Paradis Du Sahara

Erfoud lies six kilometres north, and beyond it the road runs straight into open desert, where this kasbah-style hotel marks the last stop before the dunes take over. Built low and thick-walled in the local style, it holds 154 standard rooms, 21 suites, nine royal suites and eight bungalows, each with its own courtyard and terrace. The royal suites look out over the dunes and come with a Jacuzzi and lounge; the bungalows, at 120 square metres, add a kitchen and two en-suite bedrooms around a private courtyard. It is a working base for desert days, not a museum piece. Quad bikes head out from the hotel onto the sand, and 4x4 excursions run half-day or full-day loops through the surrounding rock and dune country. Guests can also book a sunset or sunrise climb to the top of the nearest dunes, timed for the change in light over the erg. Bathrooms throughout are finished with stone drawn from local fossil mines, a nod to the fossil beds this region is known for among geologists. Wi-Fi and air-conditioning run through every room, standard to suite. The pace here follows the desert's own rhythm: quiet by day, and busier at dusk, when the dunes turn from pale gold to deep orange before the stars take over.