A negative thing became something positive: I caught a bad flu on our way to Merzouga, which kicked in on our first night. It meant we had to postpone everything we had planned as I was completely incapacitated. When you're sick, you appreciate the small things more: how very comfortable the bed was, how the room could be completely dark when you wanted it to be, the quiet neighbourhood, the strong wifi, the excellent water pressure in the shower, etc. Youssef was also very understanding and flexible; his helpfulness made us feel at home. Thank you!

This was our favourite place to stay in Marocco - maybe anywhere! The rooms are spacious, clean, pretty and very comfortable. Breakfasts were AMAZING, the location was perfect, and the organised tour into the desert was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The location was fantastic, and we loved the friendly cats outside the house, who were obviously well taken care of. Youssef is one of the kindest, most welcoming, and most friendly people we met on our journey, and we can't recommend staying here highly enough.

Stayed in November 2023

The hotel is in a perfect location, two minutes from the Main Street and with plenty of choices for food and activities; a close walk from the dunes as well. The room was really nice and clean and Idir’s attention and availability made us feel like at home. Thank you ever so much!!

Stayed in January 2024

Comfy beds, quiet, on edge of sand dunes.

Stayed in January 2024

This is morocco hospitality at its best. Our favorite people in our whole trip; genuine, sweet, accommodating... Good food, spotless, walking distance to dunes. They also arrenged our camel ride and were very professional at all times.

Stayed in December 2023

Unfortunately the WiFi didn't work, which was a shame. But Idir and his colleague tried hard and for a long time to get it to work for me, which I appreciate.

Most of my communication was with Idir, who I think works for Chez Youssef. Idir was very kind and kept in constant contact. My supratours bus arrived late from Ouarzazate in the evening and he was there to pick me up and walk to Chez Youssef together. His French and Spanish are great, English not so much but gets by. The place is clean, has shower a toilet (not of the conventional western kind). When I visited late December it was very quiet in the area. Local families of Merzouga live in small houses around. Table tennis table available. Rooftop terrace with a view of desert. And inside is adorned nicely. It was very cold at night time in December here, but sure enough they had a warm sleeping bag in my room available for use :) I did a short tour of the desert for a good price. This involved Idir taking me to a local camel herder, who then does the tour. This local may ask for a small tip after. Other members of staff very kind too and welcoming.

Stayed in December 2023

Wonderful, helpful host and great breakfast. Location and the place itself was excellent. Highly recommend

Stayed in November 2023

Location was somewhat obscure. Cash only.

Very authentic. Comfortable and clean. Host was extremely friendly and helpful. Breakfast was delicious and bountiful.

Stayed in October 2023

Youseff organized a wonderful trip by camel into the dunes where we camped for one evening. It was magical.

Stayed in October 2023

We had not much time to stay here :( Some little details in the communication, room or in the tent can be improved but they are not fundamental: Youssef's hospitality will make you forget them and live an amazing experience.

Youssef arranged for us a very authentic Moroccan experience for a night in the middle of the desert with 2 berber guides. He was supportive and helped us also for additional activities such ATV tour.

Stayed in October 2023

Nothing!!

Our stay at Youssef was amazing, he makes you feel really at home and is super kind. The room, breakfast and hospitality were great and Youssef organizes night trips to the dessert in a mobile camp far away from all the luxury camps. Thanks for the amazing experience and I would definitely recommend a stay at Youssef followed by a trip to the dessert!

Stayed in September 2023

Nothing

Chez Youssef is marked with a star in the book the Lonely Planet and with good reason. He is very welcoming. He organized all our excursions with awesome local guides. Made us a good dinner. The house he built is beautiful, but most importantly M. Youssef is an exceptional caring host. Knowing that our next destination after our stay with him was Marrakesh, he contacted us to make sure we were ok and if we needed any assistance following the earthquake event. Would recommend him 100%

Stayed in September 2023

A perfect place to stay in Merzouga if you want a proper Moroccan experience. Youssef was so friendly, and helped to organize a desert night for us with his friends Ali and Youssef - where we rode into the desert on camels and were cooked the tastiest Tagine we had in Morocco. Away from the hoards of tourists in tent city, it was a unique and intimate experience. So glad we stayed here and couldn’t recommend it more, especially with the desert night. Other local recommendations: We loved having coffee and chilling at Chez Les Artistes - went there twice it was so peaceful.

Stayed in September 2023

Youssef has a rockstar reputation in travel guides such as lonely planet and he certainly didn’t disappoint. He is so kind and welcoming. He went above and beyond to make us feel at home. He gives great travel advice. We also book a trek in the desert through him, and it was perfect. You should 100% stay there !

