Live out your Game of Thrones fantasies in Moroccan oasis town
Sandwiched between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, the Dar Ahlam hotel in Skoura is a 200-year-old kasbah that’s been updated with mod cons. But, oddly, the doors have no locks, there’s no reception desk and no restaurant either
What is this? There are no locks on doors, no reception desk and no fixed restaurant at the 14-room Dar Ahlam hotel, in the oasis town of Skoura, Morocco, but there are plenty of desert and mountain experiences to impress even the most world-weary traveller.
It looks way off the beaten track on Google Maps. Sandwiched between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, to say Dar Ahlam is out of the way is an understatement. From the city of Marrakesh, the hotel is a four-hour drive through those breathtaking ranges. If you fly into Ouarzazate, the drive takes only an hour or so. Either way, expect a bumpy ride to the middle of nowhere, but that’s the point. If you’re looking for a typical resort, you may want to think about a weekend in Boracay, instead.
The architecture looks vaguely familiar. Where have I seen it before? Eagle-eyed fantasy nerds will recognise the distinctive local architecture from HBO’s Game of Thrones (it’s used for the slave city on the continent of Essos), which is filmed in the neighbourhood. Actually, moviemaking is big business in this part of Morocco: the famed Atlas Studios, where Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Gladiator (2000) were shot, is a short drive away.
What about the hotel? Is it a real kasbah or modern knock-off? Oh, it’s very real. The rammed-earth kasbah is 200 years old, but it has been updated, of course, with essentials such as air-conditioning.