Dar Nour — Hotel in arrondissement de Tanger-Medina طنجة المدينة

Boho Chic in a Beautiful setting!

Decorated in chic Euro-Moroccan décor this boutique beauty is an absolute charmer and at the price we paid it was an absolute value for money! The lovely roof terrace has expansive views over much of Tangier, including the landmark spires of the Spanish Cathedral, and it’s a lovely place to start or end the day

LOCATION: Located at the top of the Kasbah, the guesthouse is hidden among a riddle of white-washed alleyways that look like something out of a fairy tale, all arched doorways and latticed porticos framing exuberant bougainvillea and frothy green vines. It’s an easy meander downhill past various sights, and into the Petit Socco where you’ll find the main shopping souks.

DINE + DRINK: A lovely characterful restaurant on the ground floor that is wickedly pretty and wonderfully decorated! Breakfast at the cozy common area was nothing to talk about and was a disappointment (the reason why this lovely property is getting a 4-star rating instead of 5!)

ROOM: We stayed in a mini-suite on the top floor, so this review is based on that; SIZE: Came with a small outside living room and a cozy bedroom that was spacious enough for 2 adults and simple baggage; VIEW: Spectacular views of the old town and rooftops from the cute terrace/balcony attached to the room which would be a killer asset during warmer weather!; AIR-CON: Perfectly functioning cooler that helped in setting the perfect room temperature; BED: Comfortable bed that played the expected part of putting us to sleep; BATHROOM: Very tiny bathroom, with a tight Stand-in shower; TOILETRIES: OK quality toiletries

FACILITIES: No Gym or pool on site

SERVICE: Friendly staff that took care of all our needs with a smile and made us feel pampered and well taken care of.

HOW WIRED YOU WILL BE: Free Wi-Fi that works well all over the property, and the speed is good! No...

We had booked two nights here where Dar in Arabic means “house”, while riad means “garden”. Together, these words describe the traditional homes that have been around in Morocco for close to 1,000 years, and that today, are in high demand among travelers. In this case, our Dar more closely resembled a muti-story house, unlike the Riads we’d experienced, while multi storied, all featured a central courtyard. Here the attraction was a spacious roof top with many terraces perfect for sitting, gazing, and of course, drinking. ||We found it through Rick Steves (he includes Tangier in his guidebook for Spain) and he describes it as such: ||“Run with funky French style by Philippe, Jean-Olivier, and Catherine, has an “Escher-esque” floor plan that sprawls through five interconnected houses (it’s “labyrinthine like the medina,” says Philippe). The 10 homey rooms feel very traditional, with lots of books and lounging areas spread throughout, and a fantastic view terrace and cocktail bar on the roof”. ||Our spacious room was on the topmost floor of the main house, just two steps away from the terrace and the well-stocked bar there, which we would take advantage of during our stay. Fortunately for us, one of the staff members carried our bags up the steep set of stairs to our room, where we unpacked and then immediately made our way to the bar. ||We ordered a gin and tonic apiece and along with a serving of nuts and olives we found a bench seat with a view of the city and began to fully appreciate how nice the Dar was, and how much we would miss our time in Morocco once we departed the...

You know when you book a place to stay online and you think "it looks too good to be true"? Darnour was like that for us. We booked, inspired by their great promo video, everyone so happy, the colours so bright, the place so relaxed, clean and bright, and it was such a great price with breakfast included - we really thought it would feel a bit of a let down when we got there. Not so. Darnour is a little slice of heaven. Everything was even better than the photos. The staff really are as happy as they are in the video - all the time! So generous, so kind, so helpful, and really interested in all their guests. We loved our quirky room, with the cute "cave" bathroom underneath, the fascinating books and trinkets scattered around, the rugs and delicious furniture. It's like an emporium of visual treats. We really took it slow in Tangiers, encouraged by the lovely Darnour as a place to drop back to and relax throughout the day. The terraces and lounge are just great places to hang out, not to mention sundowner time when it gets quite lively and their fabulous little restaurant and super tasty food. Darnour will totally make your visit to Tangiers and we would go back...