Our visit to the Kasbah in January 2012 was an extraordinary experience. The setting, service, accommodations, food, and personnel were outstanding. We were very fortunate to have unseasonably warm, sunny weather for our visit.

The Kasbah is a "retreat" in every way. Only 40 miles from Marrakesh and you are immersed in a spectacular setting perched on a hill in a valley surrounded by Berber villages and the snow capped High Atlas mountains. The décor is “artistic” rustic as the details are infused with Berber designs (carved doors, beams, textiles, etc.). There are many choices of hikes led by guides or you can relax, take in the scenery and use the hammam (steam bath).

The hospitality at the Kasbah is exceptional as the rooms are equipped with thoughtful touches such as locally-made items such as slippers, djellabas (robes), handcrafted furniture, snacks and more.

We took two hikes and our guide, Abdul, a native of the area, was knowledgeable, fun and kind. He led us on a half-day hike and a full day hike that included a spectacular hot mid day meal on top of a mountain.

The staff is attentive, kind and available to assist to make your stay comfortable in every way possible. Upon our arrival, after a rigorous walk up to the Kasbah, (our luggage was transported by mule), we were greeted by Lahcen, who continued to be available for any questions we had during our entire stay. The Kasbah's goal of sustainability is attained in many ways; employment of local villagers, using local products and spring water while respecting and helping to support the surrounding villages and the environment.

It was lovely to get away from the bustle of Marrakech to the mountains and my boyfriend and I were looking forward to our super deluxe room for two. The Kasbah is in a lovely location and, luckily, the room's two heaters were on full when we arrived as at the end of January it was chilly up in the mountains (it snowed on our last day there). After experiencing bargain luxury at the Riad Magellan in Marrakech I am not sure that the EUR250 per night rate was justified. In addition, a 5% charge is added to room rates and all other sundries (lunch and dinner etc) as a "voluntary" donation. All very good and worthy but I am not sure the quality of the room matched the price. The hour and a half walk round the villages was well worth it and a real highlight but I think the Kasbah probably lends itself to spring when the blossoms are out and it is warm enough to sit on the terrace and balconies and enjoy the views without shivering...

I stayed at the Kasbah with my wife and baby son over the Christmas period. The hospitality was and is first class. You may be reading this review amongst others who will also remark on the scenery being phenomenal, the rooms perfect, warm, cosy with everything you need - in our case including a cot provided by the staff. You must stay here to experience the warmth of the staff and the majesty of its' setting, nestled amongst the clouds. Breakfast up here is unforgettable. An Eco trip with a lot of soul.

Our stay at the Kasbah was incredibly memorable You very much feel like you have experienced the Berber hospitality. It is in the middle of the village and from our tower room, we looked vertically down on the family next door keeping their goat and chickens in their yard.

If this sounds like the kind of place you will like - you will absolutely love it. The views are amazing, you get a real sense of the integration of the community, in that all of the people working there are from the village. Plenty of other reviews here emphasize the many good points about staying here, so I shall not focus on those.

If you prefer the sound of a "hotel" and not a "Berber hospitality center", this is probably not the place for you. As an example, don't expect 5-star immaculate cleanliness and service (not that it wasn't clean, just not by its nature spotless, much more rustic). Also - if you are expecting it to be on its own in the middle of nowhere on top of a mountain you will be disappointed - it is in the middle of a (authentic) Morrocean village, which happens to be halfway up a mountain. We stayed during Eid and it was incredibly noisy (in an atmospheric way) with kids running around the village, chased by a man dressed as a goat. We thought that was fun and entertaining. Others might not.

Much of what I have written above may sound negative but is not, I'm just writing it so people are not surprised. I am giving the review four starts because, even as a "Berber hospitality center" I think there were a few points that could be improved on. The pricing was not always clear - for example, it was quite hard to find out how much lunch cost. This is not unusual, of course, in Morocco, but when something has a fixed price, like lunch, it is nice to know in advance.

It is also not advertised, but perfectly acceptable some day to just go walking yourself in the local valleys between the villages. This is at your own risk (as it would be in Switzerland or anywhere else in the world), but it is not discouraged. As we didn't want to spend every day with a guide, we did this, but I think the Kasbah could have provided better maps of the region and information on this option.