Riad Kasbah Oliver
BP No.47 Nr Ouarzazate Morocco, Tighza 35123 Morocco
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About
#1 of 1 lodge in Tighza
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Family owned and run mountain guest house in the remote Tighza valley just over 1900m above sea level. Berber hospitality in simple and beautiful surroundings. The kasbah mixes 3 traditional Moroccan building styles: Kasbah, Berber house and Riad. There are benches outside the front door and a roof terrace for enjoying the view or to star gaze at night. A courtyard garden with sofas and coffee table. Mosaic tables and chairs on the front terrace as well as 4 sun loungers on the roof terrace. Parking and locked garage available on site. Terraces and solar hot water. Special diets catered for. All meals provided. Guided walks and mules can be arranged and visits to local homes. Please pay in local currency which is Moroccan dirhams (Euros and Sterling are also accepted). For those interested in hands on holidays, volunteering projects take place throughout the year or you could visit the village hamam (one of our sustainable tourism projects).
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free breakfast
Hiking
Patio
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Airport transportation
Hammam
Rooftop terrace
Breakfast available
Complimentary welcome drink
Outdoor dining area
Special diet menus
Walking tours
Taxi service
24-hour security
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor furniture
Laundry service
Washing machine
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Room features
Additional bathroom
Clothes rack
Oven
Refrigerator
Stovetop
Kitchenware
Bath / shower
Room types
Mountain view
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Languages Spoken
English, French, Arabic
Location
BP No.47 Nr Ouarzazate Morocco, Tighza 35123 Morocco
Getting there
Car HireSee all Tighza car hire
33Reviews0Q+A6Room tips
ReviewsWe perform checks on reviews.Tripadvisor’s approach to reviewsBefore posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
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We (husband, college-age daughter, and I) spent 3 days and 2 nights at Riad Kasbah Oliver in Tighza in May of 2023. We chose to visit Tighza because we wanted to get off the beaten path and experience the culture in the Atlas Mountains, but were limited to somewhere that could be reached pretty quickly from Marrakech. Tighze is a small village (around 300 people) where everyone knows (and might be related to) everyone else. The few days we spent at Kasbah Oliver were the most personal and memorable time of our two weeks in Morocco. The hotel is run by two brothers, Ahmad and Mohamed, and Mohamed's British wife, Carolyn (who was our main point of communication in arranging the trip). Although Carolyn wasn't in town during our stay, she facilitated our activities, which included a walk in the surrounding countryside, dinner at Ahmad's house with his family both nights we were there (including instruction in how to make couscous and chicken tagine), a visit to the local communal bread oven, and time meeting with an aunt who was a doula for the community. At our request, Carolyn also arranged for a car and driver for the 4 days we spent in the area, which worked out really well, and a stop at a local rug store on our way back to Marrakech. The accommodations at the hotel are simple but clean and pleasant and the food we were served was very good, with generous portions. If the terrace rooms are available, they are worth the extra cost, as they have direct access to the terrace with its amazing views and are a bit nicer than the other rooms (some of which seem to have only interior windows). One word of caution: at the time we stayed there, the hotel had 14 rooms (which doesn't seem all that large, but it could host up to around 70 people). They are often booked by tour groups and educational programs and so can be quite full. We were lucky to be the only guests at the time we visited Tighze, but had we stayed there at the same time as one of the groups, it seems unlikely that our experience would have been as peaceful or personal. …
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: You really need an off-road vehicle to get to Tighze, so take that into account when planning...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn Logan, Other at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 30 May 2023
Thankyou for your review. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay. We don‘t often have cross overs of groups with individual guests. Groups tend to book out the entire kasbah so those days always appear as “close outs“ when individual guests try to book. The other option people have if the Kasbah is busy is either to stay in Homestays or to do as you did spreading the benefit of tourism and visit village homes. Thankyou once again for your review and we hope to see you all again! Maybe for some trekking eg. To Lake Tamda!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed here for 2 nights as part of a group holiday. Walking in from the main road set the scene for escaping into the mountains (though there was an option for a mule ride or 4WD if requested). The Riad was magical. The owners were so welcoming and the food was great. Soup, 2 different tagines and lovely fruit to follow. Waking in the morning to the sound of the call to prayer echoing down the valley and looking up at the stars at night- who could ask for more. Great hikes from the doorstep and being able to see the local people at work was a privilege.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Carolyn Logan, Other at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 26 Sept 2022
Thankyou so much for your lovely review. We are so goad you enjoyed your stay.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We are three women exploring Morocco. We spent a night at Riad Oliver. Riad Oliver is a family own business in a remote village. The local taxi ride from the main road was exciting! It is such a beautiful place. We felt safe and comfortable. The rooms are simple yet beautiful, but the most magical thing was watching starts from a terrace wrapped in a blanked. The second best thing was observing people from the village. Such happy and kind people.
