INNRESORTINN, CAMPINGINNRESORTMAISON D’HÔTESviews.
Ryad Amazir $$
Offline map ( 0535 57 72 03; http://amazir.merzouga.free.fr; per person incl half-board
Dh200-300; ) Where crowds thin out and dunes take over, you’ll find this naturally pleasing
18-room inn. The walls are pisé, the garden organic, and dune views from seven terrace rooms
phenomenal. Since the location is isolated, there’s no light or traffic to interrupt stargazing.
There’s no pool – with an ocean of sand out front to explore, you won’t miss it.
Kasbah Mohayut $$$
Offline map ( 0666 03 91 85; www.mohayut.com; d/ste per person half-board Dh350/450; )
Find your niche in sculpted- tadelakt guest rooms, in the shade by a small pool, or on the roof
overlooking the dunes. Canopied beds, Berber rugs and tataoui ceilings add charm; angle for
one with a fireplace. Four suites have windows on the dunes, including a family room with
sleeping loft and private deck.
Auberge Camping Sahara $
Offline map ( 0535 57 70 39; www.aubergesahara.com; d per person incl half-board Dh200-300, terrace camping per person Dh25; ) Twenty basic, spotless rooms with en-suite
bathrooms in a friendly Tuareg-run place with a pool, backing right onto the dunes at the
southernmost end of the village. Four rooms feature dune views and air-con.
Kasbah Sable d’Or $
Offline map (Chez Isabelle & Rachid; 0535 57 78 59; http://kasbah-sable-dor.com; per
person with shared/private bathroom incl half-board Dh150/180) When the goat bleats
welcome, you’re in the right place. Rachid and Isabelle offer four rooms with hand-painted
murals, fans instead of air-con and home-cooked dinners. On starry nights, opt for Bedouin
tents by the dunes (per person with/without half-board Dh40/120).
MERZOUGA
Ksar Sania $$
Offline map ( 0535 57 74 14; www.ksarsaniahotelmerzouga.com; s/d/tr incl half-board
Dh500/600/810, s/d hut incl half-board Dh300/460, camping per person Dh25; ) When this
oasis destination below a 150m dune washed out in devastating 2006 floods, owner Françoise
built a new eco-retreat even better matched to its environment: hexagonal bungalows built of
mudbrick and sand with en-suite bathrooms, naturally air-conditioned with cool air rising from
well-water under flagstone floors. Whitewashed A-frame mud-huts reinforced with palm beams
shield against sand and heat, with solar-heated water in shared baths – and like the bungalows,
this time they’re on higher ground. After starlit dinners in the courtyard restaurant and drifting
off to the whistling dunes, you might find your higher ground too. It’s 1km southeast of
Merzouga centre.