Dar El Mathaf

Recent Reviews: 65

• User:TrailBlazer765131

  Trip type: Friends getaway

  authentic, comfortable, and welcoming stay.

  01 Jun 2026

  Everything was perfect. The staff were extremely kind, helpful, and always ready to assist.A special thanks to Hamid, an excellent guide who speaks Italian, French, and English fluently, making every request easy and pleasant to handle.The breakfasts prepared by Amina were absolutely fantastic: generous, authentic, and carefully prepared down to the smallest detail.The dar is in an excellent location, close to the Blue Gate and just a short walk from the heart of the medina, making it ideal for exploring the old city on foot.I highly recommend this Dar to anyone looking for an authentic, comfortable, and welcoming stay.

  Read more

• User:bonnydin73

  Trip type: Family

  Disappointing Stay – Not the Peaceful Dar Experience We Hoped For

  16 Oct 2025

  My sister and I recently stayed at Dar al Mathaf during our trip to Fez, Morocco. After reading the reviews online, we thought it would be a charming experience to stay in a Dar rather than a Riad. Being located next to the Medina and central points of the city, our initial reaction was one of excitement. Unfortunately, that changed very quickly.Upon arrival, we were met by the manager/owner, Anas, who made no effort to assist us with our suitcases through the very narrow doorway. When I mentioned this, he simply replied that he had no staff available. I let it go at the time, trying to stay optimistic.He then pointed out that we had booked a basic room without a private bathroom and offered us an upgrade for an extra €15 per night, which we accepted and paid for immediately. We then had to carry our luggage ourselves to the first-floor room. Once inside, it became clear that the room was much smaller than how it had appeared in the photos online — something that immediately set off alarm bells, but we decided to make the best of it.The next day, after a morning exploring the Medina, we returned to the Dar hoping to rest. However, this was not possible due to the constant loud conversations from Anas, his mother, and his aunt on the ground floor. The layout of the property allows noise to travel easily, and it became impossible to relax. It honestly felt like we were staying in someone’s family home, with no sense of privacy or guest comfort. Nowhere in the listing did it mention that the family spends the day in the communal areas, treating the space like their own living room.A few days into the stay, Anas began persistently asking for the room tax. I explained — as I have done throughout 15 years of traveling across Morocco — that I would settle it at the end of the stay, as is the norm. Despite this, he continued to hound us, which felt very uncomfortable and unprofessional.Other guests during our stay expressed similar frustrations — in fact, most of them left after just one night. The only exception was a pair of Spanish girls who ended up at the Dar by accident after failing to locate their original booking. I now wish we had checked out early as well.The only positive aspect of our stay was Amina, the young woman who prepared breakfast and cleaned the rooms. She was kind, respectful, and clearly hardworking — a credit to the place.Overall, I would not recommend Dar al Mathaf to anyone looking for a peaceful, private, or professionally run guesthouse. Despite its high ratings, our experience was far from what was advertised. If you're visiting Fez, I strongly suggest exploring other options — this property, in my view, is no more than a 1-star guesthouse where guests are made to feel like intruders in a family home.

  Read more

• User:SpicesLee123

  Trip type: Family

  Cow Turd

  30 Dec 2019

  The stench of the room was irresistible! So much so that my shirt and trousers stink so badly! We even booked the en-suite and it was terrible! The bathroom had a terrible back flow and it was disgusting! The only nice thing was the chefs cooking.

• User:misurac

  Trip type:

  Felt like being kidnapped!! More an hostel than a riad

  15 Dec 2019

  I made the booking for an en-suite room but when I got there, the room I was actually given had a shared bathroom which was shared among the entire ground floor. The sink where I had to wash my face in the morning was in front of the breakfast table where every guest of the hotel had to have breakfast! As soon as I got there, I asked the guy at the reception to change the room as that is not what I had booked. He insisted that I had booked a room with shared bathroom, which is something that, after having stayed in numerous places across the globe, I never really did; however, he said that the riad was fully booked and they could not change room. The room itself is the one that can be seen in the main picture of the riad; behind the table. The bed was put against the wall on one side so there is only one bed side table with a light which we could not use cause its socket was occupied by the mobile charger.It was an extremely small room that has a small window located quite high and unreachable from the floor, so we could not really open or close it; It was at night when we realised that it was slightly open and we could not close it, so we've found ourselves freezing as the small air con was unable to warm the room. The cleaning was just barely ok. I felt a little strange to use the blanket in the room...In general, it did not look great. If you consider it like an hostel, it may actually be just acceptable. We were also woken up at 5.30am as something was going on in the street behind the room walls. Even through I can't really blame the riad for this, it has just added frustration to a situation which was already quite bad. This is the moment I decided to book another riad. After an good traditional breakfast, I tried to check out without paying the next days as the room was advertised as en-suite on Expedia and they did not provide me with an en-suite room. I also had a guided tour booked through the riad, but I needed to take my luggage to the new booked riad as the guided tour would have ended later than the check out time. I told the lady that I was going to bring the luggage and come back for the tour, but THEY DID NOT ALLOW ME TO LEAVE THE BUILDING until I had paid for the bill. They said that there was a translation issue which did not make the description of the room clear; I tried to say that is their mistake not mine, so I should have never been charged because they are unable to properly describe their room and sold me something they did not have; it's a business side mistake not definitely my mistake. I felt trapped and very very upset. I eventually had to pay while the lady at the reception which was dealing with all this also naively was telling me that there was actually an en-suite room available when I checked in.I fortunately could afford another place tho. If you do not want to lose money and feel like being kidnapped if you have have problems, you may really avoid this place. This is what happens when I do not analyse TripAdvisor reviews properly; that is my only fault.

  Read more

• User:Laura C

  Trip type: Couples

  Like a home away from home

  19 Jun 2019

  Thank you so much for having us! We absolutely loved staying, and all the ladies were so warm and welcoming. We stayed on the ground floor, which was a lovely room, but any noise that was made in reception was so loud and it came straight into the room, so I'd recommend staying upstairs. We also didn't realise that we'd booked a room with a separate toilet/shower room, so we had to go across reception every time, which was a bit annoying. But overall, a lovely place to stay! Cheers!

  Read more