Hotels near Azrou Melloul West Bank, Al Haouz

If I could give this place 7 stars out of 5, I would. This riad was a highlight of our trip - not only is the guesthouse itself perfect, but more importantly, the family running it are so kind, authentic and helpful, that you immediately feel it is a home away from home. The riad is fantastically located with panoramic views of the valley and the surrounding mountains including the Jebek Toubkal, the tallest mountain in North Africa. The rooms all have wonderful details like a few items of Berber clothing for you to try on either to keep warm or simply for fun and plaster decoration on the ceiling. They are quiet, clean and comfortable with showers with excellent water pressure and hot water. The food is excellent and served in a dining room draped with Berber rugs and surrounded by delictately carved wooden furniture, with the panoramic view of the mountains. We also enjoyed chatting with other guests here. Most importantly, the manager Rashid is a kind and energetic soul who will go above and beyond to ensure you have a great trip. We arrived late on the first day, after a long drive, and he showed up in the village centre to help us navigate the rickety road to get to the guesthouse; he managed to sort out rooms for us when we booked super last minute and theoretically the guesthouse was all booked up (including arranging one at his uncle's place next door); he organized a guided trek up Toubkal for us with a great guide (Hassan) for a reasonable price; he lent us a sleeping bag and gloves for the trip, at no extra cost; and he spent time chatting with us, in a way that made us feel like friends, not clients, and gave us a great insight into local life. His niece, Bouchra (apologies if the spelling is wrong, I should have asked how to spell it!), who helps him run the guesthouse was also an absolute star - thanks to both of you! Staying with you was really special.

It’s important to appreciate that a riad is not a hotel - so expectations should be different, and might not suit everyone. That said - we loved it. We perhaps weren’t the normal hiking/walking guests that wanted to soak up the trails and climbing, instead we loved to just sit on the terrace high above the town of Imlil and listen to the sounds of the town and enjoy the ample sunshine from dawn to dusk. Time passed quickly between a wonderful breakfast each morning, reading and chatting through to an excellent evening meal of salad/soup, meatball/beef/chicken tagine, with a big bowl of fruit to finish. We were well fed and didn’t feel the need for lunch on the 3 days that we were there. Water was freely available through a filter tap in the main dining room. There were good comms with the riad before the visit to organise transit from the airport. The leanings that I would pass on are; Think about having a night or two in Marrakesh before or after the visit to Imlil, the hotel were very able in organising the local taxis to both collect and drop at the airport or city. We weren’t there for any tours or experiences - but these can be easily arranged with the riad direct. I think I would probably ask what was available before arriving if I visit again. The transit arranged through the riad was local and so knew to drop us off on the road above the property - so it was only a few steps down to the riad, as opposed to lugging any luggage up from the town of Imlil. The staff were all very pleasant and easy to chat with. Lastly we booked through BA holidays.