After reading all the reviews here we decided that Dar El Kanoun sounded as if it ticked all the boxes. Omar and Geraldine are fabulous absolutely nothing is too much trouble. It is about 5 minutes by taxi into the new town and a few more to the Medina, but the difference is amazing. We stayed in the Zara suite which had a great balcony that had the sun on it from about midday until 5pm which was a great way the while away the time on a totally relaxing weekend. There is also a really reasonably priced drinks list with bottles of wine available to drink on your terrace from ?6 and it comes with some great nibbles. We ate at the guesthouse one night and the food was fantastic as are the huge breakfasts which can be served in your room or downstairs, whenever you want it which is a real treat!!

I have known Omar for 10 years now. We met in Canada when we were both students. It was natural for me to stay at Dar El Kanoun upon visiting Marrakech. It is my 3rd time staying there and there is no other place I would rather stay than at Dar El Kanoun. I am a travel writer and photo journalist and have been to dozens of countries and have experienced a broad range of accomodations- from bottom of the line to 5 star treatment. Dar El Kanoun rates at the top of my list, not only in Morocco but for all the countries I have visited. The reasons are simple: 1st of all Omar and his wife are perfectly bilingual (French, English and Arabic is spoken) and the service is like none other. The Targa neighbourhood is only a few kms from downtown but is worlds away from the noise, pollution and frenzy of the Medina. At Dar El Kanoun, one feels like in a very peaceful place while being conveniently located to proximity to the sights of Marrakech without being stuck in its hustle and bustle. It's extremely easy to go from Dar El Kanoun to downtown, one road goes straight to the Medina. It's easily accessible by car or by Taxi. What sets Dar El Kanoun appart is the staff and service. You are greeted with a smile and welcome tea and your luggage is handled immediately. Omar is available 24/7 if needed (via phone) or on the premises during the daytime and evenings. The entire staff is very pleasant and greet you with smiles and will bend over backwards to make your stay pleasurable. I'm being 100% honest with this review and it's not just because I'm friends with Omar. One of my original concerns with staying in a guesthouse with my girlfriend was that of privacy. I wanted to make sure we would enjoy a private and intimate stay without having to worry about other guests and even though the house was booked the whole time during our stay we barely saw anyone else on the premises. There is a lot of privacy in every room and the Anbar and Yasmine suites have their own terrace with ample room for 3 or 4. There is a lot of privacy in Dar El Kanoun and one feels like the entire house is at one's disposal, from the pool to the living room. Omar will advise you from places to eat to day trips to planning your trip throughout the rest of Morocco and knows the right people and the right places. Just tell him what you need and feel like and he will arrange it. The breakfast is more like a brunch with a wide variety of choices and will be a great start to your day. If you would like to eat in, just let Omar know and his expert staff will make a tailored and delicious meal that suits your palate. Overall I would recommend it to everyone, from families to couples to honeymooners to retirees. Thank you Omar and Geraldine for making me feel at Home like never before. Yazzy Hilal

We stayed from Christmas Eve ’07 for 5 days ( 2 of us) – largely based on the positive reviews here and the fact we could not get into any decent medina- based Riads – and we were not disappointed. The Yasmine Suite was very large with a lovely banquette “snoozing” zone on the private balcony. Service and hospitality from Omar, Geraldine and the staff was exceptional. Motto - ask and it shall be done. Yes – this is not for those who want to be in the “heart of the city” – it will set you back about £7-10 a day to do the 10-15 min taxi rides..... but hey – you have a tranquil garden, pool, peaceful large villa and a place to get up at anytime and use as you please. The place was full during the 5 days we had there, but we only bumped into 1x other couple the whole time – it’s a big and very private villa. If you want to experience “present day” Marrakesh working alongside the “old Marrakesh”, then staying outside the Tourist Zone is not a problem, plus - you won’t be woken up by the calls to prayer every morning! Handy Hints: 1.0 Contact Omar to arrange a Taxi Collection for you from the Airport – it saves him jumping on his scooter to meet up with forlorn lost drivers wanting to be rescued from the side of the road!! Omar’s Taxi Teams are cheap and cheerful, but most importantly know where this Villa is - tucked away in an exclusive residential zone of Marrakesh. 2.0 If there is a Group of you wanting several rooms – perfect – you will have a large Villa to yourselves and transport /day excursion costs to the mountains etc will be negligable.

We had endured a busy and at times difficult year so were looking to get a little winter sunshine and relax. Dianne had always wanted to go to Marrakech so as it was our anniversary we took this opportunity......I read many reviews on Trip advisor but there was consistently high praise of Dar El Kanoun and its fine hosts Omar and Geraldine. We arrived after a long days travelling and were greeted at the airport by a driver arranged by Omar, within 20 minutes we were at Dar El Kanoun and within 5 minutes of arrival we knew we had found a gem! I cannot find enough superlatives to praise this beautiful oasis of calm in the new district of Marrakech, its one of those places you find in life very rarely but when you do find it you want to keep it too yourself...but that would be doing a dis-service to Omar, Geraldine and their wonderful staff. from the word go they could not do enough for you. We stayed in the Jasmine suite which was very comfortable with its own balcony seating area to relax in (most rooms appear to have this facility) spacious and luxurious and very Moroccan! Omar arranged taxis and advised on every aspect of our stay to enhance the enjoyment of our visit, service was attentive yet discrete. We loved the log fire which was lit by Mohammed as the evening became cool after the warm day, and we ate some beautiful meals accompanied by some very passable Moroccan red wine One day we had a tour up into the High Atlas mountains and the Ourika valley escorted by our able driver Abdul who was arranged by Omar, Abdul spoke little English but we got by in a little French and English, but language wasnt really a problem he knew exactly what to do to make your day successful. At the end of the valley we took a local Berber guide who escorted us on a hike to see a number of waterfalls, this was fun and rewarding in itself and then we came back to the village of just 45 families for a reasonably priced meal by the babbling stream (literally they take the tables down onto the pebbles by the stream and serve you there) We ate out one night at Cantazaro a local favourite with a mixture of dishes for all tastes and a bias to Italian, very well priced. All in all we came back chilled out and thrilled we had found somewhere very special made all the more wonderful by its splendid hosts Omar and Geraldine, their lovely little boy Ilyiann(probably spelt that wrong sorry!) and the small staff Mohammed, Latifa et al. Dar El kanoun is not in the medina or within walking distance but all the other plusses of this establishment far outweigh that small sacrifice as its so easy thanks to Omar to get a taxi in and out of the Medina. Dar El Kanoun is a real home from home but with added luxury and pampering! DO NOT STAY ANYWHERE ELSE YOU WILL NOT REGRET STAYING AT DAR EL KANOUN! Ron & Dianne Morgan Shrewsbury UK

Fantastic experience, our first visit to Morocco and Marrakech made wonderful by Omar and his team. Exactly as described on their website and by other reviewers. The Riad is located a few miles from the Medina and requires a taxi to get anywhere. However, these were arranged by Omar and we had no problem with the drivers or the price: 75MAD to 100MAD (£5 to £7) depending on day or night. Also, hailed down taxis to get return back to the Riad and found the price was no real difference. We stayed in the Anabar suite and had plenty of space, really nice traditional decor in all rooms with modern amenities like cable TV with English channels. We were celebrating my wifes 50th birthday and Omar booked a traditional Moroccan evening for us in a Riad within the Medina to celebrate. We couldn't have wished for a better location, meal or atmosphere. I would recommend anyone considering Marrakech to stay at the Dar El Kanoun, you will not be disappointed.