If there is one thing every human being that can travel should do, it’s travel to Morocco. And specifically to the Atlas Mountains. Of course there are many ways to get there: by taxi, donkey or hiking, or a combination of all three. Rural life is all around you but if you want a little pampering, Moroccan style, a new lodge caters to the whims of those who want to feel “local” with exotic comforts that Morocco has to offer. I’ve spent some time in the Atlas Mountains, and managed to hire a local taxi, with doors and windows falling off, winding through the mountains at breakneck speeds, radio full blast in Arabic song wondering just how safe we were on those washed out roads. My rusty french helped a lot. We arrived near to to a Berber-managed lodge that required a donkey for the last leg.
No mention of a donkey for this new place that we love, but the Berber Lodge built by a French-Swiss designer Romain Michel-Meniere, in the Atlas Mountains, a half hour drive from Marrakesh (Douar Oumnes, Tamesloth) is now on my list of go-to destinations. Adobe structures for lodging, extensive gardens and an olive grove as well as a 50-foot-pool all make the lodge authentic and luxurious. Check out the photos below.
In Marrakesh Michel-Meniere designed a stylish hotel the Riad Mena & Beyond (bread and breakfasts are called a riad in Morocco) and the farm-to-table restaurant Nomad. If you get to Marrakesh in late spring or summer though, it’s too hot to handle. That’s why I’d seek retreat in the mountains where it can even get super chilly at night. Perfect for snuggling.
Morocco is a place to discover, and you must get yourself there. More interestingly perhaps if you do that during one of their music festivals. The Gnaoua Festival coming up in the spring of 2018, is one like no other.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
