I had read about the hotel in my Lonely Planet and our guide told us about it, but I really didn't know what to expect, but when we first entered through the tunnel to the central courtyard we were all like "wow, this is amazing" All the rooms are carved out in the sand stone and we instantly named them... More

Perfect for hot summer days (I guess...) but rather cold during wintertime. We experienced a rainy day and the corridors were all windy and a bit gloomy. Good inside temperature (for an extremely cold february we used our sleeping bags, though...), the rooms carved in the hill slope are "naturally heated" by the inner temperature of the Earth. It all... More

This hotel is a typical dwelling in this remote area of the desert. The people are very modest and have perfected the art of building with what they have available, to beat the harsh climate: very hot in summer days and very cold in winter at night. The enigma in these type of dwelling is that it is cool when... More

I spent 2 nights in Matmata, one in Sidi Driss hotel and another in Marhala hotel (we also checked Matmata and Kousseila hotels). After a horrible and cold experience at Sidi Driss, I can say that Marhala is by far the best hotel in Matmata. It seems the hotel has been renovated since 2009; the new management are very hospitable... More

The actual hotel facilities are pretty basic - shared bathrooms, very little in the rooms and a basic restaurant. But that's missing the point - everyone comes to Matmata to see the cave dwellings, and what better way to experience them than spending the night in one! Having seen the Sidi-Driss, I'd say Marhala is far superior, with the Sidi... More

One of the very few well-maintained underground options to stay. Friendly staff & good food. Some of the rooms are very spacious & hence not claustrophobic. Toilets are very clean. Bar is handy for a chilled beer after a hot day. Few writers have complained of locks- i actually slept with the doors open. With a friendly village, you need... More

By city standards this is a backpacker-level hostel, but for Matmata, it's tops for the experience of staying in a troglodyte dwelling. Shared bathrooms, but they were clean, and our room had an electrical socket. Be aware though that the light switch controls both the light and the electricity, so if you need to leave something running or charging overnight,... More

As well as the intriguing use of part of a pedal and a padlock to clamp the door shut on the outside Room 13 has a couple of pieces of wood on the inside frame that shift and slide to bolt the door at the top when you are in the room. I suspect that other rooms are the same... More

As I have been stayed in the Cave Hotel of Cappadocia in Tunkey, I do expect they are of the kind - that with its charater. But Hotel Marhala is only a cave with a woodern door (no lock inside, so you can't lock the room inside at night ). The bed is full of dust and the door has... More