With no internet or television, it’s easy to disconnect from the world at this boutique lodge set in an oasis on the edge of the Sahara, where Berber style and modern history combine to charm and offer instant relaxation.
Hidden in an oasis about four miles (6 km) outside Zagora, in the Draa River Valley of south-eastern Morocco, Azalai Lodge sits in the foothills of the Anti-Atlas Mountains. The lodge is accessed via a dirt road off the main road, once part of the trade route from Sub Sahara to Marrakech. There is an airport at Zagora, with fsubtles from Marrakech.
Azalai Lodge is a cluster of contemporary stone buildings, designed by French architect R. Delene Bartholdi with a nod to classic style. Despite the unprepossessing entrance through high gates (hoot the horn for admittance) and into a tiny reception room, the lodge opens up to reveal interiors inspired by historical figures who explored and wrote about Morocco, including Pierre Loti, Ibn Battuta, Henri Matisse, Paul Bowles, Sainte-Exupery, and Theodore Monod.
Three lounge areas – two of them with fireplaces to combat the chill of desert nights – convert to the restaurant in the evening, depending on the number of guests staying. The main lodge and bungalows are linked by crazy-paved walkways through the gardens.
The standard of service is great and personal, with the small staff eager to please. A rectangular outdoor swimming pool is surrounded by sun lounges, and there are hammocks and day beds under the palm trees nearby. Guests can use bicycles to explore the paths through the adjacent palmery, or take walks. There are no credit card facilities. The lodge is closed from June to August.
The eight stone bungalows have stylish interiors, including red Berber rugs on the tile floors, costume decorations on the walls, and a lush alcove for a day bed with rich velvet curtains, sequined pillows and throw rugs. Compact bathrooms have showers only, but are attractive, with hand-painted basins and fluffy towels. Each bungalow is named after an explorer or writer, some decorated with artefacts and artwork relating to that figure, such as a vintage typewriter. Think ‘Out of Africa’; there’s even the movie poster on the wall.
Mint tea, coffee and cakes are served on arrival. Dinner is a three-course set menu drawing on both French and Moroccan cuisine: classic Moroccan spicy soup, a tagine main course – perhaps the favourite lemon chicken – and crème caramel for dessert. Alcohol is not sold on the premises, but guests are welcome to bring their own.
Breakfast, served in the lounges in winter or the terrace in warmer months, consists of eggs (your choice of cooking style), Moroccan and French pastries, fresh orange juice, and any style of tea or coffee. A rooftop terrace overlooking the pool, gardens and oasis of date palms is a pleasant spot at any time of day, with cane furniture and a thatch roof and umbrellas providing shade.
One room is adapted for wheelchair access, and there are ramps to the public areas (but there is a small step and no ramp to the reception area).
Children can be accommodated by using the day beds in the suites.
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