This is an amazing property, and the owners are very lucky to have such a space. Before we travelled people had said that this was 'the best hotel in the world', and to be honest, I'd hate to know where they'd stayed before, as La Gazelle d'Or is extremely flawed. Perhaps it may have been 'off' season, and certainly, it was not full during our stay (perhaps 1/3 capacity). However, for a hotel with such a reputation and price, I expected much more. We stayed 3 nights, and had a very relaxing stay, as the accomodation and common areas are extremely pleasant and spacious. During those three days, Madame approached us once, on arrival, and did not come near us after that, although it seemed that she was very chummy with the rest of the guests. 2 out of 3 dinners were of very basic chalet-standard level; thankfully, the last one was quite nice. Soup, entree, main, cheese, desert, tea & coffee are served, and it would perhaps be more economic (and satisfying) to serve fewer courses and substantially better food? The savoury courses were very substandard. Room service and pool side meals were OK, although on three occassions lunch / breakfast arrived cold (when they should have been hot). This was rather slack. In the 3 days we were there, the shop was not open once, despite the staff claiming that it would be open each morning and evening. The spa is very pleasant and services are reasonably priced. The fitness room is basic but is apparently only temporary. The 'croquet set' was incomplete and clearly many many years old. However, the last straw was being charged around £20 for one hour tennis court and ancient racket hire. We were not aware of this charge in advance as we had naturally assumed that use of tennis courts and old rackets would be part of the serivce, as they are lauded as a big part of the 'facilities available'. I can see the charm of this place, but at these prices, unless the management pull their socks up and desist from sharp practices like charging for racket hire, I will not return and would not recommend anyone go there. I have stayed at many more pleasant, better run hotels than this one. If this really was off season they should lower their rates.

Everything was almost perfect, until the owner came. The whole atmosphere has changed in a second as she stepped in. Manhandling the nice staff who have no other employment opportunity in Taroudant but La Gazelle d'Or, she was bowing and bending in front of her friends, litterally ignoring other guests, new and/or young, also paying, probably more...Disabled people were required by management to stay and have their meals in hidden isolated areas of the hotel...

This arrogant "lady" made our stay miserable, but extremely expensive.

A very pleasant country hotel of very high quality with friendly helpful and unobtrusive staff.

Dinner outside on the garden terrace an experience to remember, with a wide selection of well chosen and prepared dishes. A good wine list and reasonably priced. Do try the Moroccan wines.

One of our most romantic trips. My husband and I had one of what I believe are only 27 cottages. It was small, but nice with what was by some standards a disapointing bathroom and dressing area. That fortunately was our ONLY complaint. The grounds were just beautiful, manicured by a shephard and a small flock of sheep complete with lambs in tow. Occasionally, we saw grazing horses from the porch where we were relaxing. The staff was gracious, the service impecable. The dining experience was a pleasure only made more enjoyable by the concert caliber pianast who could be heard throughout the main floor. I believe they are known for the wonderful Bar-B-Q concept of selecting all of your food raw and then handing it over to a chef to prepare. You then eat this lunch at tables not far from the pool area, (just cover up and go for lunch). The B-B-Q was as nice as La Mamounia's. We were at La Gazelle d'Or for only 5 days, though we visited the country for a month. Our itinerary was booked or we would love to have spent more time there. Guest privacy was taken seriously. You don't get past the front gates if you are not on the guest list. Another guest relaxing at the pool told us that we had missed a European world leader who had been there relaxing. We weren't surprised.