Stayed in September 2023

We incidentally killed a sand roach that was hiding under the leg of a chair, but given the rustic location, it was understandable.

Youssef cooked us a hearty breakfast, gave us local recommendations and booked a camel ride. He clearly cares about his guests.

Stayed in June 2023

We absolutely recommend Hotel chez Youssef. Such a friendly, welcoming and caring host, who was always making sure we have everything need and we feel like home. His traditional sahara house is absolutely beautiful and special. The bedroom and the house in general is clean and very comfortable. Upstaires there's a terrace with a stunning view on the sand dunes of the desert. Even after checking out we were welcomed to stay for several hours inside his hotel in an air-conditioned room, in which we took a nap whilst the hottest time of the day. We were even given the opportunity to take shower then. Youssef organised an authentic and adventurous camping trip to the desert of Merzouga ghiuded by a team of two very professional and friendly sahara experts including an amazing camel ride only for the two of us, although we asked for the camping trip very very last minute at one of the busiest time of the season. All in all it was an amazing experience which we would love to repeat with the same host and the same team! Thank you, Youssef!

Stayed in May 2023

Nothing

We loved the authenticity and kindness that we experienced at Chez Youssef. The place is intimate and well decorated. Food was excellent. The room was clean, spacious and comfortable. What we enjoyed most was Youssef's spirit and kind hospitality. Youssef was also helpful giving us info on the area, and available to chat with us. We highly recommend Youssef's guesthouse to any travelers. Excellent value!

Stayed in March 2023

The most comfortable bed we have slept in since we have been in Marrocos. Very clean, quiet and beautiful traditional house. Yussef is very welcoming and helpful. He carefully organized us a private excursion in the dessert away from the crowds.

Stayed in December 2022

Nice and clean room, very comfortable bed. Great host, very welcoming and nice. He organised a camel trip for us even though we asked at the last moment. Amazing breakfast. Thank you Youssef!

Stayed in December 2022

lack of bedside lighting for reading

youssef made us feel at home

Stayed in October 2022

Youssef is a really great host and he organized a very lovely camel trip to the desert. Had lots of fun and a great local experience.

Stayed in September 2022

The room was a bit dark.

Youssef was very kind and helpful. We used the room just to take some rest before and after the desert experience which was organised by Youssef and was really nice.

Stayed in August 2022

The Riyad is charming and with all the amenities you could want. Youseff is an immaculate host and arranged for a quiet solo overnight trip to the desert for me. if you want some quiet and peace in the desert, I’d highly recommend it!

Stayed in June 2022

We had some issues with communication. Youssef always answered very quickly by phone, but I would have appreciated him being a bit more proactive; for example, asking a day in advance what time we would like dinner and breakfast. We typically like to eat around 6:00 in the evening, but our dinner the first night wasn't ready until 8:30. Part of the problem may have been that we had a driver who was also reaching out, so I think there were some crossed wires. There was a plumbing problem in the family suite throughout our stay. Initially, there was no water available to the faucet; after the problem was "fixed", we did have water... but at the cost of water continually spraying out of a faucet connection at the sink on the cold side. Our solution was to keep the cold water turned off until we needed it for showers, and to keep the showers short. Hopefully Youssef will have this issue resolved prior to the next guest. Also, the manager, Omar, is a huge fan of incense. Our suite smelled like a church when we arrived. The next morning, I saw Omar bringing incense sticks into each room. Thankfully, he was receptive to removing them.

The location is excellent; down a very quiet street in the town of Merzouga, close to a bit of shopping and not far at all from the desert. The rooms are spacious, with nice bedding (actual sheets!) and attached bathrooms. The courtyard is very cute, and the house is extremely quiet. One of the best nights of sleep I had on our trip. The fossil tour was a lot of fun, and the lunch in the desert was delicious and good value.

Stayed in March 2022

Like all places in Merzouga it offers trips to the desert, either in a camp or a more traditional manner. It seemed the staff were a little reluctant to let us walk in the very, very nearby town ourselves and the following morning after discussing a quite expensive tour option we left town for accompanied, only after I insisted half way that we could survive without a chaperone. I understand why this happens but it doesn’t make the situation anymore pleasant, or acceptable.

It was a lovely stay, only for 1 night after arriving late by the bus. We were met and walked to the hotel, which was great. We were offered food, tea and the heating had being turned on for our arrival to help with the 2 degree temperature. Great room, good facilities and everything you need. We had the option of our breakfast time too, the terrace can view the dunes and it’s architecturally a beautiful building.

Stayed in January 2022