So, after 2 nights in toe-jam infested Ibis hovels, you can imagine my surprise when the tour bus rolls up outside Hotel Sofia. It's got a funky retro kinda feel about it, but don't let that fool you. It's a classy joint. By Moroccan standards. It's also got a bit of an italian feel to it, as you can imagine by the name.

The lobby is quite plush, the staff are friendly (this was such a refreshing change) and they actually SMILED!!

Thank the sweet lord I was at the Hotel Sofia for 2 nights. I thoroughly enjoyed both. I really enjoyed Fes full stop. What an awesome city. This is the perfect hotel to base yourself at there.

A few blocks walk away is the new European-style shopping area. It is safe for women to wander along the streets there and shop. The cafes are usually men's domains though.

Back to the hotel though. My room was spacious, the bathroom was huge. It had air conditioning though this cut out from time to time, Morocco's electricity is a bit questionable in reliability, I don't think this is the fault of the hotel. The furnishings were cute, and everything was clean, which made me very very happy.

The bed was comfortable, and had this cute roll instead of a pillow. Loved that. The air conditioner was hidden behind a curtain, very tricky! The tv was a good screen size. I loved hearing the call to prayer in the morning and evening too, there was a mosque somewhere nearby and the sound is ethereal and beautiful.

The bathroom as i said was spacious, and clean. Thank you Hotel Sofia! The towels were actually big fluffy white sheets. biggest thickest towels I've ever seen. More than enough soaps and shampoo sachets and one of those funky bidets thrown in for good measure too.

I was a little scared of the lifts. They were jolty and really noisy. It seemed like they were in need of replacing or at the very least, servicing.

They had timers installed to turn the hallway lights off after a certain period of time. I thought this was a bit of a safety issue because I found myself walking through pitch black hallways trying to find the next switch. Not ideal.

There is a small gift shop which is right outside the dining room. It is open at just the right times and stocks the essential Moroccan souvenirs that you may not get time to buy during the day.

The food in the restaurant was average. It was pretty bland. The croissants were made with some funny pastry and I didn't want to touch the butter curls that were floating in water. Loved the fresh fruit for dessert though. The waiters were very sweet and friendly.