Berber style is the hallmark of this 34-room boutique hotel, a popular stopping point for travellers to and from the Sahara desert camps to the east, or for holidaying European families wanting a change from Moroccan cities or beach resorts.
Hotel Dar Zitoune is on the outskirts of Taroudant in the heart of the Souss region in southern Morocco, about 45 minutes’ drive from Al-Massira Airport at Agadir. With its red walls, Taroudant is often called ‘Little Marrakech’, but the distant peaks of the High Atlas mountains are a reminder that you’re far from the city.
Taroudant’s two souks are a great attraction, as this is a working market town where Berbers trade the produce from the surrounding rich agricultural area. Wandering inside the old city provides plenty of interest.
Built in the style of a classic Berber home, this small hotel is set in extensive gardens, planted with fruit trees, cacti and exotic flowers. The grand entrance leads into a large open lounge area furnished with Berber couches, heavy wooden tables and walls hung with Moroccan art.
A massive iron chandelier hangs from the centre of the domed ceiling. The small reception desk is to one side, and a bar and boutique opens off the lounge. Beyond this, formal gardens planted with palm trees, roses, geraniums and fruit trees – lemon, orange, papaya, olives and others – surround brick pathways leading to the accommodation. It’s all bit movie-set, with a feeling of not quite working, but that’s a minor quibble.
High levels of service, always with a smile. A 69ft heated outdoor swimming pool, created in the shape of a Moorish gate, is the centrepiece of the formal gardens that separate the accommodation from the restaurant. A sauna and small gym – with weights, rowing machine and exercise bikes – are located next to the pool bar. There’s also a large whirlpool tub with room for about 10 people. A day spa provides massage and beauty services, and a hammam.
Brick paths wind through the gardens to 14 bungalows, 10 suites and 10 ‘tents’ that make up the ‘Berber village’. The bungalows and suites are named for different fruits – Cumquat, Papaya, Lime, and so on – and all are air-conditioned.
Rooms are all furnished in Berber style, the tiled floors scattered with colourful rugs, ornate carved mirrors and furniture, and Moroccan art on the walls. All have detailed, tiled bathrooms, some with sunken tubs and others with over-sized walk-in showers. Behind the bungalows, the ‘tents’ have brick-and-wooden walls, tiled bathrooms and televisions; little different inside to the other rooms. The difference is the secluded pool, and the exterior look, white plastic tent-like covers with Berber motifs.
Terrific-quality food from the restaurant is a fusion of Moroccan and European dishes, from tagines to steak and vegetables or pasta (including a vegetarian menu). Eat either in the dining room or outdoors on the terrace overlooking the gardens. Breakfast and lunch can be ordered as room service (on your secluded patio, if you like), but it’s nicer to dine in the old-fashioned dining room, where the service is great.
Breakfast starts with fresh orange juice – from the fruit-laden trees in the garden – and includes Moroccan pancakes, Berber omelettes, French-style pastries, and eggs cooked to order.
Two suites are suitable for wheelchair access, as are the public areas.
Four suites have connecting rooms suitable for families, and one Berber Village tent is suitable for families. Cots are available on request.
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