Ouarzazate, Morocco

Dar Ahlam

Price per night from$1,890.27

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (MAD19,000.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Kasbah with added wow

Setting

Betwixt High Atlas and Sahara

There’s little about this 19th-century Kasbah that won’t leave you slack-jawed. Following a dusty road from the Atlas Mountains into the Sahara desert is a suitable way to whet your appetite for adventure, but even the most committed sybarite might be overwhelmed by this ‘House of Dreams’ (as its name translates). The creation of a Parisian party planner, Dar Ahlam is as luxurious as lodgings get – let alone in this landscape.
 

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

One 30-minute Moroccan ritual body scrub a person

Facilities

Photos Dar Ahlam facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Seven suites and seven Garden Suites.

Check–Out

They are flexible and do not have precise check-out times, as it depends on clients’ arrival time.

Prices

Double rooms from £1636.97 (MAD20,900), including tax at 10 per cent.

More details

Rates usually include breakfast. Half-board rates include dinner with drinks. Full-board rates include airport transfers from Ouarzazate airport; all meals, snacks and drinks; private guided 4x4 trips; hammam; and a cooking demonstration.

At the hotel

Spa, free WiFi, 4x4 with chauffeur. In rooms: air-conditioning, open fireplace, under-floor heating in the bathrooms, hairdryer, toiletries.

Our favourite rooms

Dar Ahlam does not allocate the suites in advance, but all are spacious, with air-conditioning, fireplaces, roomy bathrooms and a view of the Atlas Mountains. Only a few have a TV or telephone (but there's good mobile network coverage and WiFi). Each one has been decorated individually with unusual antiques and silk curtains.

Poolside

There's an emerald tinge to the large outdoor heated pool, which has Roman steps to glide down and sunloungers around the side.

Packing tips

Swimwear and sunhats; something hardy if you plan any more energetic activities. The temperature plunges at night, even in summer, so you'll benefit from a wardrobe of layers.

Children

Baby cots and extra beds for under-16s can be added to some suites, please ask when booking. Babysitting is possible; the cost is included.

Sustainability efforts

The hotel has taken huge strides in becoming more sustainable. They’ve installed a water-recycling system, which reduces consumption by around 70 per cent and ensures drinkable water throughout the hotel. They’ve ditched plastics and installed solar panels, intended to permanently fuel the hotel, and reduce electricity use by around 40 per cent.

Food and Drink

Photos Dar Ahlam food and drink

Top Table

Dar Ahlam prides itself on privacy. You always eat à deux or en famille, and you never eat in the same place twice. Take lunch in a herb garden or an olive grove, then dine in a cosy corner of the kasbah or on a secret terrace.

Dress Code

Casual but elegant sportswear is the usual attire.

Hotel restaurant

Meals are an enchanting daily surprise: tables are set up in different locations depending on the day's theme. The menu combines traditional Moroccan specialities and the latest culinary innovations. Frederick Grasser Hermé is in charge of savoury delights, and desserts are dreamed up by French pâtissier Pierre Hermé.

Hotel bar

Every night, drinks or digestifs are served in the grand salon. Or request a special private aperitif on the rooftop.

Last orders

There’s no such thing: whatever your whim (and whenever you want it), your wish is their command.

Room service

You can certainly ask to take meals in your room if you fancy, but there are so many marvellous spots to eat on site it’d be a shame to spoil the staff’s magical plans for you.

Location

Photos Dar Ahlam location
Address
Dar Ahlam
Douar Oulad Chikh Ali - Casbah El Madihi
Ouarzazate
45500
Morocco

Ouarzazate is a dusty desert town to the south of the High Atlas Mountains, about three hours south of Marrakech by car.

Planes

Most international visitors arrive via Marrakech’s Menara Airport, which can be reached from across Europe with British Airways (www.ba.com), Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). From Marrakech, you can drive or catch a domestic Royal Air Maroc flight to Ouarzazate Airport, which is 45 minutes from Dar Ahlam. The Smith24 team can arrange your flights and transfers; call anytime, day or night.

