23 Best Hotels in The Great Oasis Valleys, Morocco

Set in the heart of the Palmery amid lush gardens (the owners planted 2,500 different plants), L'Ma Lodge is an exquisite escape from modern life. Rooms are simply decorated using local materials and infused with the owner's considerable sense of style to add the chic factor. There are no TVs or Wi-Fi in the rooms (there is Wi-Fi in the communal areas) as the owners wanted to create the feeling of a haven and place of rest. Adding to the sense of retreat, there is no car noise or pollution, and food is clean, organic, and mostly grown on-site. The lush gardens encourage lingering with hammocks, piles of cushions, and petanque areas around every corner. There are only seven rooms so book early and for a few days for the full effect.

Comprised of just eight tents, this intimate eco-friendly camp is solar-powered and offers vegan-friendly dining options (which can be difficult to find in these parts). The staff are all from local families and welcome any questions that curious guests may have about life in the desert. Come evening, don't be surprised if drinks and music around the fire turn into a full-blown dance party under the stars. Thanks to its small size, Tiziri is an easy place to feel at home and make friends.

This restored pisé home maintains an aura of authenticity thanks to typical architectural features, like carved Berber motifs and ceilings woven from reeds and date palms. Clean, cozy, en suite rooms are simply decorated, and most have a private terrace overlooking the valley with the kasbah in the distance. The warmth of the French-Moroccan hosts makes up for the lack of heating in winter. Book the half-board option as the guesthouse is outside the village.

This handsome eco-lodge is constructed in the typical mud-built style, tastefully mixing African and Moroccan decorative elements and equipped with modern showers and reversible air-conditioning—all of which are solar powered (though somewhat dark). Other environmentally friendly details include natural soaps in the bathrooms and toilets with a water-saving flush option (this is the desert after all). In addition to a pool, the property has a shaded pergola salon and meandering gardens. Meals, which make use of locally grown organic produce, are available for a fixed rate; no alcohol is served, but guests may bring their own. Guided excursions by foot, donkey, camel, or car are also available.

A delightful and original hotel set in the small village of Aït Isoul, Casa Juan offers the best of both worlds here: the palmery and the desert, splendid in their green and gold, but there's not much nearby. Rooms are individually themed and decorated with treasures like rugs, antiques, pottery, and textiles from the host's travels to far-flung places like Rajasthan. Excursions can be arranged from the hotel.

A rustic farmhouse about 7 km (4½ miles) outside Skoura, Chez Talout is worth the trek for its warm welcome, wonderful food, and roof-terrace views across the palmery to Skoura's kasbahs. The rooms are rustic in style, with traditional Amazigh clay and fossil sinks. Excursions to learn more about village crafts, such as pottery and basket weaving, are also available.

Poised on the outskirts of town, Dar Chamaa is a boutique riad that offers a contemporary take on traditional design. Rather small but spotlessly clean rooms are arranged around a cool, central courtyard; their neutral decor palette is punctuated by dark polished tadelakt walls, bright cushions, and modern furnishings. The on-site restaurant is renowned for its excellent food. Outdoors you'll find a gorgeous pool and a garden that overlooks the palm groves flanking the riverbed.

This kasbah and family-run guesthouse marries the traditional craftsmanship of the surrounding Amazigh tribes with the modern amenities discerning visitors expect. Guest rooms are stacked high within the turrets, and several have private salons with poufs, rugs, and low tables. Terraces overlook the steep sides of the valley and make stargazing a must. The excellent and innovative French-Moroccan food prepared in the restaurant is also notable—even if you’re not spending the night, it’s worth stopping in for lunch. The hotel's owner is also a guide and can organize excursions.

For anyone seduced by tales of Glaoui wealth and influence, this 17th-century pasha's courthouse has magisterial appeal. Filled with artifacts from all over Africa, the dark, lantern-lighted courtyard envelops with its dusky grandeur. Rooms are effortlessly chic, with wrought-iron beds, Amazigh rugs, inventive lanterns, and bathrooms as smooth and polished as the service. The hotel can also arrange a variety of excursions, including four-wheel drives, quad biking, mountain biking, camel riding, trekking, and overnight bivouacs.

Hotel Cafe Du Sud provides traditional, simple, and calm desert living with all the luxuries of the modern world such as plentiful hot water and a strong shower. Hand-woven rugs, antique pottery, and fretted ironwork all add to the charm. There's also a pool and restaurant on-site. All tours and overnight desert stays can be booked from here. If you're looking for a more intimate experience, Hotel Cafe Du Sud has a separate private riad that can be booked for exclusive use. It contains four individually designed rooms set in a fabulous location on the dunes.

Part of the Group Xaluca chain, this vast hotel offers high-quality accommodation in a region that generally lacks luxury. The complex was originally built in the 1960s by the Moroccan state-owned hotel company; now revamped, it's kitted out entirely with an African flavor, from printed textiles to dark wooden masks. Facilities include a large pool overlooking the town below, a bar, and a restaurant. Mountain biking and mule trekking can be arranged; the hotel also makes a good base for day hikes in the gorge, although you'll require transportation to reach it. Rates include breakfast, but half-board is recommended as there are few local dining options.

The only luxurious lodging actually in the village of M'hamid is this Spanish-owned kasbah hotel at the edge of the palmery. Named after the camel caravans that once passed through M'hamid, Kasbah Azalay has boldly colored tadelakt rooms with enormous bathrooms finished in traditional tiles. There is a courtyard garden, a roof terrace with expansive views, and a bar serving possibly the last cold beer for miles. The cavernous hammams and huge indoor swimming pool with domed ceiling and mosaic-tiled pillars are architectural wonders worthy of a royal palace.

