So it turns out that Ikuko and Livingston have the same experience and end up in another hotel in the Nouvelle Ville having been told that it is not safe to go to the medina at night also. Hilda looks up on Internet stories about guide scams in Fez, which describe unofficial guides taking you to shops where you can get fleeced because they jack the prices up. We decide Abdel's offer, which might have been fine is too risky and plan to get out early and take a cab over to the medina or the "old city."
This a wonderful plan because the Dar Seffarine which is where we were supposed to stay is an amazing place - a classic example of a dar or a house with an inner courtyard. (By contrast a riad has an inner garden or even a fountain. ) We leave the Perla Hotel at 7:30 and Manour the concierge laughs when we come down the stairs because he knows we are trying to avoid the "unofficial" tour guide. We thank him and pay him for the night, ask him to give Abdel our apologies, but "we are meeting our friends," and we grab a cab. To the medina it is a 20 minute drive by a highway from the Nouvelle Ville, newer city to what emerges as an ancient walled area the "old city." It becomes obvious when we are dropped off why this would have been dangerous last night. The driver waves us in the general direction toward the entrance of the medina gate. No cabs go beyond here and it is obvious once in that this is not Rabat, but a winding twisting narrow, often very dark and labyrinthine place. It is 3x the size of the Rabat market. Our guide later tells us that there are more than 9000 little streets and alleys. When asked if there are maps he shakes his head and says, "tentative."
Hilda and I step in and are immediately confused. The street signs appear to be all in Arabic.
I hand the address to a man in a shop and he says "come, follow," in French. He walks at a clip and the pavement, if you want to call it that, is uneven, pitted, often dotted with what we will later learn is donkey poop. He makes several twists and turns and then goes down an extremely dark alleyway.
I balk and ask, "C'est loin." Is it far? He shakes his head, "no" and sure enough we turn a corner and he stops in front of a large wooden door looking unpromising, but which says 14 Derb Soubayat - the address for the Dar Seffarine. But there is no sign - no indication that this is a hotel.
He knocks. No answer. It is 8:00 am. I begin to wonder if this is a mistake. It is dark and creepy. He knocks again and then gives up and says, good-bye. I try to give him a few dirham and he refuses. I thought he was just being generous, but Hilda told me later she thought he was insulted because I only offered him 5 dh.
We stand there alone for a few more minutes and look at each other and then the door buzzes, we push it open and we walk into entire other world.
A calm serene space with a towering center courtyard, crenelated cedar panels, intricate lamps which cast beautiful shadows.
We have entered paradise. A slight handsome young man walks through and says hello. He wears modern dress and acts as if it's normal that we are there. We sit on the cushioned couches just to wait and eventually our companions awake.
We are introduced to the man, Mohammed, the manager and he shows us to our room, which is exquisite and luxurious and simple all at once.
We are invited up to breakfast on the terrace, up several winding narrow staircase all lined with mosaic to a airy room with a long table where we have breads and tea and marmalade and hard boiled eggs and strawberries. The bounty is endless. Not to mention an incredible view of the city below.
There is a lovely expat couple with us celebrating their birthdays and a Japanese woman. We plan to have dinner together and then head down stairs to meet Idris our guide for the day. This is a whole other chapter....shopping in the medina!
This a wonderful plan because the Dar Seffarine which is where we were supposed to stay is an amazing place - a classic example of a dar or a house with an inner courtyard. (By contrast a riad has an inner garden or even a fountain. ) We leave the Perla Hotel at 7:30 and Manour the concierge laughs when we come down the stairs because he knows we are trying to avoid the "unofficial" tour guide. We thank him and pay him for the night, ask him to give Abdel our apologies, but "we are meeting our friends," and we grab a cab. To the medina it is a 20 minute drive by a highway from the Nouvelle Ville, newer city to what emerges as an ancient walled area the "old city." It becomes obvious when we are dropped off why this would have been dangerous last night. The driver waves us in the general direction toward the entrance of the medina gate. No cabs go beyond here and it is obvious once in that this is not Rabat, but a winding twisting narrow, often very dark and labyrinthine place. It is 3x the size of the Rabat market. Our guide later tells us that there are more than 9000 little streets and alleys. When asked if there are maps he shakes his head and says, "tentative."
Hilda and I step in and are immediately confused. The street signs appear to be all in Arabic.
I hand the address to a man in a shop and he says "come, follow," in French. He walks at a clip and the pavement, if you want to call it that, is uneven, pitted, often dotted with what we will later learn is donkey poop. He makes several twists and turns and then goes down an extremely dark alleyway.
I balk and ask, "C'est loin." Is it far? He shakes his head, "no" and sure enough we turn a corner and he stops in front of a large wooden door looking unpromising, but which says 14 Derb Soubayat - the address for the Dar Seffarine. But there is no sign - no indication that this is a hotel.
He knocks. No answer. It is 8:00 am. I begin to wonder if this is a mistake. It is dark and creepy. He knocks again and then gives up and says, good-bye. I try to give him a few dirham and he refuses. I thought he was just being generous, but Hilda told me later she thought he was insulted because I only offered him 5 dh.
We stand there alone for a few more minutes and look at each other and then the door buzzes, we push it open and we walk into entire other world.
A calm serene space with a towering center courtyard, crenelated cedar panels, intricate lamps which cast beautiful shadows.
Hilda at 8:00 am walking into the Dar Seffarine
We have entered paradise. A slight handsome young man walks through and says hello. He wears modern dress and acts as if it's normal that we are there. We sit on the cushioned couches just to wait and eventually our companions awake.
We are introduced to the man, Mohammed, the manager and he shows us to our room, which is exquisite and luxurious and simple all at once.
The dining room on the roof of the Dar Seffarine
Fez medina morning from the rooftop
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