Auberge Kasbah Chez Amaliya

Underwhelming. Maybe because it was basically the off season when I stayed (early Septembers) it felt soulless. The pool area was attractive with a lovely backdrop of the hills, but my room (and all those around the pool, I expect) was dark and rather dismal. That wasn’t helped by having to have the main light on to be able to charge devices (odd, I know). The drabness was then on full display. It’s about 4 k outside Tafroute so getting a half-decent, sustaining meal is a bit of a challenge if you’ve had a long drive/are tired from the day. I had dinner once, a depressing mess of couscous topped with a thoroughly mean dollop of stewed onion, about 5 raisins and some dry-as-dust, stringy old chicken. I did my best, but was still really hungry. Breakfast is woeful but seems the norm in hotels etc here. A boiled egg, that insulating foam that’s risibly passed off as cheese (la vache qui rit) and a bunch of almost stale bread, processed industrial jam/honey, orange juice. And where is the fresh fruit? I’ve found Morocco a bit difficult with regards to food! I’m not picky, I like to give things a go, I don’t by any means want chips with everything, but I’ve come across either poor quality, or very short rations. or depressingly often as here, both. And if I see another plate of that chopped-up onion and tomato which is about the least sustaining thing imaginable, but so often comprises a large component of most meals, I go off my head. It’s like there’s a weird food law here: that insufficient, dispiriting breakfast, that bloody salad. I had booked for 4 nights, but having had a mooch around the town and then out to Ait Mansour, felt that there wasn’t much to keep me at such a mediocre establishment so left after 2. I wouldn’t recommend it. There isn’t much to recommend.

This was a return visit after a gap of 11 years and nothing has changed at Auberge Chez Amaliya this is because the manager and owner Liesbeth van Woerden maintains her Auberge beautifully set as it is in the prime site overlooking the famous lions face outline of the Atlas Mountains opposite. We were offered the same room we had been previously, a large room with sittee, sumptuous large double bed and a fabulous view down the valley with the mountains catching both the early morning and evening light. You also have the wonderful benefit for the early morning swimmer that it is precisely 20 seconds from bed to plunging into the swimming pool and back again to a hot shower, in February a little chilly, but still glorious !There are two dining rooms Moroccan and European and there is a reasonable menu of Moroccan food predominately targines. We ate in every evening of our five night stay and enjoyed every meal. The hotel is licensed so there’s beer, wine and spirits and we participated. But we were mainly here for the walking, repeating walks that we done before and new walks all starting directly from the hotel. Liesbeth has produced some excellent photographic walking guides, no text just photographs, you find your way by looking at the photograph and checking it against the landscape, sometimes you get a bit lost, you retrace your steps find your way, it’s no problem you get there in the end. This is a very clever way of providing a guide for visitors with all languages as there is no language, just a visual one. We highly recommend Auberge Chez Amaliya, just to say one detail Liesbeth is open for all comers and that includes dogs and a lot of French are bringing their dogs. When we stayed there were five dogs all well-behaved, no problem, but there could be a problem if the dogs aren’t well-behaved and don’t get on. I’m not sure what Liesbeth does in that situation but you should be aware of this. We shall certainly visit again hopefully sooner than 11 years.