Hotel berhampiran douar ouddift, Al Haouz

If I could give this place 7 stars out of 5, I would. This riad was a highlight of our trip - not only is the guesthouse itself perfect, but more importantly, the family running it are so kind, authentic and helpful, that you immediately feel it is a home away from home. The riad is fantastically located with panoramic views of the valley and the surrounding mountains including the Jebek Toubkal, the tallest mountain in North Africa. The rooms all have wonderful details like a few items of Berber clothing for you to try on either to keep warm or simply for fun and plaster decoration on the ceiling. They are quiet, clean and comfortable with showers with excellent water pressure and hot water. The food is excellent and served in a dining room draped with Berber rugs and surrounded by delictately carved wooden furniture, with the panoramic view of the mountains. We also enjoyed chatting with other guests here. Most importantly, the manager Rashid is a kind and energetic soul who will go above and beyond to ensure you have a great trip. We arrived late on the first day, after a long drive, and he showed up in the village centre to help us navigate the rickety road to get to the guesthouse; he managed to sort out rooms for us when we booked super last minute and theoretically the guesthouse was all booked up (including arranging one at his uncle's place next door); he organized a guided trek up Toubkal for us with a great guide (Hassan) for a reasonable price; he lent us a sleeping bag and gloves for the trip, at no extra cost; and he spent time chatting with us, in a way that made us feel like friends, not clients, and gave us a great insight into local life. His niece, Bouchra (apologies if the spelling is wrong, I should have asked how to spell it!), who helps him run the guesthouse was also an absolute star - thanks to both of you! Staying with you was really special.

It's a beautiful hotel which is very clean. Staff are very friendly & go out of their way to make the stay enjoyable - especially Salah & Abdou, in our case. They did a fantastic job organising our daughters 18th birthday. Petals were laid on her bed while we were out exploring. They decorated the poolside with banners & balloons and set a beautiful candlelit table. They made a vegan chocolate cake as my husband has a dairy allergy. The cake was brought in to the music of Happy Birthday Cha Cha Cha!!! However, the road to the hotel is very rugged & gravelly. There is no street lighting to the hotel, which makes driving difficult at night time. Also, the meal on our second night was a bit disappointing. The chicken kebabs were tastless. Having said this, I would definitely go back to the hotel again for the pampering, which is just what we needed. Thank you, Salah, Abdou & Zora.