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Dar Tassa - Guest Book
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Dear Dar Tassa
Thank you so much for looking after us so well when we stayed with you two
weeks ago; we really enjoyed our stay, and will recommend you to our
friends. Next time we hope to do some trekking. Special thanks for Amina
for making such a lovely birthday cake - it was a great surprise1
With best wishes to all the staff, Sally, John and Chris March 08
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| We would like to express our thanks to every body at Dar Tassa for making our holiday so special.
We have never felt so welcome, from the time we arrived to the time we reluctantly had to leave.
Every body was so warm and genuinly 'nice', it helps put faith back into the human race, something we seem to have lost in our buisy materialistic world at home.
As a family we have taken so much from the lovely people and would really like them to know how much they have touched our hearts.
We were privelaged to go on two trecks with Abdul and his guides and found his care and professionalism an experience to treasure for the rest of our lives.
We will return in the future as the area and its people have won us over,
Barakalaufik,
Jeremy, Caroline and Lucy.Feb 08 |
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Hi Brahim, We truly enjoyed our stay at Dar Tassa. Both me and my wife would like to thank you for the hospitality extended to us by Mohammad, your cousin and Mohammed. The food was absolutely delicious .Mohammad was helpful and was really knowledgeable about the area.Dar Tassa is a beautiful and serene place and we would definitely like to come back with friends or family.
Kris & Smirti ,October 07 |
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Hello Brahim, We had a wonderfull stay at Dar Tassa, we enjoyed every second of it.What a beautifull place and what a nice and kind people.A special thank to Mohammed Who guided us through the mountains.He spoke english very well and was very kind and told us everythingwe would like to know. Untill next time.
Frank and Dorine ,October 07 |
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Really really good! We have some fantastic pictures and i even got to ride the mule up the hard bits......Brilliant. Mohammed was very informative too.Thank you so much for helping to organise it !
Kirsten & Matt, August 07 |
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I wanted to write to thank you for looking after us so well on our trek in the Atlas Mountains two weeks ago. Denise, Micheal, Umi, Sol, Lucas and I had a wonderful time and we have fantastic memories of spending our time with you and your guides.
The mountains are truly spectacular and it was a treat to spend time in your valley.
Mohamed spoke very knowledgeably about the area, the people, the social structure, the flora and fauna. He said he would be able to forward details of the trek we undertook along with details on the history of the place. I was very interested in the way the sense of community in Berber society enabled the people to maintain a political voice in the 21st century. I would be very interested in receiving this information as I feel it will inform my article. I was also interested in the fact that the route we took was an established route that had been used for many years as a way of linking villages.
I would love the opportunity to visit Dar Tassa and the Valley on another occasion. My children had a truly magical time that I trust hey will remember for a very long time. Sol was also three years old on this journey .... he is four months younger that Lucas!
With best wishes, Kelly Hill, www.kellyhill.co.uk April 2007
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picture by Kelly Hill |
Dear Brahim
Thank you for organising our trek, we all had a great time and it worked much better having the picnic on the first day. The children really enjoyed riding the mules and the muleteers were all fantastic. Mohammed was very good and my friends enjoyed talking with him. Dar Tassa has obviously developed over the last year and was more comfortable than last time.
Many thanks, Denise, Lucas & Friends, April 2007 |
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We loved our stay at Dar Tassa, the staff were friendly, the location felt remote and tranquil. The views from the terrace & lounge areas are beautiful. We went on a lovely long walk passed the local Berber villages with Hassan who was very informative. The food was particularly good and Hassan kindly allowed us to watch the local Berber lady cooking the flat bread for our dinner. It was these little touches that made Dar Tassa an intimate and friendly stay.
With kind regards, Michelle & Jonathan, March-April 2007 |
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I had a great time in Dar, I thought that the staff was amazingly warm and welcoming and very professional. I found the accommodation comfortable and of a good standard. I have in fact recommended Dar to a traveler that I met back in Marrakech . I hope you are doing well and it was lovely to meet you. I hope to have an opportunity to meet up again in Morocco.
Warm regards, Elana, March 07 |
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Hello Brahim
Just to let you know that we got back to the UK safely and we are
now back in the delights of work, getting up at the crack of dawn
and travelling in the wind and rain - oh joy. We had no problems
with the taxi driver, very polite and got us straight to the hotel.
