Set serenely on a hilltop in the red-earth foothills of the Atlas Mountains, this smart, purpose-built hotel is in the fortified style of a kasbah. Highlights include superlative views in all directions, immaculate oasis-like gardens, an impressively large swimming pool and guided local walks.
A very peaceful spot, overlooking a pre-industrial landscape of russet fields, swathes of olive groves and ochre villages, with the dramatic peaks of the High Atlas (covered in snow for much of the year) in the distance to the south. Exploring the immediate environs on foot is highly recommended, but most places of interest are a drive away. It’s about 45 minutes by car to the centre of Marrakech and about the same journey time up to Imlil, the main starting point for serious hikes up into the Atlas Mountains.
The red sandstone hotel, perched on a hilltop, is a head-turning sight. Low-rise buildings flank one side of expansive and pristine gardens, dotted with cypress, fig and palm trees, and spread out with neat, colour-filled flower beds and springy lawns. The tranquillity is the perfect antidote to the intensity of city life in Marrakech. Chirping crickets, bleating sheep and the muezzin’s call to prayer in a nearby village are as disturbing as it gets.
Kasbah Angour has been designed and built by Paul Foulsham. The engaging Englishman lives in a house on the property, and is very involved in the day-to-day running of the hotel. Most of the staff are from the nearby villages, and are very obliging and friendly. In the hot summer months, the daytime focus is the big and smart rectangular swimming pool and the sun loungers alongside; the pool isn’t heated, so is usually chilly in the winter. There’s also table tennis and a shop stocked with local pottery, woodwork and olive oil.
The hotel can arrange a broad selection of excursions, including trips to Marrakech and hikes in the mountains to suit all levels of fitness. I went on a memorable walk directly from the hotel with an great local guide, wandering through olive groves, scented eucalyptus and pine woods, meeting farmers with donkeys and visiting classic Berber villages.
There are 25 attractive bedrooms, with Moroccan rugs on terracotta floors, shuttered windows and ceilings in a classic Berber style, with eucalyptus beams and reeds. Good-sized bathrooms mostly have showers over tubs. Standard Assif rooms have terraces looking out over the river valley, and in that respect are more appealing than Superior Adrar rooms, whose terraces overlook the hotel’s gardens and are less secluded. There are also spacious suites in three little towers that have sofa beds and are good for families. If you want tea- and coffee-making facilities you need to ask.
In summer you dine on a delightful terrace dripping in white bougainvillea and overlooking the gardens. In winter, in the evenings you may be inside in a large and somewhat soulless dining room, or in the more characterful bar/café, which has stone walls and pillars and a vaulted ceiling.
Guests tend to eat at the hotel most nights because there aren’t any appealing alternatives nearby. You need to choose in the afternoon what you want from the fixed-price, three-course menu (MAD 245/£20). The Moroccan-Mediterranean food is pretty good, and portions generous. I enjoyed a courgette tart, kefta (meatball) tagine and honey-drizzled cake to finish. Breakfast high points include freshly squeezed orange juice, beghrir (Moroccan pancakes) and Berber-style fried eggs with cumin and tomatoes. The hotel’s kitchen garden supplies some of the veg.
There are no adapted rooms but most public areas and ground-floor rooms are wheelchair-accessible.
Yes. Superior rooms can sleep up to three and the suites four, with no extra charge for guests aged under 12. The swimming pool is a big draw, and the hotel has lots of ideas for family-friendly things to do in the area, including zip-wiring in a nearby adventure park and trekking in the mountains (a mule can be arranged).
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