Your day at the Palais Jamai will likely begin (alarmingly early) with the plaintive cry of the Muezzin, or Muslim call-to-prayer, emanating from the many nearby mosques in the medina, or more properly, the historic core of the ancient imperial city of Fes. Built in 1879, (or 1883, depending on what you read) as the palace of the Grand Vizier, the Palais Jamai has been expanded considerably over the years. The old palace has been joined by a newer wing, which houses nearly all of the guest rooms. The new building is just as pink as its elder sister and takes its architectural cues from the older sibling as well. Whatever degree of success that blending the two has brought remains debatable, but the place has charm laid on with a trowel.

Lobby
Reception is in a lovely sitting room with elaborate tile and mosaics. Recent renovations have swept away the klunky, overstuffed furniture that truly suggested the proverbial "Elephant in the living room". The furniture is an eclectic mix of French and Berber styles. One has only to imagine veiled ladies bearing silver salvers of sweets and dates. The old palace was converted into a hotel in 1930. I would normally urge you to request a room in the older wing, but these have largely been converted into meeting rooms, except for the Royal Suite. Its charms are manifold, but I did not get to see much of it, as it was occupied during our stay.

Rooms
Handsomely appointed rooms incorporate modern themed touches like big, very elaborate headboards. Most of the rooms in the newer section have balconies that overlook the immaculate grounds and pool.

Baths are very large and have bathrobes and other nice amenities. They are of fairly standard size, but all have the same good amenities. There is more elaborate tile-work in the baths as well.

Dining
The Moroccan dining room , Al Fassia, is actually in the old palace itself. To have dinner here is to re-live something out of Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra. The room is truly sumptuous. One reclines on low cushions and awaits a parade of delights brought by servers in Moroccan costumes of great color and imagination. Roast pigeon with figs and olives and a host of elaborate preparations find their way to your table. Strolling musicians play traditional Berber pipes. Dinner here will easily take three hours or more, but will be worth the time and all of the dirhams it will cost you--right down to the last jade cup of ginger coffee.
Breakfast is served in the Restaurant L'Oliveraie, a far more conventional dining room. With its terrace flowing down into the pool and gardens, it is certainly dreamy enough. The morning buffet is rather more extensive than one might expect in a hotel of such French influence.
Restaurant Al Jounaina is a fairly formal and staid French dining room with the elaborate service one might expect. The menu is classic French cooking and, rather stodgy.
Bar Al Mandar is another gorgeous room with delicate tile work. Musical entertainment is usually offered in the evenings. One night, we were befriended by the degenerate young English pianist there. He spirited us away to his tumbledown palace of sorts in the old city. A veritable harem appeared and the party got into full swing. When we saw the lovely ladies dropping tablets into people's drinks, it was clearly time to get back to the hotel!!

Pool/Recreation
The pool terrace is as lush and inviting a Garden of Allah as you could wish for. The pool has more of those beautiful tiles, and there is a marble hammam, or steam room there as well. In the event that you still have not found enough to do, there are clay tennis courts and tennis instructors to go with them. Still bored? Massages can be arranged for a huge fee.

Shopping/Sightseeing
Being right on the edge of the medina (or Old City), is a terrific advantage of this place. Even if you are not an adventurous type, you may want to hire a guide to take you through the winding, narrow and mysterious alleyways. Do yourself a favor and avoid "Momo", our estimable guide, hired through the Concierge desk. An engaging fellow at first, he soon began a rapid-fire tour of various emporia (admittedly, most were of a relatively high standard of quality). He soon grew weary of my father's stern, Yankee resistance to sales pitches of any kind. After several store visits without purchases on our part, his charming manner soured dramatically. Finally sated by our purchase of three striking djellabas (the traditional striped robe most Moroccan men wear), he hustled us back to the hotel and left us in the lobby as he went in search of greater kick-backs.
To wander around the medina is a feast of sights and smells. Speaking of smells, the old tannery is a remarkable sight--as long as you hold your nose.
The great morning of carpet shopping was something equaled only by a similar experience in Istanbul. It can best be described as three hours in a carpet shop with more sickeningly sweet tea than any human could ever drink. After several scenes in which we got disgusted and walked out of the store, we were dragged back in by the heels. These exertions paid off for them with our purchase of two, rather modest, rugs. They are interesting pieces (Moroccan rugs are really more "weavings", than proper rugs in the Persian sense), but we still probably paid too much for them. Use great caution with these merchants!


Recommended: Yes