Moulay Yacoub Hot Springs

Moulay Yacoub is a village built down a steep hillside in the country north-west of Fes, and it exists because of the water: a sulphurous spring emerging at around fifty-four degrees, heavily mineralised, used for centuries and developed since with both a modern thermal station and an old public bath complex in the village. The two are quite different experiences - the station is a clinical spa with treatments, pools and prescribed courses, used by Moroccans on medical referral for skin and rheumatic conditions, and the old baths are basic public pools and cabins in the village, cheap and busy. The smell of sulphur carries over the whole place. Whether the water does what is claimed for it is a matter for a doctor rather than a guide. Around the village is a strip of cafes and stalls selling towels and grilled food, and the hillside is steep enough that everything involves steps.

What you actually see

• Fifty-four degree water - sulphurous and heavily mineralised, and it smells.
• Two kinds of bath - a clinical thermal station and old public pools in the village.
• A medical clientele - Moroccans on referral for skin and rheumatic conditions.
• A steep village - built down a hillside, with steps everywhere.

When to go

October to April. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Health claims for the water are a matter for a doctor, not a guidebook. The old public baths are basic and cleanliness varies. The sulphur smell is strong and pervasive. The village is steep and crowded at weekends.

Nearby

Fes is south-east; Sidi Harazem is on the other side of the city.