Manathai Khao Lak is the epitome of the modern Thai hotel, where natural materials, clean lines and minimalist design create a welcoming and stylish environment. When paired with gentle hospitality of the Thai people it makes for a relaxing experience. Set back from the road, and surrounded by lush tropical jungle on both sides, with a glorious expanse of golden beach at the back, the hotel feels like a peaceful idyll where every detail’s been thought of.
Just over an hour from Phuket international airport, you’re welcomed into the hotel via a huge, light-filled vaulted reception area, which draws on traditional Thai teak houses as well as the best of modern design. Iced towels and fresh juice set a opulent tone.
With 158 well equipped rooms, true luxury is to be found in the four exclusive pool villas. The crowning feature of these spacious private bungalows are their terraces, which have a small infinity pool, comfortable chairs and a huge porch swing with space enough for two. The rooms have complimentary (fast) wifi, and my villa had a desk which was comfortable to work at as well as a sofa and coffee table area for lounging, a king sized bed and a large flat screen TV with movie channels. I also loved the bathroom with rain shower, double basins and bath – and scented oil burner that housekeeping lit when they cleaned.
The hotel’s large pool looks out over the beach – if you prefer swimming in the sea it’s only a few steps further. A number of free activities are optional for guests, such as a Muay Thai taster. An exercise room and a kids club are also available, or book a Thai cooking class overlooking the pool – and then saunter a few paces to the bar for a Mojito while the sun sets. The food is all tasty enough not to need to leave the hotel, but the breakfast is particularly good – don’t miss the light and fluffy waffles, the noodle soup and the fresh baked goods.
From US$275 per night
– Great service and friendly staff
– Beautiful and well-maintained surroundings, both in the hotel rooms and the environment
– Luxuriously appointed rooms with every detail seen to (from gorgeous birdcage lamps to scented oil burners)
– If you want to get out and about, there’s not much to do in the area – the small town is 10-15 minutes away, but could be easily exhausted in a couple of visits.
Ellen Bard
Review Team
Down the Street of Seven Turns is Dar Seffarine, a great value boutique hotel in the Fès medina. The six-room hotel is in a real Moroccan neighbourhood — the oldest in the medina — and here you can get a taste of the communal life that makes Morocco what it is.
At Dar Seffarine you will, of course, have your own room and ensuite (they’re of various sizes, some are lovely and some are spectacular). And you’ll get the feeling of living in a house with others.
Breakfasts (included in rates) are communal and served in an enclosed rooftop breakfast room, in the garden or the dining room. I was introduced to a fruit I’d never met before — mzah, also called loquat or Japanese plum — delicious! Dinners (200 dirham or $20 U.S.) are also served communal style, so you can meet your fellow guests and share stories of good restaurants, phone numbers for the best guides, and the tidbit not to miss a visit to Moulay Indriss, about an hour away.
There’s a spectacular multi-tiered terrace with views of Fès’ soon-to-be-completed canal-side walkways and shops (think little Venice). If it gets too hot, Dar Seffarine has a shady garden on the ground floor, a rarity in Fès.
The building is gorgeous. You won’t be able to take your eyes off the painted woodwork. The restoration was beautifully done, exceptionally so in a city with a large number of beautiful restorations, and is architecturally accurate. The only thing added were bathrooms, and they were done with minimal changes to the original structure.
Rooms have all the necessities, but this is more home-style than hotel-style. You’ll not have a fridge or a safe in your room, nor will there be a room key. You can store valuables in the hotel safe if you wish. There is wifi in the common areas, and it stretches into some of the bedrooms. No need to worry about temperature — each room has both heat and air conditioning, with remote control.
My room had a desk near the huge windows overlooking the central courtyard, a sitting area with a divan and a gorgeous carved chair. The bedroom area was partially closed off by a beautiful wooden arch (with curtains). The floor was mosaic with several throw rugs.
From US$80 including breakfast and tax
– Gorgeous three-tired roof terrace with spectacular views of the medina, including the canal.
– Manager Mohammed was a delight.
– Great hotel for social people who want to meet other travellers.
– Morocco has such fragrant handmade natural soaps, I would have loved to have some in the bathroom, rather than the dyed pink Via soap. Fluffy towels and a robe would have been great too.
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
A restaurant where you can spend the night!