Once again we would like to relay our thanks to all at Dar Tassa,
for a fabulous time it was good to meet you, Andrea and your lovely
daughters. We could not fault the hospitality, Mohammed and Hussain
make a great team, trekking and eating are our favourite hobbies!
An extra bonus was the goatman on New Years Eve....I think people
have to see it to believe it - very entertaining - thanks. |
Dar Tassa is a beautiful place and we thoroughly enjoyed chilling
out on the roof terrace after our day out with Mohammed. I am in
the midst of sorting out my photos (took too many as usual) and
will send some onto you later. I hope you fulfill the plans that
you have for Dar Tassa and the community, I'm sure you will. We
will tell our friends and family. You never know you may just get
that 1% of guests from the planes landing!
No doubt we will be back in the future. Take care and thanks again
for everything
Kind regards, Debra and Colin, Dec 06/Jan 07
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A beautiful location with a lot of potential and we really wish them well with their project * Mountain walk with Mohamed was excellent *
Hassan¹s food was a highlight: he made some of the best vegie tagines we¹ve had in Morocco, the quince tagine was particularly good *
Little touches like the shared Christmas cake, honey for Kerrie¹s sore throat on the last night and lavendar bags made by the owners¹ children were much appreciated.
Kerrie & Nick, December 06 |
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Dear Brahim
Thank you for helping us with our holiday arrangements. We had a
wonderful time in Morocco - and thorougly enjoyed Dar Tassa. The
scenery was stunning and the atmosphere wonderful. We were really
well looked after by Hassan and Mohammed - they were great! All
the teenagers regressed quite happily back to people again, and
we had some lovely evenings wrapped up in blankets in front of the
heater playing, reading and talking. I would definitely recommend
Dar Tassa - its just a lovely place. Thanks again,
The Mossleys, 15, Dec 06 |
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Hi Brahim
just wanted to say how much we enjoyed our stay at Dar Tassa. Everyone
was very friendly and treated us very well. Hassan is a fabulous
cook! My partner put on weight from all the good food. We really
enjoyed the treks and mule ride that we did. I am recommending Dar
Tassa to everyone I meet :-)
Thanks again,
Stephanie, November 2006 |
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Dear
Brahim
We had a lovely time at Dar Tassa. The team were very helpful and
the trekking was great. Please pass on our thanks to the whole team.Kind
regards
Imogen, November 2006 |
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Hi Brahim
Yes, we had a wonderful time in Morocco and look forward to visiting
again soon! Many thanks for your help in organising our stay at
Dar Tassa and for recommending Stefan's riad in Marrakech.
Laylah. October 2006 |
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Dear Brahim
We all very much enjoyed our stay at Dar Tassa, and only wish we
had had longer to savour the peace and tranquillity of the place.
The people working there were so friendly, and the food they cooked
for us was superb. We loved sitting on the terrace and gazing at
the breath-taking views, and would have liked more time to explore
the area. The transfers worked well and the driver was very helpful.
(Fortunately one of our party spoke Arabic, so no language problems).
We had a wonderful time, and I personally would love to come back
to spend some time trekking in the area. We have certainly told
all our
friends what a fantastic place Dar Tassa is. So thank you to you
and all the people who made our stay so enjoyable. With best wishes
Anne, Peter, Rekha, Suresh, Haitham, Diane, Chris and Barbara. September
2006 |
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Dear Brahim
Our overall trip to Morocco was fantastic and we loved it! We arrived
at Dar Tassa with no problems - thanks for the email! We figured
we would be able to find our own way there and Mohammed picked us
up from the end of the main road. We left some comments in the book,
but in a nutshell we found Dar Tassa very beautiful and both Mohammeds
and the others were very hospitable - I think they were concerned
that we were not ok as they kept asking if we were fine! Perhaps
this was because we were the only ones in the hotel at the time?!
We were happy just to relax and read our books though.
