The Rose House - fabulous Berber house in the High Atlas

The Rose House is in the small village of Ait Oudinar, a magical location half-way up the Dades Valley in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, with lovely views of the mountains and lush green valley below.

The house has:
- 1 double bedroom with a king-sized bed and ensuite bathroom
- 1 double bedroom with standard double bed
- 1 twin bedroom.
The standard double and twin rooms share a large bathroom, which is being refitted in summer 2024 with a walk-in shower instead of a bathtub. (New photos will be posted when this is finished.)

All bedrooms have plenty of wardrobe space and shelving to store clothes, and there is a hairdryer in each room.
(There is also a study with a double futon bed, but as the room doesn`t have a door, it is only suitable for teenagers or young adults who don`t mind that.)

Downstairs there is:
- a large double lounge
- a cosy winter lounge with a fireplace for log fires
- a large dining room (seats up to 8 people) next to:
- a fitted kitchen (with calor gas stove, fridge freezer, ample cooking and BBQ equipment but no oven)
- a large hallway
- a WC/utility room with an automatic washing machine, iron and ironing board. There isn`t a drier, but there is a washing line on the roof terrace, clothes dry in about an hour when the sun is up!

One of the loveliest features of the house is the large roof terrace with gorgeous views of the valley and the mountains and a built in barbecue, faces west for sunsets, has atmospheric lighting for romantic evenings, and a magnificent view of the stars at night!

The house is built of earth, and was completely renovated in 2008-9. It is unique and very beautiful, decorated with artworks by local artisans, and our friends in the village will give you the warmest welcome and help you plan outings to explore the region. We have made almost 50 home exchanges on other sites, and our friends and family and our previous home exchangers have loved the fact that their stay has been a wonderful cultural experience, in addition to the mountain scenery and the house itself.

A house-keeping service can be provided for 200Dh (about £17) per day whenever required.

The Rose House is in a remote area of Africa (!), so the infrastructure can occasionally be a little unreliable. If there is a problem at the house (which is rare), our friends run a hotel locally and can always send someone to fix it. From time to time, the mains electricity or water are cut off for maintenance on Sunday mornings, but we will try to make sure you get advance notice of this if possible. Also the main battle in Morocco is against the dust, and you will find that some of the tiling has become stained a bit red over the years, but we can assure you the house will have been thoroughly cleaned before your arrival.

Access is via a somewhat steep path and steps, and there are stairs in the house, so unfortunately it is not accessible for people with restricted mobility.

There is a fan over the bed in the main bedroom, but there is no air conditioning for the hot summer months (late June, July and August). There are electric radiators for heating in winter. However, an earth-built house is very well insulated, and stays cooler in the summer and warmer in winter than a brick or concrete house.

Please note that, as there is no commercial cleaning company to service the house, we pay neighbours to do it, so we are not open to 1-night stays using the Rose House just as a stopover. The house is more suited to visitors who want to stay a few nights and engage with the local culture.

Also we do ask visitors to take care not to damage the walls or let water overflow. Due to the nature of the house, it isn`t suitable for small children either. The Rose House has lots of very beautiful lamps, but we ask that you remember to turn them off when not needed to save electricity.

About the location

The Dades Valley is a very beautiful region in the High Atlas of Morocco. From airports it is:
- 2.5 hours from Ouarzazate Airport
- a full day`s journey from Marrakech or Agadir airports
- 2 days` journey via the Sahara Desert from Fes Airport.
We always enjoy helping visitors plan their stay and often their whole trip to Morocco - we can give lots of help and advice if you want to do some touring there as well and can recommend the best agency to work with.

It is a great base to explore the majestic landscapes of the High Atlas, including the famous "Monkey`s Fingers" rock formations, the gorges and canyons of the upper Dades Valley, the Valley of the Roses, the M`Goun Gorges, the Todhra Gorge etc. It`s fantastic for hiking, there are brilliant expert local guides (it`s impossible to do much hiking on your own as there are no maps or guide books for the area, but most guides speak very good English and French, and will tell you so much about nature and culture in the area). It`s easy to arrange this through our friends there.

The Rose House is also only half a day`s journey from the Erg Chebbi dunes, the highest dunes in the Sahara Desert, and our friends can arrange an excursion there to stay at one of the camps, go camel riding etc.

But the best thing (in our opinion!) is that you will be treated with incredible hospitality by our friends and neighbours, and have the opportunity to meet local people and immerse yourself in Berber culture.

Visitors to the Rose House are also welcome to use the swimming pools at the Eden Boutique Hotel in the village of Tamellalt, and enjoy its lovely gardens, for free. Eden is the only 5* hotel in the whole region, and it is owned by our best friends. It has a fabulous fine dining restaurant and a lovely hammam spa too, and offers Moroccan cookery lessons. They serve alcohol. We highly recommend you have at least one special dinner there! It`s 15 minutes drive from the Rose House, a transfer can always be arranged if you don`t have your own car.

There are several small auberges with restaurants within walking distance of the Rose House, it`s best to let them know by lunchtime (or the day before) if you want to dine.

There are small grocery shops selling basics in Ait Oudinar and the villages either side. Market day at the next village down the valley, Ait Idir, is on Sunday mornings. Main shops, banks, excellent doctor etc are in the town of Boumalne Dades at the bottom of the Dades Valley (30 mins drive), market day there is Wednesday morning. And there is a fantastic traditional country market at the very top of the Dades Valley (a spectacular drive!) on Saturday mornings - not to be missed if you are there when it`s on!

It`s not possible to buy alcohol in the area, but if you would like to have some at the house, our friends can buy it and leave it there for you, and you can pay them when you get there. Moroccan wine is very nice, and Casablanca beer is very refreshing.

Conditions of exchange

Facilities

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