Our beloved Ryanair will be starting new direct flights to Fez from Alicante and Seville both on the 8th of July. Departing Wednesdays and Sundays the new flights will give Fez a new latino flavour with many tourists wanting to enjoy the true soul of Morocco and the nest of a civilization that shared so much with Spain until the 'Reconquista' in 1492.

In Return Sevilla has a lot to offer to the discerned traveller including memorable hangovers caused by 'rebujito' and the all time famous Giralda.

Alicante is the door to the Costa Blanca with plenty of charming beaches in is province inlcuding Javea and Santa Pola,and the (un)famous Benidorm. Lively atmosphere and gentle climate all year round.

Good luck with the stewardess.

(and what to do instead)

1-Do Not Stay in a Hotel in the new town.
*Stay instead in one of many wonderfully restored Riads in the Medina. http://www.attajalli.com/ is one of our favourites.

2-Do not take an oficial guide to visit the Medina. They for sure will explain interesting things, but they will push you to buy in his friend’s shops –where they take about 40 % comission- and eat in the touristy venues -where they take as well 40 % comission-
*Buy yourself a good guide such as Lonely Planet ‘Fez Encounters’, follow some advice, and get lost in its maze of tiny streets. Its completely safe.

3-Do not take pictures of people or shops without asking. They will think you are rude and that you are stealing something from them.
*Instead ask them permission and include them in the photo, you may end with an invitation for a real moroccan lunch in its home.

4-Do not accept their first price when buying goods.
*If you want to earn some respect bargain about one third less of the starting price, more if you know what are you buying. And please dont waste one hour for 1 euro reduction in that silly bracelet.

5-Do not eat at the usual Bab Boujelloud tourist restaurant (if you do dont look at the kitchen).
*Try unexplored new places like the delightful http://www.fes-et-gestes.ma/ , or the centrical http://www.fezlounge.com/

6-Do not buy the usual chilaba, they’re made in china anyway.
*buy a nice pair of soft leather babouches, to wear nonchalantly with jeans the way Gatsby does.

7-Do not take a bus even if you are curious ora an enviromentalist. They're overcrowded and the emissions paralel the Chernobyl disaster.
*Take a Petit Taxi and sit in the front seat like the locals, adding ‘lakhlik’ (which means please) to whatever destination you may go.

8-Do not have a drink in a hotel bar. Dont be fooled, those are for shabby moroccan characters in search of alcohol.
*Head to trendy Mezzanine ( http://www.restaurantfez.com/) with its cool DJ or underground Fez Lounge for a relaxing time.

9-Do not underestimate local wines or beer
*Try Domaine de Sahari rouge, or the incrediby good value Guerrouane in all varieties. And Casablanca beer is a must.

10-Do not use your cell phone, even to recieve calls, the communications between Morocco and Europe are VERY expensive.
*Buy instead a Maroc Telecom phone card dor 50 dh (5 euros) that will assure you about 25 minutes of blablabla to explain your latest funny situation.

If you are not the regular tourist and you like to do things your own way you may consider renting a fully furnished house in the medina, where you can do pretty much what you like, like exploring the medina, cooking your own food, watch a huge selection of Dvd's, throw sexy parties or do whatever you feel. http://www.rentinfez.com/ propose this vibrant house mix of moroccan-harem-meets-italian-elegance. For as little as 100 euros a night you will have the house at your disposal and they will bring you breakfast in the morning and treat you...well, as a pacha.

see reviews at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293733-d1542006-Reviews-Lounge_House-Fes.html.

As many of you probably will know Maison Blanche is a parisian restaurant-club that boasts one of the best dining experiences in the french capital with breathtaking views of the Tour Eiffel. The kitchen is responsibility of the archifamous chefs and brothers Pourcel.

Well now the good news is that the group has just opened a gorgeous venue in Fez, just opposite the Jnan Palace Hotel, were you can dine, have a drink or light one of the luxurios cigars they have in their cave. In the menu the Pourcel Brothers propose a fusion of multicultural delicacies and some hearty choices like the fillet Rossini, a Gatsby's favourite.

www.maison-blanche.ma

The band began work on their twelfth album No Line on the Horizon in 2006, but the material was shelved. The band subsequently chose to begin writing and recording for the album with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno in June 2007. A two-week trip to Fez where the six recorded led to the band experimenting with North African sounds and indicating the album would be more experimental than their previous efforts. They fell in love with the magic of Fez and in return the city inspired them one of his most accomplished works, follow the link to check the song out, with a Christo-like wrapped medina preserving its millenary secrets...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s_CXOOgidA

U2 have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band. In 2005, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone magazine listed U2 at #22 in its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
And here you have an extra link to see the making of the video and some beautiful Fez spots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okzR0IlREpc

The Belghazi Museum

Offers similar artwork to Dar Batha, but you can buy it here if you like! The museum is housed inside a palace and is a good, if pricey, place to enjoy some mint tea.

19 Derb Ghorba, Medina
tel: 035 741 178 (info)