We've spent the last couple of days on the outskirts of Marrakech relaxing after our exertions at a hotel, the like of which we have never before experienced. You drive out of Marrakech to an area known as the Palmeraie, mostly desert scrubland planted with palmtrees and now an area with smart villas hidden behind high walls.
Les Deux Tours was built in the early nineties by Tunisian architect Charles Boccara in the style of a traditional Moroccan villa. The buildings with several rooms or suites all have their own little courtyards with a plunge-pool, and are arranged around the most beautiful gardens.
All kinds of trees and shrubs grow there; citrus fruit, fig and olive trees, date palms, rubber plants, bamboo, enormous flowering oleander, Hawaiian rose bushes and bougainvillea to name but a few. Here and there are elegant ponds planted with umbrella plants, bullrushes and waterlilies beside which you can while away the time watching the fish, small turtles and listening to the frogs. Wandering through the gardens you may happen on a canopied bed or hammock where you can rest in the shade, or small tables and chairs where you can picnic in the kitchen garden.
Our room is large and elegant, with tiled floor, high ceilings, tall shuttered windows, and on arrival there were petals decorating the bedspread. There are all kinds of small nooks and crannies in the main buildings to sit and read in or maybe play a game of chess, in addition to a bar and restaurant with terraces overlooking the gardens.
The gardens and terraces are alive with the sound of bird-song during the day, and if you leave your food unattended, it may disappear off your plate! At night they become a magical place, lit by hundreds of lanterns and brought alive by the sounds of croaking frogs and sawing cicadas.
We while away our time by the pool, reading, a trip into the heat of Marrakech, good food and wine and perhaps even a visit to the spa. The place has a huge staff all eager to make your stay as pleasant as possible, and a charming Sudanese musician who plays and sings each night in the bar...check out this video!
However, this sheltered existence and taste of luxury that we share with other foreigners and a few wealthy Moroccans actually leaves us feeling rather uncomfortable. This is compounded by the way the smarmy blonde colonial-type manager is all over some of the guests ($$). Having seen the conditions in which many people live and work here and the shacks just outside the walls of this beautiful palace, the contrast is a bit hard to swallow. We couldn't help but remember, with a certain amount of guilt, what our mountain guide Abdellah said: it is better to have wealth in your heart and mind than riches in this world! Ah well, it was only for a couple of days :)
Les Deux Tours was built in the early nineties by Tunisian architect Charles Boccara in the style of a traditional Moroccan villa. The buildings with several rooms or suites all have their own little courtyards with a plunge-pool, and are arranged around the most beautiful gardens.
All kinds of trees and shrubs grow there; citrus fruit, fig and olive trees, date palms, rubber plants, bamboo, enormous flowering oleander, Hawaiian rose bushes and bougainvillea to name but a few. Here and there are elegant ponds planted with umbrella plants, bullrushes and waterlilies beside which you can while away the time watching the fish, small turtles and listening to the frogs. Wandering through the gardens you may happen on a canopied bed or hammock where you can rest in the shade, or small tables and chairs where you can picnic in the kitchen garden.Our room is large and elegant, with tiled floor, high ceilings, tall shuttered windows, and on arrival there were petals decorating the bedspread. There are all kinds of small nooks and crannies in the main buildings to sit and read in or maybe play a game of chess, in addition to a bar and restaurant with terraces overlooking the gardens.
The gardens and terraces are alive with the sound of bird-song during the day, and if you leave your food unattended, it may disappear off your plate! At night they become a magical place, lit by hundreds of lanterns and brought alive by the sounds of croaking frogs and sawing cicadas.We while away our time by the pool, reading, a trip into the heat of Marrakech, good food and wine and perhaps even a visit to the spa. The place has a huge staff all eager to make your stay as pleasant as possible, and a charming Sudanese musician who plays and sings each night in the bar...check out this video!
However, this sheltered existence and taste of luxury that we share with other foreigners and a few wealthy Moroccans actually leaves us feeling rather uncomfortable. This is compounded by the way the smarmy blonde colonial-type manager is all over some of the guests ($$). Having seen the conditions in which many people live and work here and the shacks just outside the walls of this beautiful palace, the contrast is a bit hard to swallow. We couldn't help but remember, with a certain amount of guilt, what our mountain guide Abdellah said: it is better to have wealth in your heart and mind than riches in this world! Ah well, it was only for a couple of days :)
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Vous êtes touriste ou aventurier, vous aimez la nature sauvage, les dunes, le désert, la montagne, vous rêvez de vivre la vraie vie des habitants du Maroc, leurs coutumes, leurs traditions.Nous mettons à votre disposition notre expérience pour vous proposer trekking, randonnées, tourisme sportif et découverte au cœur de la montagne ou du désert marocain avec notre équipe de muletiers et chameliers .
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