Our guest reviews

Great place to stay. The staff was hospitable and helpful. Upon arrival they gave us a snack and some hot mint tea. Two girls traveling through Morocco. We felt safe and welcomed. Beautiful Riad, very close to everything. We walked everywhere. The Riad set up a nice private tour of their city. The breakfast they served at the Riad, was the best we had on our trip.

Very photogenic riad with pool and terrace to view the old medina

This Riad is extremely beautiful (picture-quality-while-in-Morocco beautiful) and our host was extremely kind and helpful. And it is also super close to everything that Fes has to offer!

Riad Layalina was the perfect place to stay in Fes. It’s on the edge of the Madina, with easy access to the city, airport and connections to elsewhere in Morocco. It was a quiet and peaceful spot to relax after enjoying the hustle and bustle of the Madina. The staff were excellent in accommodating us short notice. We extended our stay and even came back after visiting other places in Morocco. Would thoroughly recommend!

We drove in from Chefchaouen and were a bit spent from trying to fight with the gps, aggressive guys on scooters, and the overall traffic of the day, so when we were welcomed, asked to sit and brought water, tea, and a tomato and egg tajine before we were asked for any information, we felt so welcomed and relaxed. It was like nothing any of us had experienced in our previous travels. It was greatly appreciated and totally unexpected and endeared us to the riad and its staff immediately.

The rooms were comfortable with a chair, wardrobe and safe. Our bathroom was across the hall and was well outfitted. The beds were very comfortable and there were plenty of blankets. Our rooms were on the second and third floors, and looked over the courtyard and pool. There is a massive roof top deck that overlooks the medina and the city. The general courtyard area of the Riad around the fountain and pool is lovely. Its covered except for above the pool, and there are heaters if it gets too cold. The building is beautifully taken care of, and we appreciated that hallways and stairways have timed light switches so that they conserve electricity. This spot is really a lovely gem on the edge of the medina.

What made this stay exceptional was the staff. We can’t say enough about Saeed, Mohammed, Fatima and Monya. Saeed gave us an amazing welcome and provided us with a map of the medina and some sights to see. Fatima took great care of our rooms, managed a couple of last minute loads of laundry for us and helped us with our cooking lesson. Mohammed gave us directions on getting to the train station to meet the fourth member of our party and then hailed us a cab. He also took us shopping in the market to get meat, veggies, fruit, herbs and spices for our dinner (and gave us directions to things we wanted to see) and then he helped translate for us while Monya showed us how to make Tajine and Harira. It felt like one big family and like we had been welcomed into their home.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for creating such a great experience for us.

We received a warm welcome from Saeed on arrival and enjoyed a small hot meal and mint tea.

Our room was on the first floor and was well furnished with a huge, comfortable double bed and spare single bed. Plenty of wardrobe space and a spacious, well equipped bathroom.

We were there for four nights and had evening meals there twice. Our first meal was a delicious lamb tagine with prunes, almonds and caramelised onions… superb! Our meal on the third night was an ENORMOUS (and slightly alarming!) chicken tagine served with seven vegetables… overwhelming! Both meals were served with a very tasty starter of several freshly prepared salady bits and finished with a simple dessert of fresh fruits. It got chilly in the evening, but there were plenty of patio heaters to keep us warm.

The riad is ideally situated close to an entrance to the old medina and one of the busier and exciting cobbled, pedestrian only lanes. Watch out for the donkeys and men with hand carts… the only means of transport in this fascinating area!

We didn’t use the small swimming pool in the riad… too cold in April, but probably very refreshing in the summer months. Do make the effort to climb up to the riad’s rooftop terrace… great views over the medina and the surrounding area and particularly lovely as the sun goes down and the lights come on.

Saeed booked us a taxi which took us around the outside of the medina and city, stopping at the main sights and all the hilltops to enjoy great views… also a pottery factory and the tanneries. Very enjoyable and good value at 25 Euros for 2 and a half hours. On another day, we did the full day excursion to Volubilis, Moulay Idris and Meknes… again very good value at 80 Euros. I would highly recommend both these trips if you have time.

Thank you to all the staff at Riad Layalina for making our stay so comfortable and relaxing.

We stayed at this Riad in Fez on our honeymoon. It was as good,if not better than all the reviews.
The Riad is beautifully restored. The tiles and plaster and wood carving as good as any we saw elsewhere. We were welcomed by tea and cakes on our arrival. The taxi we booked through the Riad was a welcome site when it picked us up at the nice train station in Fez. (Unlike the temporary train station in Tanger.) It took us straight to the Riad and they carried our bags in for us
The trip to Morocco was our honeymoon, and one of my friends had rung them up and asked for a bottle of wine and some fruit to be put in the room. There was a huge bowel of fruit and a huge bowl of dates and a lovely bottle of red wine. And rose petals sprinkled about! And a note from Sarah.
when we stayed it was the unusual cold snap in early April and they has already put the heaters (which are also the air conditioners) on the in bedroom. Our room was beautiful and comfortable. The evening meal we had was excellent, with the staff putting on the patio heaters, as was breakfast. The patio area has a (very high)roof so we were able to sit out and enjoy the courtyard even when it rained. We were given a map of Fez and some guidance on haggling.
We were also given good recommendations for restaurants in the Medina for the night we ate out
The driver they arranged for us for our day out to Voulobilis and Meknes was great.
I try not to stay anywhere twice because there is always somewhere else to try, but if I go back to Fez I will definitely stay here again.

We were a group of 11 and we booked all the rooms so that we could have the riad for our personal use.

We were given a complimentary welcome meal which was one of the best meals we had in two weeks in Morocco. A tomato and egg dish. We scraped the bowls clean.
This was an impressive touch as usually it is a pot of tea that is brought out when checking into a riad.

There is a beautiful courtyard with a small pool where we could sit and relax and eat meals and a roof terrace with a view over the old medina with deck chairs where you can sit in the sun.

The staff were friendly, welcoming and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble.
They even managed to wash and dry 11 loads of laundry in less than 24 hours for us.

We also had a delicious dinner one night and they were happy to cater for 4 vegetarians in our group.

Location is good as it is just across the road from an entrance to the chaos of the medina.

IGNORE the negative comments in some of the reviews about narrow stairs or dark rooms. The building is very old and was built in the practical Moroccan style of that time. It is part of the charm of staying in an authentic Moroccan riad.
If you want light, bright and modern, then a modern hotel in the new part of town is probably better for you.

This was our favorite riad in Morocco. The staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the riad was beautiful and had a beautiful view of the old Medina. Highly recommended!

Staying at Riad Layalina was a highlight of Fes! We’re seasoned AirBnB-ers and this was some of the best hospitality we’ve ever experienced. From the delicious meal at check-in to buying bus tickets and actually walking us to the bus station to ordering a pizza for us on a rainy night, we felt completely taken care of. To top it off, the location is absolutely ideal for exploring the city–it’s really nice to be just outside of the bustle of the medina! We cannot recommend Riad Layalina enough!