Morocco Storybook Tour – Day 2 can be found here.
The day dawned bright, cool and clear – and early. No lounging in bed for us, we had to pack up all of our luggage and get ready to move body and soul to the Atlas Mountains.
Another delicious breakfast at Le Pavillion – much the same as the first, so no pictures – and then we stuffed the rest of our toiletries away and started shuttling bags down to the lobby.
It was highly fortunate that we’d changed our pick-up time that morning, as we needed every last minute to get ready to go. Thankfully it only took a few minutes for us to settle our bill – and it cost a mere 2,400 dirham (US$240 give or take) for lunch and dinner for four people.
No charge for laundry, even – though I wouldn’t suggest anyone try to take advantage of that in the way a first-year university student returning from residence might attempt to do so.
Anne even gave my son a notebook after she happened to overhear him asking for one. Truly, Le Pavillion has exceptional service (and connecting rooms) – and we very much hope to stay there again next time we return.
Ali was at the door at 9:30 am sharp, and we managed to load the bags in a single trip – another task with which Anne assisted.
We’d considered changing the seating arrangements in our Land Cruiser so that we’d have someone in the third row, but the sheer volume of our luggage has made this impossible. So hopefully we’re not too crowded in there – particularly the day after tomorrow, when we’ll be on the road for 6-7 hours as we head to the edge of the Sahara.
As Carla had noted, the drive out to the Atlas Mountains was vastly more interesting than the drive between Casablanca and Morocco. We were amazed by the volume of construction going on, and fascinated by the wide range of shops. Ali pointed out that many of the hotels in the area bought from nearby merchants, and so there was a steady demand for rugs, lamps and pottery.
It wasn’t long before the Atlas Mountains loomed large in our windshield, and we were soon winding our way along the river valley, past the town of Ourika, toward our next adventure – a trek through a Berber village and deep into the mountains.
We’d originally hoped to visit the Setti Fatma waterfall, but Ali wisely pointed out that it was a beautiful spring day on the weekend and that half of Marrakech would have the same idea. Not to mention the fact that the drought-like conditions had slowed the waterfall to a trickle.
There was some initial disappointment – which did not last long, once we began our hike.
We started off following the mountain road, but then detoured through a small village, where we had the chance to experience a small slice of Berber living – women carrying their children, farmers tending their plots, and villagers grazing their sheep and goats. We then dropped down toward the river where we spotted some mountain streams that – in wetter years – would likely become rivers and waterfalls.
Heading toward a Berber village
Berber farming plots where they grow fava beans and tomatoes amid other crops
Approaching the river valley – amazing how lush it gets closer to the water
A once-mighty waterfall, now reduced to a trickle
All along the route we hiked, we met with many a friendly “Bonjour!” (and only one cheeky call for Baksheesh). We had one brief misunderstanding where a man thought I had taken his photo, when I had in fact only taken the photo of his tiny little goat. But let that be a reminder to everyone – ask permission when you’re taking someone’s picture. Or a photo in their vicinity.
We then started the long, hard scrabble back up the mountain to where our lunch waited for us.
“Are we there yet? Is this the village?” “No! You asked two villages ago!” (It was not the village where we’d have lunch… much as we wanted it to be)
Looking back at not-the-village – roads and rivers are the lifeblood of this land
It was a tough go, particularly given that some of us were still not feeling 100%. There were audible groans when we realized we still had another 2 km to go beyond the next largish village. But we persevered and soon were enjoying this spectacular view from Tizi N’Oucheg’s rooftop restaurant.
We made it! The actual village!
I can practically taste the tajin…
Ali then very kindly arranged a ride back down to the starting point for himself so he could pickup the Land Cruiser and drive up to collect us, thereby saving us hiking back, and we sat down to enjoy a chicken tajin. Though due to a misunderstanding, we weren’t actually served until after Ali returned – they’d thought we were waiting for him, when he’d actually brought his own lunch.
It ended up being something of a happy accident, as Ali was then able to join us for lunch and we headed off soon thereafter.
We once more dodged through perilous traffic on the way to our hotel – all along the river there are a series of shops and restaurants, many of which offer seating beside – and even in – the river itself. Must be quite refreshing in the summer, as our son suggested.
The return trip lasted somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes, complicated somewhat due to preparations for market day and a bridge closure. We were all very ready to arrive at Kasbah Bab Ourika, particularly as we were only going to be staying here for a single night.
Despite being at the end of a very unassuming road, Kasbah Bab Ourika is exceptionally luxurious. The gardens are pristine, the architecture striking, and the air filled with the scent of orange blossoms. And the view – utterly incredible.
The check in process was seamless. Their porter met our driver at the door, and our bags were inside before we could even offer to help. The only slowdown at the front desk was on our part – we’d buried the passports in the deepest, darkest corner of our largest bag. We then followed this up with a brief tour of the property – namely the indoor lounge, the slightly outdoor lounge, the bar, the restaurant, and the cocktail patio.
And would we like a welcome drink? Yes. Yes, we would.
Soon after those lemonades had been demolished, the porter came by to show us to our garden suite. Bab Ourika has a range of different room types, and this one includes its own private patio as well as three separate bedrooms.
Master bedroom and bathroom
One of two kids’ bedrooms – the other had one single. A single single? Something like that
A very spacious living room that we wish we had more time to use
Loungers and outdoor furniture that – tragically – will only be used as drying racks for our wet clothing
We then went for a swim in their beautiful pool. It was lovely, though still rather cool despite claims about it being heated. But considering what we’d just done, a cool dunk was massively refreshing. There were also many, many pristine loungers and some very comfortable towels. We made use of everything.
Back to the suite to shower and change for dinner. We tried to swing by for cocktails beforehand, but we were there about 10 minutes before dinner service began – unsurprisingly, everyone was trying to get in on cocktails before dinner started. But it did give me time to snap some photos of this beautiful property.
We just went for dinner instead, enjoying three delicious steak frites and one apparently fantastic hamburger. But the ice cream profiteroles stole the show:
The property was lovely during the day, but positively magical at night.
One of my favourite sayings is that it’s always nice to have a reason to come back – but I truly wish we could stay at Kasbah Bab Ourika for just one more day.
Continue reading Morocco Storybook Tour – Day 4.