Automobiles

Ouarzazate sits on the junction of highways N10 and N9 – a four-hour drive from Marrakech through the Atlas Mountains. Car hire is available at both Ouarzazate and Marrakech airports. There’s parking at the hotel.

Worth getting out of bed for

South of the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains, a scenic stretch of palm groves, rose gardens and oases is yours to explore: arm yourself with a guide, 4x4 and driver and set off on dusty desert tracks for a saunter through the picturesque Dadès and Drâa valleys. The hotel can arrange half-day or full-day excursions to the area’s best sights; free cooking lessons are also available. Don’t miss a trip to the Glaoui Kasbah and its old Jewish district; in February and March, sweet-scented almond blossoms cover the valley in delicate shades of pink and white. Quad-bike or camel-ride your way to nearby gorges, fortified villages and local co-operatives and souks, where you can stock up on home-made goat cheeses, freshly pressed olive oil and lovingly crafted pottery. Closer to home, children can ride donkeys through the palm plantation, and confident riders can make their way to the shores of Almansour Lake on Arabian stallions.

Local restaurants

If you’re itching for a change of scene, head to the Berber city of Ouarzazate, a 45-minute drive away, for a stroll through its Kasbah-lined streets and traditional souk. La Kasbah des Sables serves delicate Moroccan fare in a prettily lit courtyard; try the aubergine wellington or the sea bass gently steamed with orange butter. At Le Relais de Saint-Exupérychef Jean-Pierre is a slow-food disciple: his confit of Atlas lamb, slow-cooked kid and saffron-scented profiteroles have a loyal local following.

Reviews

Photos Dar Ahlam reviews
Juliet Kinsman

Anonymous review

By Juliet Kinsman, On-the-go editor

I have been told that the unique Moroccan retreat we’re going to is extraordinary, and that the drive to our desert boutique hotel in itself is spectacular. As we wend our way around the bendy mountain roads high up into the Atlas, through a terracotta-toned landscape where cube-shaped mud-brick houses are built into the peaks, the sight of mountain goats and roadside stalls selling crystals and pottery suggest that things are far, so far removed from my usual in-car outlook. (You may notice that I’ve been a little vague about where I am, exactly; that’s because it’s a little tricky to pronounce. Even on my keyboard. ‘Ooh woz iz zat?’ is roughly our target.)

The distinguished French-speaking gent at the wheel of this fine 4x4 has made the four-hour journey from southern Morocco to ferry us from Marrakech to luxury hideaway Dar Ahlam in Ouarzazate. Halfway there, our driver points at the cassette player and asks if we’d like music. Cool – with our appetite for the exotic well and truly whetted, Mrs Smith and I agree that some Arabic tunes might be just the thing. What we’re not expecting is George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’. Rather than plumping for the lyrics ‘You should have known better’ as the motto for our journey, we agree that Oscar Wilde’s wise saying, ‘Expect the unexpected’ is looking to be the tagline for this trip of a lifetime.

Rugged hills give way to desert, and eventually the town of Ouarzazate looms; palm-fringed avenues, buildings that look like sandcastles, and camels among the principal transport options suggest it’s not your average city. At last we come to an abrupt halt outside an extra-special kasbah. They are clearly expecting us, at precisely this moment. It’s showtime! Let the perfectly choreographed games commence. After all, we’ve been advised that this prestigious hotel is where your wildest fantasies come true. Sure, that sounds schmaltzy, but from what I’ve heard, this place ain’t called House of Dreams for nothing.

‘Déjeuner?’ enquires an elegant Parisian gentlemen, who appears in frame just as we pass through the main entrance. We’re seamlessly escorted through the sophisticated lounge into lush grounds and through a vegetable garden to two ready-set tables, side by side, overlooking a bed of baby aubergines and tomatoes. ‘Those chillies flourish a darn sight better than the ones on my balcony in Kentish Town,’ mumbles an awestruck Mrs Smith. Thanks to the impeccable stage management, we’ve barely digested our marvellous new surroundings before our glasses are being filled with a chilled rosé as the first of many mouthwatering meals commences.

