1. Art and Diseño

WHERE WILL YOU GO
THIS YEAR?
53 incredible destinati ons
for 2015
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Display until January 15, 2015
PLU S
T+L’S GUIDE TO CRUISING NOW
travelandleisure.com JANUARY 2015
Radar
The Medersa
el-Attarine,
in Fez, Morocco.
News. Finds. Opinions. Obsessions.
preview
THE BEST
PLACES TO GO
IN 2015
The world is getting smaller, but the chances of having an extraordinary new experience
are only increasing. Whether it’s an emerging style hub in North Africa or a quiet stretch of sand
in the Caribbean, this year’s standout destinations are changing the travel map.
for our full list of places to travel in 2015, visit tandl.me/trvl15.
P HOTOG R A P H ED BY C ÉLIN E C L A N E T
T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E
J A N U A R Y 2 01 5
27
Radar
At the
Hotel Sahrai.
A guest room at
the Hotel Sahrai.
Restaurant No. 7.
t+l’s top pick
F
FEZ, MOROCCO
or more than a decade,
Marrakesh has been the
Moroccan destination on
everyone’s list, with its ever-moreluxurious hotels, nightclubs, and
attainable whiff of the exotic. Fez,
about 240 miles northeast of
Marrakesh, was often an afterthought.
Those who went there raved about the
medieval medina—still totally
inaccessible to cars, still genuinely
Moroccan. But with few upscale places
to stay, conservative Fez was never
more than a quick stopover.
28
J A N U A R Y 2 01 5
T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E
Times are changing. Slowly, quietly,
a sophisticated scene is taking root in
Fez, much as it did in Marrakesh
15 years ago. It started with expats and
locals restoring riads, and continues as
hotels, restaurants, and galleries pop
up. So far, overdevelopment isn’t an
issue. Whether this will last—especially
with this year’s debut of an upgraded
airport, set to accommodate 2.5 million
passengers, five times the current
volume—is anyone’s guess. Don’t wait
to find out. For those who fell in love
with Marrakesh before it became an
international party hub, this is the
moment to see Fez.
The biggest news is Hotel Sahrai
(hotelsahrai.com; $; for a T+L exclusive
deal, turn to page 98). Opened by
Fez-born businessman Anis Sefrioui
six months ago, it’s perched on a
hillside between the medina and the
French-built ville nouvelle. Christophe
Pillet designed the 50 contemporary
guest rooms, many of which overlook
an L-shaped infinity pool. The rooftop
bar has quickly become the hippest
place in town, while the Givenchy
Spa is filled with light and intricate
mashrabiya latticework.
It’s also worth spending a night or
two in the medina to soak in its intense,
lost-in-time ambience. Karawan
Riad (karawan​riad.com; $$)—a lavish
renovation of a 17th-century house in
the Andalous quarter—is the place to
stay. The seven spacious suites offer a
modern alternative to more traditional
riad hotels, favoring sandstone walls
and a neutral palette over the usual tile
and bright tadelakt plaster.
Outside the southern wall, at the
Bab Ziat gate, Palais Faraj (palais
faraj.com; $$) is the bold vision of local
entrepreneur Driss Faceh. Recognizing
that Fez was on the cusp of becoming
a hot spot, Faceh hired architect
Jean-Baptiste Barian, a favorite of the
Moroccan royal family, to transform
the abandoned 19th-century palace.
The spacious rooms echo Marrakesh’s
Ute
Schrader’s
home and
gallery.
Radar
swings between Fez and Marrakesh,
where he is the creative director of Yves
Saint Laurent’s Jardin Majorelle. The
prix fixe menu is Moroccan-inspired,
but this is not a place for tagines and
couscous. Analiese Gregory, formerly
of San Sebastián’s Mugaritz, recently
dropped in and served dishes like
olive-oil-poached salmon with green
harissa broth. Paris Popup founders
and former Frenchie chefs Harry
Cummins and Laura Vidal
are in the kitchen through
January 31.
Stevens credits Mike
Richardson with kicking off
Fez’s revival. A former
maître d’ at London’s
Wolseley, Richardson
opened Café Clock
(cafeclock.com; $$) in Fez in 2007 and
created “a spot where locals, expats,
and tourists could all be together,”
Stevens says. The café started off
serving simple salads and camel
burgers, but has become a social center,
hosting readings and screenings as well
as classes in Arabic and calligraphy.
“Fez is multilayered, multifaceted,”
Stevens adds. “Every time I go out the
front door, I discover something.
This is a city on the cusp of change—
and it’s exciting to be a part of that.”
—richard alleman
A SOPHISTICATED
SCENE HAS TAKEN
ROOT, MUCH AS IT
DID IN MARRAKESH
15 YEARS AGO.
One of Karawan
Riad’s suites.
FIVE MORE
PLACES TO VISIT
THIS YEAR
Mozambique
With its mangrovefringed islands,
sugar-white sands, and turquoise
waters, the Bazaruto Archipelago
has caught the eye of high-end
hotel brands—andBeyond
and Singita, which plan to open
lodges this year and next.
Chengdu, China
The panda capital is
securing its place on the
Asia-bound traveler’s itinerary.
Credit a new 72-hour no-visa
policy and a packed lineup of hotel
openings in 2015 and beyond—
including Six Senses, Fairmont,
Mandarin Oriental, and Swire’s
Temple House.
Milan Some 20 million
visitors are expected
for the food-focused
Expo 2015, beginning in May.
We’re also excited about yearlong
programming at La Scala, the
new Museo delle Culture from
David Chipperfield, and, at
Palazzo Reale, Italy’s largest-ever
Leonardo da Vinci exhibit.
Durham, N.C.
With an art-centric
21c Museum Hotel
expected this spring, the
once-sleepy college town is
emerging from the shadows of
Raleigh and Chapel Hill. The food
and drink scene alone warrants a
trip: fair-trade coffee shops,
micro-distilleries, and some of
the best barbecue around.
Dominican Republic
Far from the resortclogged beaches of
Punta Cana, the less-frequented
northern shore is set to lure
well-heeled sun-seekers. Planned
properties from Aman and
Gansevoort will be welcome
departures from the island’s
cookie-cutter all-inclusives.
A leather
tannery in
the medina.
30
J A N U A R Y 2 01 5
For our full list of the
Best Places to Go in 2015, visit
tandl.me/trvl15.
T R A V E L+ L E I S U R E
I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y B E N K I N G
legendary La Mamounia, with their
intricate zellij mosaics and painted
cedar ceilings.
Thanks to a handful of expats,
the new Fez is characterized by
experimentation—often on a
delightfully small and idiosyncratic
scale. Ute Schrader, a German-born,
longtime Paris-based fashion publicist,
closed down her agency two years
ago and bought a house in Fez, steps
from the ninth-​century
Kairaouine Mosque. She
uses the beautifully restored
home as a gallery (by
appointment only; 33-6/86953743) to showcase emerging
Moroccan and international
artists. Her first exhibition,
done in collaboration with
Marrakesh’s Galerie 127, focused
on contemporary North African
photography. “I wanted to embrace
young talent, and bring the same
energy that Marrakesh has to Fez,”
Schrader says.
On the culinary front, Restaurant
No. 7 (restaurantnumero7.com; $$) is
making waves with a rotating series of
acclaimed guest chefs, a novel concept
for Fez. Set in striking black-​andwhite-tiled rooms, it is the brainchild
of British food writer Tara Stevens and
American Stephen Di Renza, who