MEDITATIONS ON MOROCCO
Meditations on Morocco - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Meditations on Morocco | |||||
| By: Saska Graville, Issue 30 - Autumn 2007 | |||||
| (Marrakesh, Morocco) | |||||
| ON THE DESERT OUTSKIRTS OF MARRAKESH WE FIND A SPA RETREAT WITH A DIFFERENCE. | |||||
| Morocco is having its moment in the sun. With an increasing number of airlines now flying from London, it’s easy to tag a weekend of exotic, African adventure onto a European trip. And time spent in Morocco is still very much an adventure. To cope with the almost biblical atmosphere of the city’s narrow, maze-like medina, you need a calm, luxurious base, and the Jnane Tamsna hotel is an oasis. A short drive from the medieval walls that surround the heart of Marrakesh, Jnane Tamsna opened in 2001 in the Palmeraie area. As the name suggests, thousands of palm trees dominate the desert-like landscape. There’s no lushness in sight. The environment is bleak and dusty, until that is, you enter the gates of the hotel. Suddenly nature is transformed into over three hectares (nine acres) of lavender beds, olive trees, white bougainvillea and jasmine. The effect is magical. It’s also surreal – especially when you spot the rows of carrots and lettuces mixed in with the more decorative vegetation. The hotel’s owners are rightfully proud of their ‘edible landscape’. Organic vegetables, herbs and citrus trees provide Jnane Tamsna’s kitchen with a constant supply of produce and every spare patch of soil is put to culinary use. Such effective housekeeping adds to the ‘private house’ feel of the property. There’s a total absence of the anonymous, ‘I could be anywhere’ atmosphere that afflicts some luxury hotels. At Jnane Tamsna, not only are you 100% aware of your Moroccan location, but you feel as if you’ve arrived at a gloriously decadent home. The heart of this warm welcome is the main sitting room in the Jnane or ‘paradise garden’ building. The stone floors are covered in brightly striped rugs; sofas and arm chairs surround a log fire; and a wonderfully inviting and oversized daybed recessed into the wall just begs to be lain on. Fresh roses from the gardens provide the finishing touch. The mood of deluxe domesticity extends to the bedrooms, 10 of which lead off the main Jnane courtyard. (This location is their only disadvantage – crack of dawn staff comings and goings are all audible.) No bedside phone, no TV, no Gideon bible tucked into the bedside drawer – it’s hard to believe that you’re in a hotel room at all. Local art and furniture are arranged in a slightly haphazard but wonderfully comfortable way. There’s no sense of a ‘corporate identity’ behind the room’s décor. This eclectic mood continues through each of the hotel’s 24-bedrooms, the rest of which are spread between several, more secluded garden locations, each with their own swimming pool. A short walk through the lavender bushes and olive trees leads to Salmia House. Each of its five-bedrooms has a vibrantly distinctive personality. In one, ochre red walls create an exotic mood, while another has more soothing pale blues, clashed with the bright pink, orange and purple stripes of a rug. The only giveaway that you’re in a hotel room is the air conditioning remote control and tariff of service rates. Two more buildings house the remaining rooms. The Pavilion has luxury suites with private living rooms, while the Moussfir (‘The house of the traveller’) takes the guest on a global journey of Islamic design influence: from Northern India to West Africa each room has a different mood and theme. If you do drag yourself from your room-side daybed – and there are plenty of them, tucked into private corners around the property then the main swimming pool is enchanting. Surrounded by huge palms and beds of lavender, you feel totally cut off from urban life. Just to make sure, a high, bougainvillea covered wall blocks off any view of the less luxurious landscape beyond the hotel compound. One view that demands attention however, is that of the Atlas Mountains. If you can, take yourself onto the hotel’s roof terrace at dawn and watch the ranges light up in the distance. It’s magical. It would be easy to cocoon yourself at Jnane Tamsna and never venture into the craziness of the Marrakesh medina, but that would be a mistake. The lure of Morocco is that it still feels medieval, despite its increasingly prominent tourist trappings. The hotel can arrange for a guide to steer you through the bewildering maze of alleyways that form the heart of the town. Attempt it without local help at your peril – no map could ever do justice to the tangle of narrow lanes. Yes, your guide will attempt to manoeuvre you into shops where he more than likely earns a commission, but a little bit of savvy bartering can score you bargains spanning metal-work homewares, leather goods, bejewelled kaftans and of course, lots and lots of carpets. You might want to avoid the pliers-wielding dentist who sets up his stall in the main square! For a less material outing, how about a hike in the mountains, or even a mountain bike safari through the Palmeraie itself? Both can be arranged from the hotel. If you’ve still got some energy, the tennis court might tempt you. If that’s all too hard, how about a massage? A local family of two sisters and one brother are booked by the hotel for quite possibly the best massage you’ll ever experience – just ask for Mustafa! If hikes, massages and a spot of shopping sound like your perfect holiday combination, then an In:Spa week at Jnane Tamsna might tempt you. An independent company that takes over hotels for a week of healthy activity including yoga, personal training and hiking, In:Spa only chooses exclusive locations – and Jnane Tamsna is one of its most popular. You’ll leave relaxed and energised – and with a few bargains thanks to an organised expedition to the medina. Exciting, edgy, and unsterilised, Morocco is an experience not to be missed. But thank heavens for hotels like Jnane Tamsna – a travel adventure is all very well, but we all want to do it in style. | |||||
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