Douar Samra
near Imlil, Morocco
A small and colourful guesthouse in one of the highest villages of the mighty Toubkal Massif, imbued with the warmth and vitality of its remarkable owner
From the fertile Ourika valley, a winding road cuts east through a
steep-sided gorge to emerge in a rocky ampitheatre at the base of
towering Toubkal Massif. The stone and pisé villages
that cling to the mountainsides have become one with the landscape.
Tamartet is the highest, almost 2000m above sea level, and at the
heart of this cluster of red-earth buildings Douar Samra awaits
you, as remarkable as its surroundings are wildly beautiful.
Jacqueline fell under the mountains' spell many years ago. A
committed conservationist, she restored and expanded this village
douar (house) using only traditional methods and materials,
working with the villagers, letting them tell her how 'things are
done'. She filled her creation with Berber warmth: bright cushions
and blankets, candles rather than light bulbs, the aromas of
Moroccan cuisine wafting out from a tiny kitchen and an authentic
beldi hammam. There's no better trekking base, but if you
prefer exploring with your eyes rather than your feet, the lofty
roof terrace is an amazing platform to drink it all in.
Reviewed by Guy Hunter Watts
Last updated 11 November 2011
Highs
- You could hardly get much higher: you feel like you can reach out and touch the surrounding peaks
- Antithesis to the off-the-peg hotel, a place where ‘care’ comes before ‘profit’ and each guest is welcomed as family, in true Berber tradition
- One of the most beautiful areas of the High Atlas and at the centre of some of the region's finest trekking country, yet only 1 hour by car from Marrakech
- Jacqueline has decorated her home with warmth and colour, always looking locally for inspiration
- The best of Moroccan food prepared by your ever-smiling Berber hosts
- Although only a mile or so away from busy Imlil (the centre for organised Atlas treks), Tamartet remains remote and unspoiled
- A new treehouse for 2 - the first of its kind in Morocco
Lows
- The track up from Imlil makes for a tricky ride in anything other than 4x4 vehicles. It's best, and also great fun, to arrive by donkey
- It's not for the anti-social - people tend to share meals and conversation with fellow guests
- Some bedrooms are quite small with low ceilings. But the feel is cosy rather than claustrophobic
- Electricity is confined to the kitchen and a few bedrooms, so if you want mod cons, look elsewhere
