28 June 2011

Morocco, Skoura, Kasbah Ait Ben Moro

I already confessed that I like the tales of 1001 nights; to be honest I think I was an Arabic princess in my former life : ). So to sleep in a late 18-century Kasbah in an oasis, with amazing mountain views, surrounded by palmtrees was a fantastic experience.

Kasbah Ait Ben Moro is definitively on my list of Moroccan favorites. My husband and I stayed here a few years ago when making a roundtrip in Morocco (Marrakech - Essaouira - Skoura - Erfoud - Fez - Meknez). Loved this place (that is actually a sand castle made out of mud and straw) because its beauty and simplicity.


 http://www.aitbenmoro.com/

A lot of the restored Kasbahs hotels in Morocco would be better off in Disneyland than in the pure and rough Moroccan mountain and desert scenery. Kasbah Ben Moro is one of the few authentic places that still has character. As a consequence it is basic, and that for me is beautiful. I loved the fact that there was only electricity untill 11pm, so after a (great!) dinner we had to go back to our room with a lighted candle in our hand walking through hallways and stairs all lighted in fantastic patterns by lanterns. That's why you go to a country like Morocco, isn't it?

So do not expect glamour and nightlife, but enjoy the romance that nature brings. Two absolute musts when out there: 1) rent a mountainbike (owner can arrange this) and tour around in the Palmeraie and 2) visit Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO world heritage site, and decor of many many movies like Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%AFt_Benhaddou. Quite funny when you walk through the Kasbah and all of its inhabitants proudly tell you 'did you know I played a part in that that and that famous movie?'.  

I found Ben Moro in a great hotel guide 'HIP hotels budget', that is just exactly my cup of tea. As the author writes in his introduction 'all the ingredients that make a HIP Hotel - fantasy, orginality, style, location- are available at less than astronomical rates, if you only know where to look'... Its an oldy (published in 2001), but you can always doublecheck the places on tripadvisor, I know for sure that most of the listed places still get raving raviews  http://www.amazon.com/Hip-Hotels-Budget-Herbert-Ypma/dp/0500283028

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