Dar’Hi By Matali Crasset

There’s nothing quite as fulfilling than going green, except for maybe a nice, relaxing vacation. Well now you can have the best of both; the sweet satisfaction of sustainability, enjoyed in the comfort of an essential oil bath. Where does this sustainable sabbatical take place you ask? At DAR HI in Nefta, south of Tunisia, of course! Designer Matali Crasset dreamed up and developed the natural desert oasis at the direction of Philippe Chapelet and Patrick Elouarghi.

The charming, green, eco-lodge sits on the brink of the desert, just beyond the outer fringes of the city. Walls encircle property, like all local architecture, yet DAR HI mimics the forms and lines of the landscape, harmoniously meshing with Nefta’s terrain. The edifice is composed of distinctive ochre hued bricks, accompanied by roofs and doors made of palm wood.

All materials are locally sourced, and food is provided from the organic vegetable garden that lies within the oasis. DAR HI proves to be a serene retreat, weather you’re relaxing in the pool heated with natural thermal water, or watching the sun set over the dry salted lake Chott El Djerid. From your first step inside the walls you will be welcomed with local Tunisian slippers called babouches. And c’mon, what’s not to like about a nice pair of babouches? That’s what we thought.