Football, mountains and souks: A postcard from Morocco

Lots of people were thinking about Morocco last night as the Atlas Lions continued – and ended – their heroic run in the World Cup with a semi-final defeat to France. While lots of people probably became honorary Morocco fans for the night, S and I watched the match in the restaurant of a hotel nestled in the Atlas Mountains an hour or so’s drive from Marrakech.

Just after the snow hit on Sunday night, we escaped for warmer climes for a few days escape in Morocco. We arrived in Marrakesh at L’Oriental Medina Riad on Monday afternoon and spent the rest of the day exploring the surrounding area – capping it off with getting spectacularly lost in the souks and then unwinding with a rooftop coffee at the Musée de la Photographie.

We did also discover a stunning vegan eaterie – The World Storytelling Café, which is handily located just a few steps from our Riad.

Our initial stay in Marrakesh was brief and we headed out on Tuesday for one of the best days of holidaying and travelling I have ever had. We drove up into the mountains, via a female argan oil co-operative where S tried her hand at grinding the nuts to make the oil. Our next stop was the Berber village of Imlil. This incredible spot, nestled on the mountainside is actually five villages, as our guide Jamal explained. He took us for tea and to meet his family, before taking us the back route to see the waterfalls which draw many trekking tourists to the area.

The landscape is stunning.

On from there, we headed to Taj Atlas Wellness Boutique Hotel & Spa, where I am currently writing to you from the warmth of a table overlooking the pool. Work and real life seem a delightfully long way away, so I am going to keep this short and log off before one of my email notifications catches me.

I’ll post a full list of recommendations etc once we are home, but for now, please enjoy the snow if you have any.