Review of Chez Pierre, by Joanna Monkhouse

Tucked away an hour or so up the Dades Valley in Morocco, keen holiday-makers will find Chez Pierre, a small boutique hotel run by a Belgian who has lived in the area for the past decade. The surrounding area is popular with trekkers and features some hair-raising hairpin bends on the road that winds up through the gorge. Chez Pierre welcomes children, and yet remains a romantic location for those without.

The facilities

The shining star of Chez Pierre is its restaurant. Not only is it seriously good, but to find such delicacies so elegantly served and so far from ready supplies is a surprise that only adds to the wonder. What they achieve is well worth the six hour journey from Marrakech and merits at least a couple of nights.

The boutique hotel has some spectacular, sweet-smelling terraced gardens - many of the herbs used in the kitchen are grown there. A dark blue pool at the top offers more stunning views and an invigorating dip.

The rooms

Chez Pierre's ten rooms rooms are clean and simple with wooden furniture. The main feature of each is the private terrace, with views of the spectacular landscape. Each room has a large ensuite shower, some featuring sparkling hand-beaten brass basins and taps.