Mountain lodge is a fairytale entrance to North African culture
To reach the Atlas Mountains from Marrakesh, you need to cross a wide, stony plain, passing through a brand-new town that has been planned but not yet completely built, with boundaries demarcated but nothing yet inside them (apparently, some 300,000 people will one day call this place home). It’s freshness alongside inconceivably ancient, and raises an interesting question: given a blank slate, what would you include when planning a new city?
The road into the mountains is only one lane either way, which means occasionally crawling behind a truck, but the scenery more than makes up for it – radiant green rivercourses against the deep brown-red of the soil.
A myriad small settlements cling to the hillsides, linked by timeworn footpaths with no more traffic than a mule and his minder. Picnic spots along the river next to the road are much busier, with brightly painted chairs mirroring the joy of community connection.
The picturesque village of Imlil offers a range of shops that reflect its status as the starting point for the area’s gorgeous hikes and camping expeditions.
Above the village looms (in the friendliest way possible) Kasbah du Toubkal, a hotel built on the footprint of an old palace and then rebuilt better and stronger after the earthquakes suffered by the region a couple of years ago. The pathway up the hill to the hotel is steep and winding. Mules carry guests’ luggage in roomy saddlebags, bearing the burden as they have for centuries.
Through a solid door befitting a mountain fortress, the path to the hotel’s common area is lined by gorgeous stands of cosmos flowers and verdant fruit trees, and as you are offered orange-infused water to wash your hands on arrival, it feels like you’ve come to a place where culture and comfort are impossible to separate.
Delicious cordiality
There are cool lounges everywhere, a magnificent infinity pool and steps leading to a rooftop terrace where many of the meals are served, with more stairs up to a lookout area offering breathtaking mountain vistas and refreshing breezes.
On the terrace, under lattice structures that provide shade, couches, low tables and stools create an informal dining area promoting sharing and interaction. The tables are initially loaded up with piled flatbreads, both crumbly and crispy, plus salads and jugs of water, with bottles of wine cooling to one side. It’s tempting to fill up early, but you need to plan well: still on the way are tagines of lamb with figs and couscous and vegetables. Everything is tender and tasty. Everything demands tasting…
This is the kind of place you want to make a meal last for hours, whiled away in happy hospitality. The hotel’s owners, Chris and Mike, are both storytellers, with the former memorably explaining how they affected post-earthquake rebuilding in “less than the confinement of a chinchilla” (around 12 weeks, apparently).
The rooms, when retreated to, are large, featuring the sort of shapes and angles required when both building on a steep slope and reflecting local history and culture.
Text | Bruce Dennill
Photography | Supplied
For more information or to book a stay, go to kasbahdutoubkal.com.
