Hotel spotlight: Kanz Erramel, Merzouga
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you are a character in One Thousand and One Nights, in comfort and with a touch of luxury, this is it. Kanz Erramel sits at very edge of the Sahara, with desert sand literally washing up your back doorstep. You get ALL the views and the desert experience, with modern amenities, for a surprisingly reasonable price.
Recommended for: couples and families looking to experience the desert at a more relaxed pace, especially those with young children where it may be hard to venture into the desert for long periods of time/camp overnight.
Suggested length of stay: 1 night for a taste of the Sahara, 2 nights if you’re planning to do desert activities, such as camel or ATV riding.
Hotel information
Location
Kanz Erramel is located just outside the Sahara gateway town of Merzouga, at the foothills of the Erg Chebbi dunes. It is about 10 minutes away from Merzouga by car.
Merzouga is the most popular way to access the Sahara in Morocco. The town has a number of hotels and restaurants, and there is a plethora of desert camps and tours experiences to choose from. The alternative is M’hamid and the Erg Chigaga dunes, which is a more remote and less developed experience. The camps at Erg Chigaga can only be accessed via a 4×4.
Merzouga is a 9 hours drive from Marrakesh, and an 8 hour drive from Fez.
Rooms and rates
The hotel has 22 rooms in various configurations. You can find rooms with 1 double bed, and rooms with 1 double bed plus 1 or 2 single beds (family type rooms). The family rooms are limited – our group booked 4 months in advance, and there was only 1 left. The rooms are all comfortable with spacious bathrooms, decorated in traditional berber style.
The rates range from around $150CAD to $350CAD. We booked 2 rooms for our family of 4 (our friends we travelled with booked the family room), and it came out to around $250CAD.
Getting around
Because Kanz Erramel is not in Merzouga itself, there is not much within walking distance, besides other hotels. (The hotels in this area are all arranged in a “strip” along the edge of the dune.) If you need to go somewhere, you will have to drive or have your hotel call you a taxi.
If you book an independent tour, they will often have someone pick you up from your hotel. You can also book tours for various regional attractions directly through Kanz Erramel. These include camel rides, 4×4 tours to nearby oases, orchards, nomadic tribes. You can even book a 1 night luxury camp stay directly with the hotel if you want to experience something different.
Where to eat?
There is a restaurant on site. Breakfast is included, and it is a decent spread with numerous options. The hotel does not serve lunch, but it does serve a prix fixe dinner. You need to let the hotel know at least by afternoon if you want to reserve a spot for dinner.
Should you stay in a hotel or in a camp?
We spent a total of 3 nights in Merzouga, with 1 night in Kanz Erramel, and 2 nights on a camel trek (1 night in a basic camp and 1 night in a luxury camp).
Hotel
Staying in a hotel is a good option if you like to travel in comfort. You get to stay in a room that is air conditioned, clean, and comfortable. You won’t be perpetually shaking sand out of every crevice. We recommend a hotel at edge of the desert (like Kanz Erramel!) – with Sahara views and direct access to the desert. Otherwise I think we would have felt FOMO, traveling all the way to Merzouga but staying away from the desert.
I can say with complete certainty even if we had spent all 3 nights in Kanz Erramel, the kids would have loved it. Having a base hotel is particularly helpful for families with younger children. You can retreat into the hotel for some R&R, but still take day tours to explore the area.
Camping – basic camp
“Camping” in the Sahara can refer to very different things. Our night at the basic camp really was camping (minus having to set up tents). It felt wild, and the most authentic of all our stays. Our camp was quite far into the dunes, with desert and untouched sand in all directions. If you want to stargaze, there is literally *zero* light pollution. Basic camps have no running water and no bathroom facilities (you just have to find a spot if nature calls.) Our guides brought their own water and propane to make meals for us.
We definitely recommend trying a night of basic camping if your family is up for a little adventure. This was the most unique experience of our entire Morocco trip. You will *never* forget the way the Sahara looks, or feels, once you’ve spent a night in the middle of it all.