Riad Número 9 is a micro hotel attached to a phenomenal restaurant, Restaurant Número 7. Dine at No. 7 and you won’t worry about getting lost in Fès’ confusing medina on your way back to your room (no matter how much you imbibe!). Just cross through the kitchen, and thank the chefs on your way home.
If you’re interested in food, Stephen di Renza’s place is a great base in Fès. His Restaurant No. 7 hosts chefs-in-residence who come to Fès to perfect their experience in the business side of running a kitchen while they dazzle you with their cooking skills. During my stay, Canadians Oliver Truesdale-Jutras and Phoebe Oviedo, who have extensive experience in Canada, Australia and the US, just started their three month stint. A taste of Canada and Morocco together (with a little Philippines and Australia thrown in for good measure)! No. 7’s lead, Tara Stevens, is an expert in Morocco’s food scene and always has something interesting cooking, including culinary classes.
On the other side of No. 7’s kitchen is Riad No. 9, a micro hotel with just three rooms. It is meant to give you the feeling of staying at a friend’s house in the Fès medina. It is ideally rented out in its entirety — it can sleep up to a dozen people, depending on the combination of adults and children (also using the two main floor salons).
Of the three main bedrooms in the riad, mine is the largest. The suite, really two rooms, is both sides of the top floor of the widest part of the riad. My bedroom’s furniture is all wood and the sheets are a lovely orange colour. Traditional rugs cover the mosaic floors, and, unusually, it has windows on both sides, open to both the courtyard and to the medina. Across a “bridge” over the courtyard is my bathroom and another sitting area. Towels are stacked high on two old barbershop chairs.
The room below mine has a bathroom just seven steps down the hall. And the room across from it has an ensuite. Showers at No. 9 are wet rooms, with both shower and toilet in the same area, and sinks in a separate place. Each is decorated differently and reflects the travels and the design taste of the owner, who is also the creative director for retail operations at Jardin Majorelle (the Yves Saint Laurent garden) in Marrakech.
Classical music plays from the riad’s central area where Ruby the cat holds court at the low table with sunken footwell. Bird cages — some empty, some occupied — provide both visual and auditory decor. Riad Número 9 is one of the tallest buildings in the neighbourhood and its location on the slope of the medina means the views from the rooftop terrace are great.
From US$110, inclusive of airport or train pickup, porter service, breakfast and taxes
– Connected Restaurant No. 7 is the best in town.
– Best coffee in Fès, and a breakfast omelette made with Camembert … I’m still craving it.
– I, ahem, sleep sans pyjamas, so I would have preferred a robe rather than a towel to wear across the “bridge” over the courtyard to my bathroom. Guess I should have looked more carefully to find it in the closet!
Johanna Read
Contributing Editor
Hotel Hacienda Na Xamena is all about style. Perfectly designed in the 1960s by the architect owner, every line maximises the magnificent view, every feature has been carefully considered to enhance the stunning landscape and reflect the different moods of the sea and sky.
Reception is on the 5th floor; you descend to the bedrooms located off echoing tunnels hewn into the cliffs. It’s a cross between a millionaire’s playground and an underground lair. The rooms are simple and modern, white with curved lines and expansive windows. With features such as a steam shower and hot-tub balanced on a window ledge overlooking the ocean you don’t really need any other frills. Sunset from the tub is essential.
The main hotel terrace wraps round a free-form pool which has gentle water features and the gradual slope of a tropical shore at one end. The beautifully landscaped space is shaded by olive and palms trees and flanked by meandering herb borders, giving it a wonderfully natural feel. The terrace extends to an upper level, with plenty more day beds and secluded spaces to absorb the view which is nothing but a vast expanse of sky, sea and sheer cliff face. As sun descends into the ocean in spectacular fashion the pool is lit beautifully, with tiny blue LEDs in the pathways glittering like star constellations.
As the first 5 star hotel on the island La Hacienda has been sharing its vision for decades. Perhaps though there is a slight complacency when it comes to service, which could do more to complement the sublime view and surroundings.
From US$425 including breakfast
– Upgrade to an Eden room with an outdoor private Jacuzzi perched on the clifftop
– The Eden restaurant, overlooking the pool and sea views is open to the public with live music throughout the summer
– Offers relaxation and seclusion in a remote part of the island
– No free bottled water in the rooms and often slow wifi
– Hotel guests have to pay an additional 35 euros to access the hotel’s biggest attraction- the cascade pools and other pools are restricted for spa use only.
Chris & Hannah
Directors