Riad Cascades d'Ouzoud

A remote mountain inn, just yards from the plummeting Ouzoud waterfalls, imbued with a spirit of genuine Berber hospitality

After growing up as a pied noir in the north of Morocco, Patrick Lamerie worked as an itinerant architect and interior decorator before leading horseback adventures to some of the planet’s remotest areas. After such a richly textured life he needed to find a place of rare and inspirational beauty to put down roots. Returning to Ouzoud after an absence of nearly 30 years he found the same easy warmth amongst its villagers as he had in his youth. They showed him a crumbling, single storey house just yards from Morocco’s most spectacular waterfalls: his quest was over.

That simple house has grown into a grander, riad-style building yet its red pisé and crenellated kasbah roof slots harmonously into the fabric of the small hamlet of Ouzoud. And inside the house the warmest of embraces awaits: the decoration is colourful and homespun, the welcome effusive yet unfawning. If you’re a lover of mountain culture and in search of that much-touted real Morocco, you can live it right here.

Highs

• One of the most spectacularly situated inns in North Africa
• Bedrooms are cosy and colourful, and their simplicity adds to their charm
• A fabulous roof terrace with soaring views out across the valley
• This is one of the few places in Morocco where you really feel that staff are on an equal footing to the owner
• The riad is a great base for day walks out to the surrounding villages or for longer, more demanding circuits

Lows

• You’re over 1000 metres up in the Atlas foothills where temperatures can plummet during winter. So pack accordingly
• During the holiday season, and at fine weekends, the village and waterfalls get swamped by day-tripping Marrakchis
• Expect a laid-back yet friendly approach from the riad’s Berber staff
• You’re out of internet range in Ouzoud, this is definitely off the beaten track ... perhaps a blessing