Camping – luxury camp
Many visitors to Merzouga do opt to stay in luxury camps, but I have to say we found our experience a little gimmicky. We did not book our camp independently, as this was included as part of our camel trek. Our luxury camp was one of a row of camps near the edge of the dune. From our tents, we could see the road and even a gas station sign. When you stay at a luxury camp, your luggage can be brought to you separately in a 4×4. The camps do have bathrooms and showers, but they are rudimentary. Things will get wet, and you are still coated in sand the moment you step outside the tent.
There is usually a traditional Berber show at night, with music and drums around a fire. We enjoyed this, but at the same time could hear the same kinds of shows happening in the camps to either side of us.
Overall, our stay at the luxury camp was not any more unique than our stay at the hotel, and the hotel was definitely more convenient and comfortable. It is worth considering a luxury camp for the experience, but we would strongly recommend one further into the desert, where you can feel immersed in the desert.
What we loved about Kanz Erramel
The view
It’s no secret we love a good view! 😉
Kanz Erramel offers up views of endless desert dunes from some rooms and from most public spaces. There are terraces with seating that face the desert (strongly reminding me of every book I’ve ever read with desert scenes that somehow always have that one room with open walls overlooking the desert. :P) You cannot see sunset, but you *can* admire a gorgeous sunrise over the dunes.
The desert
Our stay at Kanz Erramel was nearly identical to our stay at a luxury desert camp, in terms of how close to the desert we were! We literally pulled up in front of the hotel, and the kids kicked off their shoes and jumped into the dunes. They were out in the desert every chance they got – playing in the sand until dark and out there again before breakfast. It really felt like the world’s biggest sandbox and the kids could not get enough of this.
Also great for taking walks into the dunes – within minutes you can feel the solitude and vastness that comes from being in such an expansive place like this.
*Keep in mind the sand is HOT during the day. Peak hours are not ideal for desert roaming, BUT they are the perfect time for…
The pool
This pool is literally IN THE DESERT. It is one of the *most* photogenic hotel spots I’ve ever seen (very instagrammable!) There are palm trees and shade, making it a great spot to spend a morning or an afternoon when it is too hot to do anything else.
This pool made me feel like a rich travel mama, but as aforementioned, this hotel is very reasonably priced for what it offers. Kanz Erramel is often compared to Sunrise Palace, a boutique hotel with a similar pool view – but at double the cost.
The breakfast
We stayed at a variety of BnBs and hotels across Morocco, and this hotel probably had the best breakfast. A traditional Moroccan breakfast consists of breads, cakes, and msemen (a popular savoury pancake type offering) and various spreads. Kanz Erramel has several options of everything, with bonus eggs (literally the day after we were lamenting about the lack of protein at breakfast!)
Eating breakfast on the terrace and watching sunrise over the Sahara… yup, felt rich for sure. 🙂
Any downsides?
The dinner
We did not actually eat dinner here, as it just so happened we had leftovers from lunch, *and* our driver made a Carrefour stop for us that afternoon, so we had plenty of snacks.
But our travel companions did opt for the dinner, and said it was quite underwhelming for the price (which is the same for adults and children). They reported that the meal consisted of standard chicken tagine, and fruit for desert. (Most of the guests did eat on site, as there are no restaurants nearby.)
Difficulty getting around
You will need a vehicle to do things outside the hotel – whether it is to go to a restaurant, buy groceries or water (since Morocco tap water is not safe to drink), find a tour, check out shops, etc.
The sales pitches
This is not a huge deal, but if you are hanging around the dunes, you will likely be approached by local vendors selling souvenirs. They can sometimes be quite persistent (but everyone we encountered was friendly and polite.) If you do want to buy anything, be prepared to bargain.
Popular items in the area are fossils and gems (both excavated nearby). You can also buy small glass bottles to bring some desert sand back home with you, which, if you were to purchase anything, is certainly the most practical!
Planning a trip to Merzouga, or traveling to Morocco with kids? Be sure to drop us a line!
