Dar Darma
Style World of interiors
Setting Funky old Medina
A quirky private residence in the heart of the Marrakech Medina, Dar Darma boldly partners 300-year-old zouak ceilings and faded antique textiles with Versace-esque velvet settles, distressed metallic stripes and leopardskin rugs. An Italian Orientalist's fantasy holiday home, this Moroccan boutique guesthouse offers its own homely hammam, mountain-view roof terrace, and a very private, ever so Moorish retreat from the nearby souks.
Need to know
- Rooms Five suites, including two apartments, each with two separate doubles. The hotel is desinged to feel like one residence, so most of the doors don't have locks.
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Rates
Double rooms from $267.31 (€207), excluding tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €2.50 per person per night on check-out.
The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency (€207) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
- More details Rates include breakfast and, if you're staying more than three nights, return airport transfers. Whole riad, on request (excludes Christmas/New Year), including dinner on first night, breakfast and transfers. Rates exclude local tax.
- Facilities Courtyard, roof terrace with plunge pool, hammam, massages, library, WiFi in rooms. Suites have showers and large baths, TVs and DVD players. Rooms are phone free for maximum relaxation.
- Poolside There's is a little tadelakt plunge pool on the roof terrace, where there are recliners and daybeds for sunbathing, and distant mountain views.
- Check-out By arrangement, depending on subsequent bookings.
- Children Welcome (€30 a day for under-14s; €50 for older kids), but large internal windows, an unsupervised courtyard pool and lots of antiques mean it’s not ideal for little ones. Babysitting can be arranged with a few hours’ notice; cots can be provided.
- Also Minimum stays of four nights over Christmas/New Year and over the Easter and May Bank Holiday weekends apply.
Food and drink at Dar Darma
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Hotel restaurant
Dar Darma’s housekeeper Maria is also a talented cook, creating French and Moroccan dishes for lunch or dinner, from tagines to tarte tatin. You may be joined by gnaoua musicians in the dining room.
- Dress code Entirely up to you, but interesting vintage pieces and chunky tribal jewellery will feel just right.
- Top table Choose your own adventure: if you don’t fancy the decadent dining room, staff can set up private tables in the courtyard, on the roof, in the mirrored ground-floor salon or in your rooms.
- Last orders You’ll have to give a few hours’ notice if you want dinner, but otherwise there are no rules, within reason.
- Room service 8am–9pm, or later with prior arrangement.
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Hotel bar
Drinks can be brought to you anywhere in the riad.
Dar Darma 11/12, Trik Sidi Bohuarba, Medina, Marrakech, Morocco, 40000
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Smith extra at Dar Darma
Choose between a Moroccan dinner for two on arrival (excluding drinks) or two tickets to Majorelle botanic garden
In the know
Our favourite rooms
The first-floor Red Apartment is the largest and quietest suite, and the one the owner chooses to stay in when he’s visiting; it’s more like an antique-strewn private flat. As well as 18th-century period details such as original doors, hand-painted ceilings and carved plasterwork, it has two generously sized double bedrooms and bathrooms, both with twin sinks, showers and big baths. The Blue Apartment’s cupola-lit, fire-warmed dining and sitting room is flanked by two double rooms, one featuring a four-poster in a wood-panelled recess and a red-walled bathroom; the other (also with a four-poster) has a huge round bath. The smaller, split-level Orange Suite has a handsome black and white sitting room with stairs leading up to an orange and gold-themed bedroom with ensuite bathroom.
Packing tips
Sketchbook, camera or travel journal, depending on your creative bent. Some good books or DVDs. A long kaftan or djellabah for lounging around in.
Also
The riad has its own hammam; give staff a few hours’ warning if you’d like a treatment, so it can be brought to the correct temperature. Staff are very accommodating, so if you’d like to be serenaded at dinner or massaged on the terrace, just ask.
