What to expect at Dar Ahlam, Morocco’s house of dreams

At the edge of the Moroccan desert, beyond the High Atlas Mountains, the landscape shifts into something altogether more cinematic. Date palms and olive groves rise from the ochre earth, ancient kasbahs punctuate the horizon and, further south, the Sahara begins its slow unfurling.

Set within a palm grove outside the oasis town of Skoura, Dar Ahlam feels like a world of its own. Translating to “house of dreams”, the restored 19th-century kasbah is the vision of French hotelier Thierry Teyssier, with gardens shaped by landscape designer Louis Benech. There is no traditional reception, no restaurant and little sense of a prescribed itinerary. Instead, days unfold intuitively: a table might appear beneath the olive trees, lunch might be served in the Atlas Mountains, or the evening could end beneath the stars at the edge of the Sahara.

For David Prior, founder of travel club PRIOR, it is this sense of theatre and transport that has drawn him back. Prior shares with RUSSH the details that make this particular “house of dreams” so difficult to forget.

Place: Dar Ahlam

Address: Douar Oulad Cheik Ali, Koucheït 00000, Morocco

Contact: +212 5 24 85 22 39

Designed and curated by… The Darh Ahlam was designed and restored by French hotelier and entrepreneur Theirry Teyssier. The gardens were landscaped by designer Louis Benech.

I stay here because…  I admire the founder, Thierry Teyssier, who has created this “house of dreams” (the direct translation) over decades. What I appreciate about it most is the sense of romance and the experiences created in and around the property. We’re very aligned on what elevates a trip. It also feels like you are in the Bible. Totally transportive– an idea that I’ve been exploring more consciously through my upcoming podcast Traveling Through.

My last visit was… May 2025, to celebrate my boyfriend Wiet’s graduation in architecture at Yale.

What I love about the room… Each room is entirely different, and I love hotels where that is the case. One might be cobalt blue in a hidden corner of the Kasbah or another deep in the grounds with its own riad-like central courtyard.

Amenities worth a mention… It has no lobby or reception, and that makes it feel like a true Kasbah – not a hotel conversion. I always look at the landscaping of hotels for how considered, maintained and mature they are. Here you are in a true oasis of date palms and olives and then at night, flowers warmed by the sun emit the most incredible perfume.

It’s the details that count… There is a beautiful amount of rattan and wicker furniture that moves throughout the property as if by magic, intuiting where you might want to sit or lounge as you travel through your days.

Room service order… Every meal is set up in a different space every day. It might be in the Atlas Mountains, in a ruined Kasbah, or – my favourite – under shade-giving olive trees where the table is set low to the ground over an irrigation stream running through the oasis, so that you can cool your feet. There is a mix of traditional local food and some French-inflected other options.

What to expect in the mini bar… No need for a mini bar here when everything is included. Dates are a treat to snack on in between meals.

Places nearby worth frequenting… Go and stay in their tented camp under the stars in the beginning of the Sahara Desert, or for a hike in the Atlas Mountains where, if you are lucky, roses or fruit tree blossoms will be flowering.

The one thing I always return home with is…  I always hope to find a traditional Tuareg mat made of reeds and woven together with leather for my New York apartment, or antique brass lanterns that shed twinkly lights through their fine cut outs. But more than anything, travel stays with me in ways that objects never quite can.

To experience RUSSH Home Issue 05 in its entirety, it will be available on newsstands from Monday 27 July 2026 and through our shop. Find a stockist near you.