Outings to Palaces & Gardens
The Taroudant area is famous for its remarkable gardens; thanks to its wonderful climate, plants thrive here, especially in winter. If you’d like to read more about gardens please ask to see our precious basket of books about gardens which is kept in the reception area.
NOTE Access to both of the places below is via a track not on a public transport route so we offer to take you there & pick you up at an agreed time.
We highly recommend a visit to the Claudio Bravo palace and gardens, a museum of Claudio’s own art (Claudio was a famous Chilean artist who lived in Morocco for many years), his private collection of other priceless works of art based at his home (which in 2013 was inherited by his Moroccan friends who show you round) and the huge gardens including spectacular cacti and a replica of the famous Menara Pavilion (in Marrakech) with wonderful views of the High Atlas. The price includes:
• a guided tour of the palace, gardens, works of art and mausoleum
• tea and pastries served in or outside the glorious “Menara” pavilion
• option to be dropped off at the Olympic sized Swimming Pool on the edge of town on your return. You can either walk home (over a mile) or pay to be picked up later. Easy too get taxis from there.
The price per person: 50 MAD payable to us for transport (minimum numbers apply for this price) + 200 MAD entry fee payable on arrival
Alternatively, Dar Al Housson is an upmarket guest house set in extensive gardens described in an article published in November 2014 as “Paradise on Earth – Morocco’s best kept winter secret (Taroudant)” offers an opportunity to experience for yourself the creation of two famous French landscape architects, Eric Ossart and Arnaud Maunieres, who lived in Taroudant for many years. The buildings are all of earth excavated from the gardens, which allowed them to create a sunken garden where the earth was quarried. The gardens contain many rare plants collected personally by Eric and Arnaud from Madagascar and Mexico as well as local plants.
Eric and Arnaud also designed a nearby palace and gardens as well as a town house for the Farah Pahlavi, the former Empress of Iran. We have one of Eric and Arnaud’s books entitled, appropriately, “Paradise Gardens” in our library, as well as another lovely book entitled “Moroccan Gardens” (which, by the way, features in the first chapter another Taroudant garden, that of the Palais Salam, a former governor’s palace). The visit includes: a light three course vegetarian lunch including non-alcoholic drinks; an opportunity to swim in their remarkable long narrow pool which runs through the main part of the garden; transport to and from the gardens.
Please ask if you’d like to know a price for the visit, lunch and transporting you there and back.