7 bedrooms
Main house (4 bedrooms):
Master bedroom with a Savoir king size bed, dressing room, en suite bathroom and private terrace
3 double bedrooms, each with a Savoir king size bed, dressing room and an en suite bathroom leading onto the terrace
There are fireplaces in 3 of the bedrooms
Large sitting room with fireplace
Huge kitchen
Laundry
Snug TV room with fireplace
Guest loo
The main terrace has a large outdoor fireplace
Moroccan internal courtyard with fountain
Huge rooftop terrace with large outdoor fireplace
Guest house (3 bedrooms):
2 double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms
1 twin bedroom with en suite
2 bedrooms have fireplaces
Sitting room
Kitchen
Guest loo
Pool House
Bathroom
Drinks room
Swimming pool (15 x 5m) (can be heated, payable locally)
Shared tennis court
Tennis rackets and balls
Several areas for alfresco dining
Roof terrace with fireplace for sunset drinks
Table tennis
Croquet
2 massage tables
Air conditioning in all bedrooms
Fans in all rooms
Underfloor heating in main house
Radiators in guest house
Wifi (hi speed throughout)
TV/Netflix/ESPN (no sky)
DVD player and DVDs
Large book collection
Games
Bridge table
Music/iPod dock
Safes and hair dryers in all rooms
The house was designed by leading Moroccan architect, Karim el Atchak
3 acres of gardens designed by Luciano Guibbelei (twice gold winner at Chelsea 2009 & 2011)
Stunning views to the Atlas mountains
Please note that it is very expensive to heat the pool but this can be arranged and must be paid for locally. We can advise.
There are two very gentle resident dogs who can be put away if guests require.
3 full-time house staff (including cook and butler) 2 staff live on site
2 full time gardeners
Pool guy daily
24 hr gatekeeper
The concierge/housekeeper comes in daily – speaks English, French and Arabic and is available to drive and has a huge local knowledge with suggestions of what to do and see.
A car with driver can be booked.
Full-time cook is included in the cost of the house. Menus are available and all food and drink is payable locally.
Shopping will be done by the staff and receipts produced.
The staff work from 8.30 am until after supper is served with some time off during the day.
Dar Ourika is in the fashionable Ourika Valley
Marrakech is 14km
Golf courses & Luxury Spas are within 25 minutes drive
High Atlas Mountains are a 20 minutes drive, offering walking and trekking
Essaouira and Qualida beaches are a 3hr drive on the Atlantic coast
Fly to Marrakech from London and some regional airports
Dar Ourika is 25 minutes from the airport & we will organise transfers
A car can be arranged for your stay
Morocco is a country with a truly diverse society. It is a point of convergence for African, Arab and Mediterranean cultures where ancient mosques, crowded souks, and workshops of skilled craftsmen sit side by side with trendy maisons d’hote, candlelit restaurants, and alfresco cafes.
Dar Ourika is situated in the Ourika valley, located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. As well as the unspoilt beauty of the splendid valley, visitors can enjoy the large Monday Berber market at the nearby town of Tnine Ourika or call at some of the farms that grow herbs and flowers in the valley for the perfumiers and herbalists who sell a wide variety of exotic perfumes in the Medina.
The villa is an easy drive from the ancient city of Marrakech. The dusty pink-walled Medina is home to a multitude of emporia and the ’old city’ will keep shopaholics busy for days. Even non-shoppers will be amazed by the colour, diversity and vibrancy surrounding the souks. The nightlife in Marrakech is both chic and sexy – fabulous nightclubs, delicious street food and souks.
Do as the Moroccans do and take some time out during your day to sit down at a waterside cafe in the nearby village of Arhbalou. This is an ideal place for those seeking cooler air during Marrakech’s long hot season.
A variety of sporting and leisure activities are available to the visitor. More courageous and experienced walkers may embark on climbing the Mount Toubkal, whose peak is almost as high as that of the Mont Blanc, or may seek the famous rock carvings of the Djebel Yagour.
We knew we had found something pretty special when we first saw the photographs of this house but nothing prepared us for what awaited.
This house is “off the scale” beautiful, two beautiful buildings which create a stylish home set in a huge garden. The houses are filled with stunning pieces of furniture, deliciously decorated with sympathetic textiles and local carpets. A sense of calm pervades the house with bedrooms tastefully decorated in gentle greens and blues, bathrooms have the most beautiful antique Moroccan lamps and hand made furniture.
The sense of space and luxury is apparent as soon as you walk into this glorious house with large bedrooms and Morrocan tiled bathrooms, a vast sitting room with large fireplace, filled with antiques and huge comfy sofas and chairs. While away the hours reading one of the many coffee table books enjoying glorious views across the valley to the snow-capped mountains beyond.
The 3 acre garden (designed by Chelsea gold winning designer) is teeming with stunning detail: stunning design with modern sculpture, beautiful grasses planted in contemporary squares & ancient olive trees. The roses are to die for, the bushes are heaving with the flowers, some of which the staff use to fill the house.
The pool area is fabulous – comfortable wooden beds surround pale blue water, a table tennis table in the shade near the clay tennis court only adds to the thousand things you could do.
The main house and guest house complement each other perfectly, each has a sitting room and kitchen as well as lovely shaded seating in the garden.
The owners have taken huge care to keep the house Moroccan in style with compromising in any way on comfort. The roof terrace has glorious Moroccan rugs and comfortable leather low seating, sit on the large terrace with a cold glass of white wine while the evening sun disappears into the distance.