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Date of stay: July 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: The tower rooms are great. Fantastic view
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn Logan, Other at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 5 Jul 2022
Thank you so much for your lovely review. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A lovely Kasbah with very friendly and helpful staff. Meals were excellent. Our rooms were basic but clean and very nice. We went in November and it was very cold in our room in a turret outside, but we were offered plenty of blankets and it was warm inside the main building. I loved it, including the fairly easy one and a half hour walk to the Kasbah
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Date of stay: November 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Sleeping in a turret is fun but if it’s November it is warmer inside the Kasbah
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Hour and a half uphill walk from road although could be acessed by 4wd, it is in a remote village and has a fantastic balcony with stunning views. The good news ends there! Food the worst I've been presented with. A dish with a chicken bone and a scrap of meat, a few overcooked root veg (plus a bit of overcooked courgette, surrounding a mass of cold couscous. A tasteless brown soup that needed plenty of salt, and a half black banana to finish with. Breakfast pathetic even by Moroccan standards. Very basic room with thin mattresses. Balcony had about 4 chairs and four loungers when the place must take abut 40 guests. Surely they could improve on this.
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Date of stay: December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn L, Admin & guest liaison at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 1 Jan 2020
I am sorry you did not enjoy your stay at the Kasbah. Ahmed has been a cook for many years and this is the first complaint regarding his food. Cous cous is often cool by the time you get to it even in restaurants as it cools when the vegetables and meat are being put on top of the pile of cous cous prior to serving. It is also normal to have the meat in both tagine and cous cous with bones in it . (Berbers believe it improves the flavour). Tagine and cous cous the vegetables are soft because they cook for such a long time. I am checking which room you stayed in as I am very surprised to hear the mattress was thin (we do explain the rooms are basic but Mohamed has our clothes hooks and shelving in all 2nd floor rooms and clothes hooks in all but the most basic group non en-suite rooms on level 1. All rooms have proper bed mattresses no thin ones with some thicker than normal single bed mattresses. If the soup was not made from scratch it may explain the soup being not to your liking, I am checking this. The terrace loungers are few because they take up so much space and most guests do not use them. They tend to take out thin camping mattresses or ask for a carpet to sit outside on the low wall. Bananas bought at the local soul usually have yellow and black skin but the fruit inside is almost always like a green banana when I’ve had them. It is a shame you did not speak with Ahmed while you were there when you were first unhappy with the food. He would have been more than happy to sort this out for you. Usually the kasbah guests say the breakfast is one of the best they’ve had during their trip so again I need to see what Ahmed gave you as usually there are pan cooked pancakes like pikelets, bread, jam, yoghurt (and for groups or those who request it porridge with tea, coffee or hot chocolate choices). Once again I am sorry you were unhappy with your stay and please be assured I am investigating what happened in Mohamed’s absence.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Riad Kasbah Oliver is a beautiful property with friendly employees and excellent food. It is the perfect base for exploring the mountains, learning about the village or volunteering to help villagers.
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled solo
Location
Service
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Room Tip: Request a tower room
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
We spent two nights as part of a tour. The location - set up high on the hillside is amazing as are the views across the mountains. Accommodation is in a traditional Kasbah, basic but comfortable. As others have described this Kasbah is located about 40min walk along a track. We walked but others rode a mule and there is a community bus which manages to drive the track. Food prepared by Omar is basic but wholesome and the owners Mohammed and Caroline are very welcoming and friendly. We had a guided hike up into the High Atlas and relaxed on the roof terrace. We were also lucky to experience a traditionsl hammam by the locals. A great experience likevwalking back in time.
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn L, Guest Relations Manager at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 23 Apr 2019
Thankyou for your kind review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay in Riad Kasbah Oliver. Berber cuisine is quite simple as ingredients are bought locally from the souk in Telouet which is held weekly. Traditional dishes such as cous cous, tagine and harira are the staple diet along with bread. For groups the guides often request things like spaghetti and request not too much garlic etc. as some group members would not like it. So Omar does simple but tasty meals as opposed to highly flavoured ones for groups as this is what the agencies want. Thank you again for your kind review and yes it is definitely like walking back in time! ( I wonder if your guide told you about the Dinosaur footprints which can be seen just with the naked eye from the Kasbah terrace).
