Hotel Palais Jamai Fes

Our family (incl. wee ones) loved this place. We had the balcony doors open the whole stay so we could gaze at the fabulous grounds or hear the calls to prayer as we overlooked the medina. The location was excellent. Breakfasts were wonderful. Hotel hospitality was warm and professional. We had a suite and that gave us all room to relax. The only minor prob was the pool wasn't great for the 4 yr old to swim in as it had no shallow end. But that turned out not a big prob. She loved the rose garden and the fancy elevator. The hotel is just gorgeous & always smelled heavenly. We'd gladly stay here again.

I see this hotel gets mixed reviews from TripAdvisorists and I cannot imagine why. This is a world-class, five-star hotel all the way--an awesome hotel in an awesome location.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by hot towels and a plate of cookies, to keep us amused until the check-in and passport check were completed. Then we went to our room, which was perfectly lovely: spacious, beautifully done, with a balcony overlooking the Medina. We had our own orange tree only a few feet from the balcony.

The hotel itself is stunning and the grounds beyond belief. There is the terrace area, where you can dine outdoors, the pool area just below and the garden area a level below that. We could sit for hours amid the beauty of the Andalusian-style gardens.

We found the food wonderful in both the Moroccan and the international dining rooms, the service impeccable, and the location (just inside the walls of the Medina) perfect. I think anyone who doesn't find this hotel world-class has something missing in their lives.

Un hotel de ce prix devrait revoir sa procédure en matière de stockage des bagages avant votre départ.

Nos valises sont restées 2 heures dans le hall de l'hotel sur un portique sans être dirigées vers la bagagerie !

Résultat : vol de 20 euros !

Compassion nulle de la part du responsable sécurité !

Aucune excuse !

Même si la somme est modique, c'est inadmissible !

Acceuil général limite, peu aimable.

Service au petit déjeuner égal à un club hotel. Sans plus !

J'ai connu mieux chez Sofitel.

I just got back from my 10th visit to Fes since 1969, although my first since Sofitel has taken over the historic Palais Jamai. It's a gorgeous hotel, of course, but the once charming and gracious service is long gone and it is definitely not what it used to be. In short, the magic has evaporated and the specialness has been replaced by something approaching sanitized Stepfordness. Unfortunately, there isn't anywhere better in Fes to stay yet. I wrote up a long review of this hotel and my stay in Fes at my travel blog, AroundTheWorldBlog (which is on blogspot). But the long and short of it is that this place is idiotically over-priced and where everything was once "excellent," it is now just "OK," with a lot of emphasis on being all things to all (rich) people. Hopefully next time I go back to Fes, Marrakech's hugely successful riad trend will have taken root.

This hotel was decorated very nicely inside and out and we would have fully enjoyed our stay except for the service. We checked in and were advised that we had to attend an obligatory Christmas dinner for $95 per person. We had no notice of this before and do not even celebrate Christmas. The staff and the desk were very rude and kept telling us that we should have known of this obligatory meal and would be charged. After much bantering back and forth, a man came out who said he was the manager. He told us that the charge would be removed. When we checked out, the charge for the dinner was still there and we had to go through the entire argument again with several people. In the end, we did not pay the charge but our experience at this hotel was not very pleasant because of this incident.

As part of our trip to Morocco we visited Fez. At first we were positively surprised by this hotel, which was originally built as a palace. Its well locates, the pool and small garden area are nice and the rooms are nicely decorated, bright and clean. That's the good news. Here's the bad: there is some form of establishment next door where weddings and parties are celebrated. This establishment is not linked or associated to the hotel - so when they host a wedding - they will play live Moroccan music, really LOUD until 5 am!!! And if you are still up at five, you can enjoy the call to prayer from the Mosque located right opposite the hotel at 5:30! So no sleep. Furthermore, there is usually only one lady at the front desk who has to do everything - alone. Oh... and they wanted to charge us 14 euros for a small plate of cookies which only cost about 5 Euros at the massively overpriced Mamounia in Marrakech. If you have seen Marrkach - you may as well avoid Fez - there's not that much to see and you won't get much sleep if you're staying in this hotel!

Spent two nights in Fes, the 5th and 6th of September, and enjoyed my stay at the Palais Jamai. The grounds are lovely and the view of the old city can hardly be better. They had a bit of trouble with my reservation which surprized me as I made it through the Sofitel web site. Food in the hotel was first rate, if a bit expensive for Fez, and everything worked well. Lighting in the room was a bit less than ideal if you are trying to work but the AC was great even during the hotest part of the day and the water pressure in the shower was amazing. I would stay at this hotel again and as I expect to return to Fez no doubt will.

we visited hotel Palais Jamai in mid-January. it was a fabulous place. we had breakfast delivered every day to our room and it was spectacular. if it had been a bit warmer we would have eaten on our balcony. we faced a side garden and it was quiet and lovely. the staff speaks little english, but was extremely helpful. we had tea on the rooftop overlooking the medina in mid-afternoon and it was lovely.

our entire experience in Morocco was shaped by this wonderful beginning. we would recommend it to anyone looking for a spectacular room that more than meets every expectation you may have.

Josephine

My wife and I loved the Palais Jamai, which we visited in late February, a lovely time to be in Morocco. The only disconcerting notes were: 1) the predawn call to prayer from a nearby mosque that woke us each morning before we wished to awaken; 2) the boys from the neighborhood who would not take "no" for an answer when they hounded us to hire them to see the medina; 3) the ubiquitous cigarette smoke in the restaurants. One does miss no-smoking rules in much of the USA. Without being a cultural imperialist, one does wish for a certain sensitivity toward the nonsmoker, especialy one with asthma.

My wife enjoyed shopping at the hotel's boutique, run by a charming woman of Sephardic Jewish background. We both enjoyed discussing Moroccan history with her. We equally enjoyed the gardens, especially at night, and the hotel's central location. Service was attentive without being fawning. Would we return? Yes.

Compared to the dreadful La Mamounia, this place is a vast improvment as far as luxury hotels go. Nice pool, friendly staff and great views from the rooms