# Dar al Hossoun An 18-room rammed-earth house built in the middle of a garden of nearly 900 arid-zone plant varieties, a few minutes from the ramparts of Taroudant. For couples, families and garden lovers who want to settle in for a few nights in the Souss. Source : https://sabaro-travel.com/en/hotels/dar-al-hossoun/ ## A garden first At Dar al Hossoun, the garden came before the house. The land, a few minutes from the medina ramparts among fields and olive groves, first belonged to the landscape architects Éric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières. On their travels through the world's deserts and arid zones, they brought back rare plants, some of them unique in any collection or on the African continent, and grew them here: nearly 900 varieties today. You walk among agaves, aloes, kalanchoes, euphorbias and opuntias (prickly pears), alongside palms, olive and argan trees. The garden also serves as an experimental and conservation garden for endangered plants, and the collection is managed ecologically. In the Orchard grows a collection of rare citrus: bitter oranges, beldi lemons, finger limes and kaffir limes. Lower down, the sunken garden fills the hollow left by the earth dug out to raise the walls. Peacocks, tortoises and chameleons live there. The garden is open to resident guests only. For plant lovers, it is the reason to choose this house over any other in Taroudant. ## Earth walls, three quarters The walls were raised by local craftsmen using pisé, rammed earth packed between wooden forms, which stays cool when the southern heat sets in. Wood, stone, pottery and beldi (traditional, handcrafted) furniture complete the decor. The house's name evokes beauty in Arabic; a family home before it opened to guests, it has kept that spirit: secluded lounges, shaded benches, corners to settle into without being hurried. The owners, settled in Taroudant since 2009, are happy to share their knowledge of the region on excursions. Nearly forty people work here. The eighteen rooms and suites are spread across three connected areas: Al Hossoun, around the main garden courtyard, the citrus orchard, and Al Borj. Some are close to the lounges and the dining areas, others more secluded in the gardens. How to choose: - **For two, in peace**: one of the eight garden rooms, 30 to 35 m², opening straight onto the outdoors. - **As a family with one child**: one of the six junior suites, 40 to 50 m², with a sitting area, scattered through the gardens, for three people. - **For a long stay**: one of the four deluxe suites, 100 m², on the ground or first floor, with a 50 m² private terrace or a second bedroom depending on the suite. - **As a large group**: the Dar al Ahbab villa ("house of friends"), 380 m² for eight to ten people: four bedrooms, three iwans (open lounges), a 10 m by 3 m pool and nearly 2,500 m² of dry gardens around it. Every room has a fireplace and reversible air conditioning, one useful in winter, the other in summer. ## Swim, eat, do nothing The house has two pools. The swimming pool is 30 m long and 1.25 m deep, lined with palms and cacti: a proper lane for swimmers. The palm-garden pool, more intimate and 1.45 m deep, is heated in winter to up to 30 °C. The restaurant, under the name Les Jardins de Taroudant, is open every day, all year round, to resident guests and to visitors coming for a meal. The menu, renewed each season and entirely homemade, combines Moroccan dishes (beef tangia, seffa medfouna, tagines and couscous) with the chef's Japanese-inflected plates, such as tuna tataki. Meals are served in the dining room, under the pergola, on the terraces or on the roof; a wine and cocktail list accompanies dinner, and a short poolside menu is served in the afternoon. To keep the place quiet, the house does not serve drinks or coffee to visitors who are not having lunch or dinner. The spa has a large hammam and massage rooms. The house recommends the hammam, scrub and Berber massage trio, with organic argan and grapeseed oils, lasting about two hours, and offers massages for two. ## Getting out Excursions are private, with a guide from the house, from two people: - **Taroudant by horse-drawn carriage**, three to four hours: along the Ouaar river, then the ramparts, the gates, the kasbah and the souk on foot. The same loop can be done by bike in about 2 h 30, preferably in the morning. - **The Tioute palm grove**, five hours, with a Berber lunch in a nomad tent: 13 hectares and more than 20,000 palm trees, seven hamlets and some 300 families who live from the oasis. - **The igoudar road**, seven to eight hours in the Anti-Atlas, to see fortified communal granaries more than 700 years old, opened by their keeper, followed by lunch at the kasbah of Tizourgane. - **The citron valley**, six hours including 2 h 30 of walking on a mule track, at the bottom of a canyon where citrons have been grown for more than 2,000 years. The Claudio Bravo palace museum, a day towards Agadir and Taghazout beach, or a quad-bike ride complete the list. ## Sabaro's view **Who it suits**: couples, families and friends looking for peace and gardens; botany enthusiasts. **Strengths**: a collector's garden reserved for guests; a 30 m pool for swimming; a restaurant open every day; excursions guided by the house; a 4.9/5 rating on Tripadvisor. **Good to know**: the house is outside the medina, which you reach by taxi; it also hosts weddings, seminars and retreats, for up to 54 overnight guests, and can then be booked exclusively; a 50% deposit is required on booking. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the cancellation policy? A 50% deposit is required on booking; cancellation is free up to 45 days before arrival, the deposit is forfeited between 45 and 15 days, and the full stay is charged within 15 days. ### Are pets allowed? The house's terms of sale require guests' pets (dogs, cats) to be kept on a lead at all times. ### Can you visit the gardens or have a drink without staying? No: garden visits are for resident guests only, and the house welcomes outside visitors only for lunch or dinner at the restaurant. ### Can you swim in winter? Yes: the palm-garden pool is heated in winter to up to 30 °C.