The staff is mostly from the surrounding mountain villages and the hotel goes out of its way to involve and help the local Berber communities. They built it using traditional methods and the enormous kitchen garden is maintained by a team of hard-working villagers again using traditional methods. The water pump that the owner installed brings running water to two villages and the hotel provides equipment for the local school. The whole experience is of a sustainable and welcome project in an area of poor employment prospects.
The food is very good, particularly the Moroccan dishes...no surprise there. Veg and salad are as fresh as can be having travelled food metres rather than miles! The views are astounding and the rooms are lovely. The trekking is great and the Berber guide the hotel use is well worth using. The smiling staff, for whom nothing is ever too much, who remember you within a few hours of arriving and who appear genuinely happy in their work make the place what it is. Even the donkey seemed to have a smile on its face :)

We loved every aspect of our trip but Bab Ourika was the best. Stunning setting -- lovely service -- couldn't have been better (OK the pool was ice cold in December and I have had a better massage in my life). Still I would not have traded the experience for anything else. We will come back someday.

I actually stayed at Bab Ourika back in November of 2009, and am only now realizing that I grossly overlooked reviewing this magical property. So please allow me to weigh in as I have nothing but glowing reviews.

I was also blown away by the poetic accuracy of the hotel description provided by "Boywithkite" so please do give that review a read. This is the only hotel that I have arrived at where my spouse and I were fairly convinced that we had taken a wrong turn somewhere and the hotel could not possibly be down the road we were on as we were on the outskirts of a very small, very desolate village. We were very happy to be proven otherwise, and thus began our most magical trip in the Ourika valley.

Our typical style (which proves to be atypical for most) is to rent a car and explore the lesser known areas. We were able to do this from Bab Ourika, and we very much enjoyed hiking to see the seven waterfalls; we booked a guide right at the trailhead and the local ended up inviting us back to his home for Moroccan Mint tea which was great. It is always nice to learn more about the area from a local, and without him we would not have been able to scramble up a steep section that allowed us to see all of the waterfalls.

The following day we booked a guide through the hotel and he took us to their weekly market in town, which was a fascinating cultural experience - and one where you will get to see all of the "Berber taxis" and "Berber Land Rovers" parked. You'll learn that this is a reference to their donkeys and mules which are the most common mode of transportation for locals. It is amazing to see how they traverse steep cliffs and countryside on these animals. It's their everyday noraml way of life and it's amazing. Our guide also took us on a day hike and showed us the many peaks nearby. He actually invited us to stay in his home at the end of our trip! They really treat you like family there.

Back to the hotel - the food, the ambiance, the beauty of being so removed from the hustle of Marrakech, all of these things make this one of the absolute best hotel experiences I have ever had. I challenge you not to find this place romantic. We always pack a backgammon board and would enjoy a cocktail under the stars before dinner. When you arrive back to your room you will find that the staff has light Moroccan lanterns to light your way to your outdoor entrance to your room (though perhaps not all of the rooms enter from the exterior?)

The rooms are rustic, purposeful elegance. Just the right amount of decor without overdoing anything. It allows your mind and your soul to fill in the rest. The best way for me to equate my overall experience here is that it feels like a Moroccan equivalent of Tuscany. Your own private sanctuary. There is nothing touristy about this place. It's beautiful, sophisticated, and authentic. It was passion and love for the land that made this hotel a reality. I highly recommend staying here for at least two nights in conjunction with a stay in Marrakech (we stayed at Riad Elizabeth and also recommend it!)

Thank you, Bab Ourika. It's places like this that make travel so magical.

The view's the thing here. Incredible vistas out the back patio. Went on an overnight trek from here up to a Berber village in past Siti Fatima with a great guide as well. Food is a bit hit/miss. Stick with the Moroccan options on the menu. That said, the vegetables are grown on premises and that is a plus. Also warm fires at night. Beautiful atmosphere. Sweet and knowledgable staff who are very attentive.