Dar al Hossoun
Many of us have been counting our blessings during the pandemic, appreciative of small pleasures and not-so-small privileges. I flew home early to London from Agadir and entered lockdown after spending time in two very different gardens in Taroudant, Morocco. Both gardens I had all to myself to inhale as much beauty as I could, and I did. Others might come to paint or discuss horticulture, but if you are like me and neither artist nor aficionado, you might find the courage to do nothing but observe. I count these two gardens as one big blessing.
Once home to landscape designers Eric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières, Dar al Hossoun was originally a treasure trove filled with green riches gathered by the masters of dry gardens. Maybe you’re headed to the Honey Road or a keen botanist in search of the rare and exuberant, either way Dar al Hossoun is a lush, South Moroccan labyrinth to stay lost in.
If Dar al Hossoun doesn’t really feel like a hotel, that’s because it wasn’t really meant to be one. Sitting on the edges of Taroudant, Morocco, the eco lodge with restaurant, bar and spa, began as a private residence built by French landscape designers Arnaud Maurières and Eric Ossart, who created a geometric paradise using seeds and cuttings collected during their years of travel. With over 900 species of plants and trees, it’s not a stretch to think of Dar al Hossoun as contemporary garden first, hotel second, until you become familiar with the synergy of service and style.
Nine rooms and nine suites are plotted in a courtyard fashion around the property, unique and developed over time, with names like Siroua, Papyrus and Casimiroa; each have log fires, thick tadelakt bathroom walls and are decorated with locally made and recycled objects. Ahead of my arrival, owner and manager Ollivier Verra invites me to choose between the Lemon Tree junior suite or the Eucalyptus garden room, either by looking at their website or picking by name. I resist the urge to look first, playing the game of picking by name, and so the experience begins.
Dar al Hossoun is one hour away from Agadir and a world away from anything resembling hustle or bustle. A bougainvillea covered entrance welcomes guests to the first of three main courtyards, with one of two long, narrow swimming pools kissed by palms, cacti and aloes. Narrow pathways lead through foliage and flowering trees to salons, gazebos and an orchard. Local craftsmen constructed Dar al Hossoun, in part with earth dug from a quarry for the walls. That quarry is now the show-stopping sunken garden, shaded by a canopy of papaya and banana trees, it’s like a mini rainforest in the middle of the desert.
Ollivier brings a Provençal attentiveness to the seasonal menu, heavier Moroccan dishes are complemented by lighter Meditterean specialties using both local ingredients and produce grown in his orchard and vegetable garden, not too far from the property. His knowledge of their rural landscape and organic agriculture is boundless; Dar al Hossoun became Green Key certified just a few years after Ollivier took over in 2009. Just as Ossart and Maurières have been responsible for other gardens in the region; the eco conscious, animal loving hotelier shares his own expertise with a close community of enthusiasts, taking hotel guests on informal tours of local gardens and terraces when he can.
It’s a bit of a spoiler to learn about the other residents before visiting, but Dar al Hossoun is also home to peafowl, turtles, chameleons and more cats than you can count. You’ll rise to birdsong from one (or more) of the fourteen species making flying visits, have kittens for company at breakfast, find yourself making way for a parade of peacocks and at nightfall, when the chorus of frogs begins and you bid a respectful goodnight to Max - top dog who has called the place home for years - it’ll be hard to remember daily life before the menagerie.
