Hassan Tower, Rabat Telegraph
*Venture farther afield than Marrakesh and Morocco has many surprises known only to locals, says Tara Stevens*
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London Telegraph, by Tara Stevens (January 5, 2014) — With all the appeal of an exotic destination, yet accessible by a short-haul flight, Morocco is a perennial favorite for winter sun. Most of the country’s 10 million visitors make a beeline for Marrakesh, but some tourists are complaining that the Red City has lost its lustre.
True, the seething souks of the old medina — spilling over with leather slippers and brightly woven carpets, beaten metal lanterns and cheap kaftans — can seem rather Disneyfied. Many visitors are opting to spend short breaks in the more authentic splendour of imperial cities like Fez and Meknes.
But follow locals and resident expats farther off the well-worn tourist path and you’ll discover some of the country’s best-kept secrets: towns and villages possessed of somewhat quieter personalities, fantastic food and memorable places to stay.
Scarabeo Camp
Instead of bumping along in a 4×4 for hours to get into the Moroccan Sahara, in-the-know Marrakchis take the short cut to the Scarabeo Camp in the Agafay stone desert. Located a mere 25 miles from Marrakesh, it feels like a million miles away, thanks to the great wall of Atlas Mountains framing a lunar landscape of stone dunes that seem to shift shape in the light.
It’s a sensational place to hike in winter or spring sunshine, or, as many do, simply sit out on the deck of your tent for a day or two, watching the clouds and contemplating the universe. At night, a professional astronomer with a serious telescope shows up to guide you through constellations that seem so close you could touch them.
Several billowing white canvas tents make up the Scarabeo luxury camp, each with a sturdy wood-framed bed piled high with snowy linen, writing desk and en suite eco bathroom (order hot water 20 minutes beforehand); dining tents serve impeccable Berber dishes and a library is well stocked with books and board games.
Astronomy, camel rides and parapenting are all available by arrangement too. A sister camp is due to open near Agadir in the spring (00212 661 444 158; scarabeo-camp.com; luxury double tent from £145 per night).
El Jadida
The French protectorate of Morocco (1912-1956) is well documented. Less publicised is that the Portuguese had a hand in things too, with some architecturally splendid results.
El Jadida, a one-hour train ride from Casablanca, was named a Unesco World Heritage site in 2004 for its stone ramparts enclosing the mighty Portuguese fortress of Mazagan and a 16th-century cistern, where sheets of silvery water reflect the arcaded roof and columns, creating a space both strange and ethereal.
It can all easily be covered in a day, but for anyone looking to explore a different side of Morocco it makes a rewarding stopover en route to Oualidia, especially since the opening of the quirky Hotel L’Iglesia in a 19th-century Catholic church.
This sleek hotel, in the eye of the ancient battlements of the Mazagan fortress, comprises two parts: the old Harbour Master’s house and the church. Farrow & Ball hues have been used to decorate the spacious rooms dominated by wrought-iron beds. There’s a lavish cocktail lounge in the nave, stacked with velvet chaises and Barcelona chairs and lit by chandeliers dripping with semi-precious jewels (523 373 400; liglesia.com; doubles from £125 per night).
Oualidia
Famed for its saltwater lagoon and excellent seafood, Oualidia is where Marrakesh residents go to escape the crowds of Essaouira.
Situated just two hours from Casablanca (take a train half way to El Jadida, then a grand taxi from there), the little village of white and blue cottages, their lush gardens dripping with purple bougainvillea and lipstick-red hibiscus, is sublimely tranquil.
There’s blessedly little to do here other than soak up the sun on powder-soft, white sand beaches, swim in the calm, turquoise water of the lagoon, or, if you surf, catch a break on the Atlantic side of the lagoon.
Lunches consist of snacking on freshly shucked oysters, razor clams and sea urchins sold for mere pence out of esparto grass baskets from the back of a moped; or seeking out one of the local fisherman hosting a barbecued fish picnic on the beach. Sunset sees Oualidia at its most magical as you stroll along the edge of the lagoon and watch the water turn pink.
When you’re there, stay at the dreamy La Sultana, one of the most romantic places in the country. Bob about in an infinity pool that spills over the shallow cliffs, get scrubbed with rose oil and clay in the spa, smooch in a Jacuzzi beneath the stars (all the rooms have one), picnic in the Atlantic dunes, or throw back a long, lazy lunch of oysters, spider crab and roast sea bass on a pontoon jutting into the Oualidia lagoon (524 388 008; lasultanahotels.com; double from £215 per night).
Rabat
Just minutes from Casablanca by train, this may be Morocco’s capital, but its compact size means you can absorb it all in a weekend with none of the stress of the more celebrated cities.
Shop, hassle-free, in the pint-size medina for modern artisan goods like smart houndstooth blankets in subtle hues, quality leather bags and shoes and keenly priced antiques, then take in a couple of the art galleries and women’s cooperatives selling embroidered table linen and terracotta bowls in the blue and white Kasbah that wraps along the cliff tops.
A new tramway connects the cosmopolitan new city with the old, and it’s worth venturing into the new town to take a look at Mohammed V’s marble mausoleum, the honey-coloured Roman ruins of the Chellah and the dazzling white art deco cathedral.
The icing on the cake is taking a rowing boat across the river to neighbouring Salé and spending the night at The Repose, the most peaceful and charming hotel in town. With just four rooms, it’s like staying in a private home richly decorated with silk drapes, velvet banquettes and deep pile wool rugs, with superb vegetarian cooking (by prior arrangement) as a bonus (537 882 958; therepose.com; doubles from £50 per night).
Ifrane
It’s hard to imagine anywhere less Moroccan than Ifrane, about an hour and a half’s drive from Fez. But that’s the joy of this country: it is all in the surprises. Known as a “Little Switzerland”, the Alpine-like village with its pitched roof houses and pristine streets was created by the French during their time here and was a favourite of King Hassan II, who would retreat here to escape the city heat during his reign.
While expats can be rather disparaging of the place, it has remained a popular getaway among well-heeled Moroccans ever since, and no wonder. They come for cool mountain air and lake-swimming in the summer, wild mushrooms and hunting in the autumn, flowers in the spring and these days, a growing winter sports scene that includes some lovely cross-country skiing. Morocco certainly has it all if you know where to go.
Stay at the Michlifen, a handsome five-star hotel surrounded by pine forest and owned by ONCF (which also has La Mamounia in Marrakesh). The interior mixes local stone and cedar, with antique carpets and Ralph Lauren furniture, giving a sense of true Middle Atlas luxury. Once the day’s skiing is done, soak away the strain in the indoor-outdoor pool heated by a real fire in the spa (535 864 000; michlifenifrane.com; doubles from £220).
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