Elite Traveler September-October 2015

INSPIRE MARRAKECH

elite traveler SEPT/OCT 2015 ISSUE 5 110

PITSTOPS ON THE MOROCCO DRIVING ADVENTURE Kasbah Tamadot In 1998, Richard Branson chose Marrakech as the launch point for his final attempt on the round-the- world balloon record. While waiting for her son to lift off, Eve Branson fell in love with this scenic ruin. “You have to buy it, Richard,” she said. “OK,” he replied. “But you have to look after the people in the surrounding villages.” For Eve, that meant teaching knitting to Berber girls who would otherwise have been herding sheep. So, aged 77, she learned to knit. Today guests are encouraged to watch girls making carpets, woolen goods and patchworks in Eve Branson’s workshops, then buy them to take home. Kasbah Tamadot (pictured top left), gloriously reinvented as a 27-room boutique hotel in the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Meanwhile British Polo Day, Eve Branson’s lucrative fundraiser, is in its third year of operation. At the post-match gala dinner, visitors dig deep into their pockets for the charity auction: a morning-after game of tennis at Tamadot with Richard Branson goes for around $18,800. But the real winner is Eve Branson’s Foundation, which usually gains upwards of $300,000 from the event. British Polo Day Weekend, including dinner with Eve Branson Foundation charity auction, $20,165. Master Suite from $2,280 +1 212 994 3070 kasbahtamadot.com Royal Mansour This sumptuous hotel (pictured bottom left) was built four years ago by King Mohammed VI for visiting foreign royals. Guests stay in their own villa (or riad) and have access to the exotic Arabian Spa. Built by Marrakech’s acknowledged master of traditional hamman, Abdelkader al Ibtikar, he applies his magical treatments such as lumière sur le corps – two intoxicating hours of self- indulgence. He starts with a full-body massage in the hot room, using gooey black soap made from olive resin. After a purifying wash, he applies an exfoliating kessa glove, combining a vigorous rub with a detoxifying body mask. This is finished with a ceremonial massage, with an ointment made from butter and argan oil, a regional panacea for all ills. Riad d'Honneur from $40,813 +212 5 29 80 80 80 royalmansour.com

Benija we had it again, but it was a feast for the gods – succulent meat seasoned with herbs from the terrace, home-baked flatbread, fresh salad and fruit. As I followed the alpha car buffs in our party back to the cars after the meal, I received the first snarky comments: “Saw you with two wheels hanging in space on some of those turns.” It wasn’t unexpected from these male egos stimulated by high revs but it was doubly irritating to hear, since my car emerged onto the next stretch of road with a flat tire. It’s a common occurrence, solved in five minutes with a sophisticated jack and power tools. The final 30-mile stretch towards the desert camp just outside Marrakech was playtime, a chance to show the fun these cars can provide. Initially we sped up, cresting hills with sharp summits that leave you staring into the sky – until you reach the tipping point that reveals your descent. Anas and I did a bit of ceremonial whooping as we alternately hung and swooped for 30 gloriously abandoned minutes in open rocky desert. Then it was time for a reality check, heralded by a drive through the craggy Nfis riverbed into a canyon with no obvious exit. Ahead lay a heavily cambered step to another level. The modern Range Rover has four low ratio settings: mud and ruts, snow and ice, sand and rock crawler, represented visually by a precipitous e-crag. Once we’d engaged it, Jordi demonstrated the techniques required to use it, but even the maestro needed help from the ground. Andrea stood in his path, showing the infinitesimal adjustments that would align wheels to terrain. With the car tilting sideways at 45 degrees, acceleration and steering were crucial, overcorrection potentially disastrous. The engine is designed to stop if the seat belts aren’t fastened, so jumping clear is not an option: getting it wrong means going down with the ship. I vowed to get it right. Align, advance, reverse, control, obey. Inch by inch the car clawed upwards and onwards towards the magic moment when I could get out and see how my companions fared. Then we were back on it, repeating the tasks on different rock formations until we reached the freewheeling path to our camp, or our Arabian Night spacious walk-in tent, complete with a deep bed, crisp white linen and en-suite facilities behind the arras. There was no generator to spoil the silence and, better still, there were plenty of cocktails as the sun went down. On another occasion, guests might order in Gnaoua musicians, the sub-Saharan healers who create deep hypnotic trances in ceremonies designed to soothe stranded souls. There was no need for that on this night: a day of extreme driving guaranteed us blissful sleep under the desert stars. Minty Clinch went on a Land Rover Adventure with Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.co.uk), which costs from $7,000 for four nights (based on double occupancy, flights not included). Tours can also be tailor-made on demand.

Initially we sped up, cresting hills with sharp summits that leave you staring into the sky – until you reach the tipping point that reveals your descent

Photographs Corbis