Belere Arfoud

The four-star kasbah-style property on Route de Rissani outside Erfoud, Belere Arfoud arranges its rooms around a palm-shaded courtyard and pool built from local pink laterite stone, the same material used in the region's traditional ksour.

Erfoud sits at the gateway to the Erg Chebbi dunes, roughly an hour's drive to Merzouga, making this a practical overnight stop for travellers breaking the Fes-to-Sahara route rather than a long-stay beach base.

The restaurant serves tagines from a wood-fired oven visible from the dining terrace, and staff arrange 4x4 transfers into the dunes for sunrise excursions.