The Trek was very good - we have not really trekked before so it
wasn't the 'gentle' trek we were expecting but was really good and
I am so glad we did it. It was also really good to be able to email
you in preparation and get quick responses - we always have lots
of questions and it is good to be able to ask someone.I do hope
all goes well Thanks again
Hannah (and Katy) September 06 |
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Just thought we would drop you a quick
not to say that we had a great time and to say a special thank you
to Mohammed, our guide, who was extremely polite, kind and knowledgeable
of the history of Morocco. All in all a fantastic experience. And
what a lovely place you have created. Hope you like the pictures
we have attached. Thanks also to yourself for your helpful telephone
conversations prior to our trip.
Kind Regards to all.
Ray & Wendy & Kids - August 06 |
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Thank you for our stay at Dar Tassa.
We have recommended it and the trek to our friends so time will
tell if any of them make the trip. Thanks for the well-driven taxi
ride back as well. We figured you must have said something to the
driver as he didn't speed or drive erratically, which we had come
to expect from the driving populous! I saw a lot more sights on
the way back as I was able to take my eyes off the road!
Rachel & Jon - August 06 |
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Hi Brahim
Just to let you know that I had a wonderful time and everythig was
perfect. Thanks for listening to what I wanted and it was very special.
The celebratory meal was wonderful although I felt awful about eating
too much and felt like giving it to the berber people. Mohammed
was great and the treks were wonderful. Your place is heaven and
I would certainly like to visit again. The attention to detail was
wonderful and we felt really special. It's so good you use the local
community to help as well. Thks again for a wonderful memory. I
feel like building a place there as well! Is it easy to do? Kind
regards,
Anita - August 2006 |
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Dear
Brahim
We have just returned from Morocco, our holiday was awesome!Your
property Dartassa was something dreams are made of! Dinner on your
roof top terrace just left me speechless. Such peace and beauty.
Mohamed, Brahim and Mohamed could not have made our stay more lovely,
please pass on our kindest regards and let them know we will definetely
be returning this time with more friends! |
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We loved everything about your beautiful home
in the mountains. If i can find something like that i will be very
satisfied. If ever you need a reference for future clients for this
beautiful, magical place please feel free to ask them to call me.
You deserve every best wish to make this wonderful venture work.
Please accept my utmost respect for what you have already achieved
and indeed for your plans in the future. It has been a pleasure
making contact with you. Please keep in touch and as i said send
our fondest wishes to the team at Dar Tassa. Thank you so much.
Jackie Elliot & family - July 2006 |
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Dear Brahim
We had a fantastic time and everyone at Dar Tassa made us feel
very welcome. Dar Tassa is beautiful and we wish we could have stayed
longer. We had a great walk on our first evening to the river and
ate fresh peaches straight from the tree. The actual trek was amazing
and we enjoyed every minute. Mohammed was great and even though
he kept saying he wasn't a good cook the meals were excellent.
Thank you again for everything and we will certainly be recommending
Dar Tassa. Best Wishes,
Rachel & Markus - June 2006 |
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Brahim,
thank you for organising our trek. We thought that Dar Tassa
had the most wonderful view of the whole valley. Our trek
was amazing and it was fantastic that we were able to take our three
year old with us by mule, he really enjoyed
it too! Many thanks.
Nick & Denis - April 2006
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Brahim, his family,
and the Dar Tassa staff are amazing hosts. I shared a couscous
meal with Brahim, his family from the village. I was a Peace
Corps Volunteer visiting another Volunteer in Tassaouirgane,
and was invited along to spend some time at the guest house.
The grounds and rooms are beautiful, and the hospitality,
kindness and warmth of the family and staff is even more amazing.
They opened their extended home to us and the location and
view of the guest house is unbeatable. Everyone is so accommodating
in making sure that your stay is a wonderful experience.
Dara Walsh (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer 2004-2006) - April
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We came to Morocco for a short
break to escape the hassle of the London citylife, but we
never expected to experience this sense of closeness to nature
and peace we found in Dar Tassa.
We arrived at night, through winding mountain roads. It was
absolutely pitch black except for the myriads of stars above
our heads? we could only sense we were surrounded by mountains
and some houses but our sensations did not faintly match the
reality of the scenery we had in front of our eyes the morning
after? we were in a beautifully designed Berber house, immersed
in
the unspoilt Atlas Mountains, overlooking a sleepy Berber
village! What can you ask more from a truly Moroccan experience?
