Dar Ahlam by Gemma Pitcher

The boutique hotel Dar Ahlam is a towering red-brick fortress, tucked out of sight on the dusty road toward the Sahara desert in Morocco. The name means ‘House of Dreams’, and the property stands in an oasis that once formed part of a medieval sultan’s private hunting ground.

Dar Ahlam can arrange any number of activities – alfresco breakfast, lunch or dinner, champagne picnics in the Valley of Roses, and trips into the desert via horse, camel, mule, jeep or even a hot air balloon ride.

The facilities

The boutique hotel has sumptuous cuisine offer in the restaurant, cooked up by two top French chefs. Dar Ahlam also has a heated T-shaped stone swimming pool under the walls, and a Jacuzzi and Turkish (or Moroccan) bath. For indolent pampering, there’s Thai massages or Moroccan mud scrubs.

The rooms

Dar Ahlam has eight suites, and three private villas stand in the grounds. Every tiny detail has been immaculately styled by a meticulous team of Parisians, resulting in an interior that’s softly stylish and neutral rather than ornately Moroccan.

Colours are mostly rusty reds to match the building itself, or sedate cream and beige. Exquisite toiletries are in the bathrooms and also sold in Dar Ahlam’s boutique.