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I vacationed for 2.5 weeks in France, Spain and Morocco. The 5 days in Tigzha Valley were the absolute highlight my trip. Most of all, I enjoyed the hosts at the Kasbah. I adored Omar’s cooking (and Omar as well). And Mohamed made our experience come alive. We met both of their families, including many cousins, and other village residents. Mohamed was wholly dependable, always coordinating to make sure everything was timed perfectly so that our experience was enjoyable, full and authentic. All of our encounters with others, such as drivers, tour guides, our visit to the Hamam, etc. were lovely too. Mohamed was there to see us off, and to meet us as we returned. On our hike, we stopped in a beautiful meadow by the stream to rest before turning back and were totally surprised that Mohamed was carrying a tasty picnic lunch which he laid out for us. He even made a fire so we could enjoy tea! The bus ride to the Thursday souk in Telouet was one of my top experiences ever! 23 people, all except our group of 3 were from the village, crammed into and on top of the bus for the ride. At one point in a particularly steep area, several of the men got out to push. I still recall the shadows on the hillside of those who playfully rode on top as we drove up the bumpy narrow mountain trail, and the echo of all of our laughing. We found the village residents to be warm and friendly, and were fortunate enough to share the experience of greeting a new baby who arrived to a village family during our stay. In our walks we admired the gardens and crops, rock formations and historic buildings. Mohamed showed us the irrigation system and explained how villages worked cooperatively in so many ways. He took us to see the community bread oven, explained the educational system, shared what announcements were made during the call to prayer when something was going on. The list goes on, but you get the idea. We had many questions, and with great patience, he helped us to understand how things worked. In the mornings I enjoyed the garden on the main floor and watched after the turtles. On warmer days we enjoyed the front porch, with the view overlooking the village. At dark from the rooftop we were in total awe of the Milky Way…the river of stars that appeared. The first night I witnessed 6 shooting stars! In the beginning I longed for wifi, but after a few days I realized what I had been missing since wifi came about. I had forgotten how to live in the moment, and was re-introduced to the joy of relaxation. We didn’t come to Riad Kasbah Oliver looking for 4-star accommodations and nightly turndown service. We came looking for an introduction to the people of Tigzha Valley and a cultural experience to better understand their lives and history. THAT is what we left with, and will never forget. I would highly recommend this experience, especially to those who can appreciate such treasures.…
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Date of stay: October 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
Cleanliness
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn L, Guest Relations Manager at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 12 Dec 2018
Wow such a lovely review. Thankyou. Mohamed, Omar Ahmed and the families were very happy to host you. They love to share their lives with interested visitors and yes not having wifi does seem odd for westerners but as you said it does mean that you pick up on things that you had forgotten the things that are far better and more interesting like living in the moment. We hope to see you again one day.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Room good although odd to only have a curtain between room and toilet! Our door lock was very difficult to use. Food good if rather basic - then it is 5kms from the nearest tarmac road - a delightful walk through valley of smallholdings and villages to get to it - need reasonably level of fitness to get to - or pay for a mule to ride No wifi and no TV! Delightful and helpful staff
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Date of stay: August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn L, Guest Relations Manager at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 26 Aug 2018
Thankyou for your review. The door was sorted out on departure day so is now opening and closing correctly, so thankyou for raising it. It is quite common to find curtains as the seperator to the toilet and the rooms particularly in rural areas. Many people appreciate there being no WiFi and no TV as it means that guests interact more with the staff and each other. We had one teacher from Rome say she had never seen the kids communicate so much before and how refreshing it was not to have them all on their mobile devices they were actually talking to each other. This summer it is possible to get 4G some of the time but it often drops out, but even that has been difficult because of the location and the infrastructure in this part of the mountains. It is a vast improvement from 12 years ago when there was not even a mobile phone signal in the village. We are glad you enjoyed your stay. Just a quick comment on the food:- when travelling with groups it is the guide who chooses what food the group have, with individual visitors they can choose between various options. Thankyou again for taking the time to leave a review.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fantastic place just 5km from the main road and feels like you have stepped back in time. Had a great two night stay courtesy of Caroline, Ahmed, Mohamed & young Oliver and wish it could have been longer. Enjoyed the peace & tranquility of the mountains and valleys, the stunning views, mountain walking, star gazing on the roof, excellent food and was shown how to make Couscous, tour of the local village and the big games of Uno. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming and would love to have the opportunity to back. Fab stay👏👏👏
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Date of stay: August 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Response from Carolyn L, Owner at Riad Kasbah Oliver
Responded 12 Aug 2018
Thank you for the lovely review. We are so glad you all enjoyed your stay. We would love to see you all again. Walk to the lake with mules next time maybe?
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
LOCATION
MoroccoSouss-MassaTighza
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
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Claim Your ListingRIAD KASBAH OLIVER - Updated 2023 Reviews (Tighza, Morocco)
Frequently Asked Questions about Riad Kasbah Oliver
Which popular attractions are close to Riad Kasbah Oliver?
Nearby attractions include Ounila Valley (2.6 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Riad Kasbah Oliver?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, free parking, and airport transportation.
Which room amenities are available at Riad Kasbah Oliver?
Top room amenities include a refrigerator, an additional bathroom, and a view of the mountains.
What food & drink options are available at Riad Kasbah Oliver?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, a free welcome drink, and an outdoor dining area during their stay.
Does Riad Kasbah Oliver have airport transportation?
Yes, Riad Kasbah Oliver offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Riad Kasbah Oliver?
Yes, laundry service and a washing machine are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Riad Kasbah Oliver?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, French, and Arabic.
Are there any historical sites close to Riad Kasbah Oliver?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Kasbah du Pacha el Glaoui (6.9 miles).
Does Riad Kasbah Oliver have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the mountain view available here.