Dar Kawa

Elegance defined, Dar Kawa is beyond beautiful. This four-room house or 'Dar' is a hard-to-find design jewel in the heart of the medina, a little off the beaten track. Amazing organic vegetarian food (some of the best you’ll find in Marrakech), brilliant staff and exquisite taste from owner and designer Valérie Barkowski are what set this house apart. The four rooms vary in size, but each has its own understated elegant style with Valérie’s signature towels and bed linens adding to the feeling of incidental luxury. The en-suite bathrooms are small but perfect with a palette of soft grey tiles, shiny chrome taps and fragrant organic Nectarome products. The end result is an unpretentious, luxurious experience; one you’ll want to keep secret. Saïda is the heart and soul of the kitchen at Dar Kawa. She's been the chef here for 20 years and is still coming up with new, delicious recipes on a daily basis. The food is hearty, organic and beautiful and some of the best vegetarian food you'll find in Marrakech. There's a shaded dining area on the rooftop (the perfect place for breakfast or a light lunch), but if it's a bit chilly you can eat in the patio courtyard or by the fire in the sitting room. Manager Abdelhadi has been here almost as long and appears as if by magic when you need him and disappears when you don't: the service is slick and discreet. Many of the things you see in the house have been commissioned and designed by Valérie herself so don't be disappointed if you can't find these lovely items in the souks or shops in Marrakech. We can think of no better place to take over for a special birthday celebration with family or friends.

 

Written by Lulu Townsend

• Outdoor dining
• You can dine on the roof terrace in the sun or in the shade, or in the courtyard.
• Sit-out Terrace
• You can sit on the roof terrace or in the internal courtyard.
• Restaurant
• In-house dining available for lunch and dinner.
• Massage
• There's a spa room on the top floor.
• Roof terrace
• Sunny and shaded.
• Fireplace

• Walking distance restaurants
• Car not required
• Bath robes
• Free wifi
• Wifi
• Laundry

• Sights nearby
• Within walking distance of museums, mosques and the medina.
• Cooking classes
• Tajine cooking classes can be organised on request.

• Local markets
• The souks are within 10 minutes walk.
• Museums

Why do people love staying in your hotel? Our riad is a small boutique riad with 1 double room, 2 junior suites and 1 suite. There is a feeling of staying in “a home away from home”. It is quiet and cosy and our guests like to live a “sensorial journey” in the medina where our riad is located.

What is there to do in the area or on site? On site everything is thought of for our guests to relax. We provide massages in our spa on the rooftop. We have many books that guests can borrow. Lunch and dinner are available on request. Our guests can assist our chef in the kitchen if they eat on site. Yoga sessions are available on request. We are located in the heart of the medina, between Medersa Ben Youssef and the spice market. What makes our location special is the fact that we are located in a neighbourhood that is still traditional and authentic. Fruit and vegetable market for locals, the local oven where people have their bread baked. We are also close to several museums and in general to the souk/medina.

What kind of breakfast do you offer? We offer a fully homemade breakfast that includes: bread, pancakes, granola, muesli, a freshly squeezed seasonal fruit juice, jams, seasonal fruit salad, yoghurt, eggs on request. For us, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we try to change breads, juices every day so that our guests have different experiences.

Do you offer other meals? And can you recommend good places to eat out locally? We offer lunch and dinner on request. We try to serve as much organic food as possible and we try to ban as much plastic too. For lunch we recommend Bacha coffee and I Limoni, both located in the medina. For dinner we recommend : +61 in Guéliz, La Villa des Orangers and Hotel Les Deux Tours, and close to Dar Kawa Le Foundouk that has a large rooftop. Nomad café is also very popular among our clients but it has no licence. Which is your most popular room, and why? Our 4 rooms are very different… So it is difficult to say as each person has a personal choice. Olmassi and Mumtaz have a fireplace. Baboune is small but very cosy. Omani has soft hues of grey and natural tones.

What facilities do you have for children and can you fit extra beds in your rooms? A riad is not the ideal place for little children as life is oriented around the patio. We have extra beds in several rooms, these can be booked on request. When the house is taken over exclusively we can also add a baby bed if required. What message would you like to give Hotel Guru readers? Indulge yourself, become a daydreamer and wanderer while you stay with us. Whatever you may request we will try to fulfil your wishes.