The aptly named "House of Peace" is tucked away in the palm groves outside Agdz. Built using traditional methods, this 21st-century kasbah is an art-lover's paradise: vivid abstract paintings decorate the walls, eclectic music wafts through the air, and tasteful furnishings lend rooms a genuine Moroccan vibe. The gardens are a delight as well, with aromatic herbs, fruit trees, cool lawns, and shaded seating areas around a swimming pool. There's even a pet donkey if you fancy exploring like a local. You could lose yourself here for a few days just listening to the birdsong and hiking in the Drâa Valley. Guests can order an excellent dinner for 270 DH.

Next to the old kasbah of Tamdaght, the rustic Kasbah Ellouze (Kasbah of Almonds) is brimming with character, though rooms are a bit dated. To find it you have to walk into the heart of this tiny village, which overlooks the Ounila Valley and the almond orchards below—a delight to behold in the spring. Rooms are scattered between terraces and turrets; all have tiled floors, Amazigh rugs, earthen walls, and en suite bathrooms. The inviting restaurant and “Jazz” salon are decorated with photos of the French owner's musical heroes. The property also has a small pool (heated March to October) and several sun terraces.

This gorgeous Moroccan-owned kasbah sits in the heart of the village. Spacious, light-filled rooms feature beautiful wood furniture, pale cream walls with carved decorative motifs, high ceilings, and air-conditioning—ask for one with a terrace, connected by a spiral staircase made of rope. A lovely pool and shaded terrace areas offer opportunities for relaxing, while dining is available at indoor and outdoor restaurants (guests are allowed to bring in their own wine, beer, or other alcohol).

Teetering on the edge of a precipice with stupendous views over the Valley of Roses, Kasbah Itran offers quirky, colorful accommodation inside its high stone walls; tasteful rooms all have open fireplaces (recently modernized to reduce fumes) and are suffused with incense and cinnamon from the kitchen. With its dramatic mountain location and rustic charm, this spot could be compared to the High Atlas's luxe Kasbah du Toubkal—but the similarity ends there: Kasbah Itran is a far more affordable option that attracts arty, independent travelers, yoga groups, and trekkers. The Taghda brothers, whose knowledge of the Rose Valley is legendary, can organize all manner of tours, on foot, four legs, or four wheels. Rates include half-board meal plan.

A popular pit stop on the way to the desert, Kasbah Sirocco has clean, functional rooms; all have air-conditioning, and most have views of the relaxed pool terrace. An atmospheric restaurant with a tented ceiling and fireplace serves standard Moroccan fare at lunch and dinner. As with most places around here, you'll be offered any number of desert expeditions and excursions; afterward, you can relax with a drink at the poolside bar and shaded beer garden.

The most upmarket accommodation in the village, Ksar Ighnda stands on the grounds of an old mud-built ksar—though only the original olive trees remain in the garden near the pool. The hotel has excellent facilities including a hammam and spa, a funkily designed bar (also open to the public), a restaurant, and a huge function room. The rooms and suites all combine traditional features, such as date-palm ceilings and tadelakt walls, with modern Moroccan furnishings.

Styling itself as a "maison de repos" (house of rest), this restored farmhouse casts such a spell over guests that many of them find it difficult to leave, staying on for days in its warm, lazy embrace. The laid-back feel disguises an incredible attention to detail; each room and suite was individually designed. All have heating/cooling systems, and suites have fireplaces as well. Extensive gardens, dotted with the odd hammock and Amazigh tent, offer unlimited distraction for younger visitors, while for adults doing nothing has rarely felt so good. The rate includes breakfast; delicious evening meals are also available.

Influenced by the fashionable interiors of Marrakesh's hip riads, Riad Caravane has stylish rooms, a roof terrace looking out to the kasbah, and a small dipping pool. There is plenty of local charm in the traditional furnishings and architecture, yet features like beige tadelakt flooring, quality bed linens in neutral tones, and woven basket lampshades lend a welcome air of casual elegance.

Originally built as a family home, this rambling three-story riad is full of over-the-top Moroccan decor, with stucco plasterwork, colorful mosaic tiling, ornate ceilings, and antique furnishings competing for attention. Ten spacious, air-conditioned guest rooms have wrought-iron beds topped with quality linens; some have a private terrace overlooking the pretty pool and garden. There are plenty of communal spaces for relaxing, including a bar.

Opened in 2013 by the Annam brothers from Merzouga, Riad Madu is a cut above the other Saharan inns dotting the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes, showcasing the brothers’ experience in the European tourism and hospitality sectors—good English is spoken, guests are greeted warmly, and attention to detail is evident throughout. Thanks to features such as woven ceilings, arched doorways, and earth-built pisé walls, the riad's aesthetic is tastefully traditional; however, the warm shades chosen for the tadelakt interiors and touches like recessed lighting in the stairwells add contemporary flair. The property also includes a pool, a library, and a Moroccan salon with a restaurant.

This desert oasis is decorated in the style of Saharan kasbahs and adorned with stunning tilework and handwoven carpets. There's also a pool on-site. Many guests opt to book a night at Riad Serai's camp, Caravanserai, in order to experience both the desert village and the dunes. Transfer between the two is provided free of charge.