We met with Brahim's cousin Mohammed, who came with an outstanding
turkey tagine that we all shared around. We cannot
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forget that simple
but amazing dish of that night and the taste of our first
Berber breakfast: the fresh bread, the white butter and
sticky honey all produced by Mohammed and his family? Divine!
After breakfast we headed along a mountain path following
a stream. It was a peaceful walk and we could have gone
for hours. We met many friendly local villagers along the
way. After an after-noon mint tea, Brahim drove us further
up Mount Toubkal and we had another walk and yet another
sublime tagine!
It was a shame to leave as there was so much yet to explore!
We are writing about our experience 3 months later? As you
can see good memories never fade!
Katia Di Ludovico and Manish Kansara -
February 2006 |
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From
the moment we contacted Brahim after finding the details of
Dar Tassa on ebay, we were treated with the utmost courtesy and
concern for our well-being and comfort. Even though our travel plans
changed from day to day Brahim could not have
been more helpful. One has to drive through the totally unspoilt
village seeing nothing but smiling faces and welcoming waves before
parking at the point where the track runs out.
An attempt to try and drive a little closer to Dar Tassa resulted
in a puncture, but even that misadventure led us to the most incredible
encounter with the local "service centre," a hut where
it was possible to have almost anything repaired, no fixed price,
just pay what you think it is worth.
Mohamed greeted us, helped with our bags and settled us in with
tea and discussion about the evening meal. This was being prepared
by his wife in their own home and would be transported up to Dar
Tassa when we wanted it. The seclusion and peace of the valley was
light years away from our previous nights hotel in Marrakech. With
no light pollution the night sky was filled with a starscape rarely
witnessed. The silence, broken only by village dogs vying to have
the last bark. We were alone with the house to ourselves. A bottle
of wine and a game of cards before a blissfully quiet and comfortable
nights sleep completed the first of our two night stay.
The new day arrived with Mohamed, laden with breakfast, knocking
at the main door. The sounds of livestock and children replaced
the ubiquitous morning radio. Freshly baked bread, hard boiled eggs,
honey and coffee fuelled us for the days sightseeing and exploring.
The flat tyre was left for repair to be collected the next day and
we were on our way.
With absolutely no agenda whatsoever, our hire car took us to Imlil
at the base of Jbel Toubkal for mid morning coffee and some retail
therapy with a difference. Bargaining is expected and usually enjoyed
by both parties, paying about a third of the asking price is the
norm and should have your trader accusing you of having Berber blood.
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Back on the road and the need to eat coincided
with the appearance of Branson's Kasbah Tamadot on the near horizon.
Lunch in the garden of this incredibly regenerated and restored
ruin was a justifiable expense.
More meandering along near deserted roads, lanes and tracks brought
the daylight hours to an end but before returning to Dar Tassa
I had spotted a likely outlet for the sale and consumption of
beer, almost opposite our puncture repair shop. Having been starved
of my favourite tipple for far too long the chance of one or two
local brews was not going to be passed up.
Not only was beer available but it was served with miniature pizza
nibbles, olives and nuts. All of this in front of a roaring log
fire and a good selection of coffee table reading material, in
English. Later, much later, with the hire car firmly under Hannah's
control, our second and final night at Dar Tassa came too soon.
Mohamed and cous cous greeted us as did all the night sounds and
sights from our first night. As with our first, deep restful sleep
took us away from the activity of the day.
Christmas Eve started with Mohamed finding the front door open
this time, (wonder why?) A late leisurely breakfast and a second
cup of coffee out on the roof deck, watching, listening and contemplating
the wonders of simple living.
Leaving Dar Tassa, especially when there was space to stay on
was difficult. A base to explore from is not an accurate description
of Dar Tassa. A home to return to after daily adventures would
be kinder to the hospitality, warmth and comfort that Brahim and
Andrea have created, a week would not have been too long. Had
I not promised Hannah Christmas in the Sahara, we would have
stayed and seen in the new year amongst new friends whilst quietly
smiling to ourselves thinking about our old friends and how their
envy would be eating away at them.
It is Hannah's father's seventieth birthday in two years time.
She has listed Dar Tassa as her first choice for his birthday
holiday. Be seeing you in June 2008 Brahim.
Hannah & David, Christmas 2005
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