L’Oasis De L’Orhann by Joanna Monkhouse

A short drive from Essaouira and the coast, near the one-horse town of Ounara, is l’Oasis de l’Orhann, a charming maison d’hôtes run by a friendly French/Moroccan couple, who converted and extended the small Berber farmhouse. Accommodation, arranged around the sunny courtyard, is simple, with whitewashed walls, pretty blue and white tiles, rush matting and concrete bed bases. The former stables now house two rooms with ensuite shower rooms (hot water but low pressure). The traditional Berber room was the only one used by the previous occupants and is cool due to its thick walls and lack of windows. This room shares washing facilities either with one of the stable rooms or alternatively one of the two shower rooms in the block built for the real attraction of l’Oasis de l’Orhann - the two Berber style tents. Here you can enjoy outdoor life without forgoing modern conveniences. Françoise, the Brigitte Bardot-esque hostess, has a menagerie of animals - dogs, cats, a donkey and a horse, Orhann, after whom the house is named. Moroccan cuisine is served in a further tent, round a low table and lit by candlelight as l’Oasis d’Orhann is still without electricity.