Sleeping in Ouarzazate means choosing between the town, practical for the studios and Kasbah Taourirt, and the surrounding villages, quieter, where guesthouses have gardens and rooftops. Here is our selection, in full transparency: Riad Chay, which houses our restaurant, opens the list.

1. Riad Chay, Tifoultoute

A house built the way they are built here: thick walls, a central patio, a garden behind, a rooftop terrace facing the kasbah of Tifoultoute. The rooms look onto the patio or the trees. La Table du Berbère serves dinner inside the house, which settles the evening question: you come downstairs and your menu is waiting. It is our house, and we say so.

2. The riads of the town centre

Around Kasbah Taourirt, several restored riads offer the comfort of a traditional house a few steps from the cafés and the studios. Ideal for a stop without a car.

3. The guesthouses of the Skoura palm grove

Forty minutes east, the Skoura palm grove shelters guesthouses among palms and kasbahs. Further, quieter, perfect for a second night.

4. The kasbahs of Aït Ben Haddou

To sleep facing the UNESCO listed ksar, a few guesthouses sit on the other side of the river. Sunrise on the earthen walls is worth the night there.

5. The hotels on the lake shore

On the shore of Lake El Mansour Eddahbi, larger hotels with pools and water views, for those who want space rather than intimacy.

How to choose

One night only? Stay in town or in Tifoultoute, ten minutes away, to enjoy the evening without driving. Two nights or more? Alternate: one night near Ouarzazate, one in Skoura or Aït Ben Haddou.

Heading to the dunes next? See eating in Ouarzazate before the desert.