We’re just swallowing the final bite of our first course (an inspired savoury orange carpaccio garnished with olive and pomegranate) when the two chaps who have been tending to our every need appear at the end of the garden path, poised to bring us the next delicious array of temptations. Dar Ahlam is pure theatre, and a flirtation for all the senses.

Fast-forward a couple of hours: on opening my eyes after a post-prandial snooze by the pool, I spy someone heading towards us with courgette and yoghurt smoothies, while an orange confection is winging its way to the pair relaxing on loungers on the other side of the azure water. Here at this country hotel with a difference, the mission must be to ensure every guest enjoys their very own personalised escape.

We doze off again, only to be roused from our slumber by a momentary interruption of the sunshine… Dominique, clad in a freshly pressed white shirt and smart linen trousers, has come to enquire, gently, if we’d like our massage now, as a daily rub-down is all part of the all-inclusive package. As Mrs Smith stares up at this kind soul framed by dazzling sunlight, she is convinced he’s an angel, and she obligingly floats off to the hammam. Meanwhile, pruned pomegranate hedges all around inspire me to ask if I might have a grenadine. Sure enough, at the drop of a fez, a fresh, fruity rosewater-enhanced elixir is in my clutches. If anyone ever asks you how to get to heaven, trust me, we can give you directions.

As the afternoon draws to a close, we realise that we’ve still not even checked out our suite properly, nor had a nose around the kasbah itself. We wander around the dark, sweet-smelling, mysterious interior and discover one cushion-filled cubbyhole after another, observing the masterful use of light inside and out. Just as we turn another quiet corner, that all-seeing stage manager navigates us to the roof for the show-stopping sunset.

Wow. What a finale. The ochre-hued straw-and-mud render of this three-storey towered castle is breathtaking in the golden twilight, and the pale blues of the cushioned seating match the sky. It’s as though every detail has been planned to perfection. I’m starting to wonder if this isn’t some extraordinary Truman Show set-up and someone, somewhere is hunched over this very scene looking at us on a lightboard through a lupe, ensuring our setting maintains its fit-for-a-magazine-cover composition. A moment later, a black-clad member of staff appears with a tray of nuts and olives, holding up two bottles of wine and asking, ‘Red or white?’ Mrs Smith turns to me and enquires, ‘Is this place for real, or are we going to wake up?’ After giving each other a pinch, we head to our room to prepare for the next act: dinner.

Our ‘petite suite’ reveals itself to be a whole new set worthy of applause. We freshen up in a vast bathroom featuring appealing flourishes, such as shavings of handmade soap scented with amber, orange and verbena. Then it's down to the grand salon for another aperitif, before we’re steered to tonight’s designated den for dinner à deux. The signs of Dar Ahlam’s Parisian party-planner creator are visible in the clever lighting design, which changes according to whether it is day or night, to reveal different aspects of the building.

Over a G&T, Mrs Smith tells me that what has really impressed her is how the surroundings are high-impact visually, but still entirely relaxing. Sitting in the elegant lounge with its billowing gold-edged muslin curtains and sexy fireplace, we’re sufficiently at ease to lark about over a super-competitive game of backgammon. (She wins. Beginner’s luck.) The only reality-check element is that we probably wouldn’t choose to share such a perfect evening with Dido or Coldplay on the stereo.

Mealtimes are always a surprise here, and for our supper we find ourselves in a cosy corner among jewel-coloured lamps and conical candles to await delicious tagines. We’ve ended up in a nook we'd previously spied, saying ‘this would be a lovely spot to have dinner in’ – the controllers in the gallery up above have definitely been listening in. (‘Who cares if the staff are reading our minds; they’re delivering the goods without us having to go to the effort of asking,’ remarks Mrs Smith.)

The attention to detail is, once again, exemplary. Different silverware, glasses, table settings, flowers – each meal feels custom-made, a universe away from the bland uniformity of the ‘luxury hotel’ experience. ‘There’s no mistaking we’re in Morocco,’ I gush to my missus with pride. She gazes back, a little dewy-eyed from the day’s overwhelming sequence of events. ‘Are you kidding? This is another world.’

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Price per night from $1,890.27