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DAR AHLAM SKOURA |
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PALMERAIE DE SKOURA, OUARZAZATE , MOROCCO
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Dar Ahlam means 'House of Dreams' and even before entering the lantern-lit courtyard guests will swoon at the sight of this extravagantly renovated 19th-century kasbah. Hidden from view on a dusty road between the Atlas mountains and the desert, it is the brainchild of Parisian events entrepreneur Thierry Teyssier. Each of the sumptuous suites has been decorated differently, making creative use of unusual antiques, silk drapes and a palette of soft mauve, deep purple, raspberry-pink and pistachio-green. The spacious bathrooms are stocked with almost-edible bars of spicy cinnamon soaps and an exclusive range of fragrant oils is available from the perfume salon downstairs. The Parisian landscape architect Louis Benech was in charge of the gardens where you'll find a heated, T-shaped stone pool surrounded by date palms and olive trees, outdoor massage tents and a mosaic Jacuzzi and hammam. The menu was devised by creative chef Fréderick Grasser-Hermé and pastry guru Pierre Hermé, whose rose macaroons are heavenly. Dar Ahlam's guide, Abde Samad, knows every secret of the region's kasbah trail and offers sunrise Champagne picnics to the Valley of Roses and four-wheel-drive desert outings for stargazers.
WHEN TO GO
September to April, before the heat wave
WHICH ROOM TO BOOK
The Chabnam ('Morning Dew') with its huge private terrace, or the sensual Samsara
CONTACT
Dar Ahlam, Palmeraie de Skoura, Ouarzazate (00 212 4485 2239/00 33 1 5363 4230; fax: 5363 4240). Doubles from €760 all-inclusive
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