Right on trend, a homely private house that offers hotel-style service to guests, including all meals. Built by renowned landscape architects Eric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières, Riad Dar Louisa will appeal to those looking for a comfortable yet authentic and sustainable Moroccan experience at very affordable prices.
Encircled by stunning red mud walls, the old trading town of Taroudant lies in the fertile Souss valley between the High and Anti Atlas mountains. Like much larger (and newer) Marrakech – Taroudant is known as Little Marrakech – it has old city, Arab and Berber souks, and a tree-shaded main square enlivened by storytellers, healers and musicians, but a much quieter and more easy-going vibe. Dar Louisa is hidden down a quiet back alley, about a 10-minute walk from the centre of town; you could return by horse-drawn calèche (a low-wheeled carriage).
From the street, there is no hint of the impressive size and elegance of the house within, whose three sides look down on a verdant courtyard with central pool large and deep enough to swim. Built using the classic Moroccan method of rammed earth, the house is attractively faced in brick, with long windows adding grandeur and elegance. Soulless, as some hotels can be, it is not: created by its English owner Louise, this is a homely, much loved house, filled with locally bought furniture and objects, as well as books, CDs and pictures. There is a cosy firelit sitting room for cooler evenings, a dining room hung with the lining of a Berber tent and two suntrap roof terraces with loungers, sofas, tables and chairs as well as a feature wall of plants in terracotta pots.
Smiling Mohammed, who speaks both French and English, looks after the house and guests, serving meals and drinks, making up rooms in the morning and, for a small fee, guiding to the two souks and to Aladdin’s Treasure, an old noble riad filled with beautiful Moroccan antiques and objects. His sister Fatima is the great chef, whose creations desubtle the eye with their delightful presentation and the palette with their original Moroccan taste. She is also a qualified masseuse (there is a small massage room) and presides over the in-house hammam for another original Moroccan experience.
There are four bedrooms, each different: three double and one suite with two separate sleeping areas, so that the house can accommodate up to ten. The two principal rooms are spacious; three rooms have baths, one has a shower. Bathrooms could do with a little updating. Storage space is plentiful and toiletries are provided.
The day begins with breakfast of tea and coffee (with frothy hot milk), fruit salad and yogurt, pancakes, eggs and bread. Everything that is produced by Fatima is home-made, even the jams. Lunch in the courtyard might be grilled chicken skewers with tabbouleh or shellfish and a salad medley, perhaps presented in the shape of triangles, cubes or circles, with fresh fruit in various guises to follow. Dinner might be homemade soup followed by baked, stuffed fish or classic chicken couscous. There is no choice, but dietary requirements are taken in to consideration. Spirits, wines and beers are all available.
Not suitable.
The house is well suited to children, with a suite equipped with sitting area, television and two small separate bedrooms that could accommodate up to four.
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