yet kept it’s old world charm. Bathrooms were also super clean with old Arabian style showers. Staff was incredibly friendly especially Fatia and Omar and the lady by the name of Rajae.

We spent nearly 3 weeks in Morocco, visiting Rabat, Fes, Meknes, Marrakesh, the l’Ourika valley, and Essaouria and by FAR, this was the highlight of our stay. Out of 5 stars, this staff makes it a 10 Star - Can’t wait to go back, which we will definitely do!