Marvellous Morocco: Comfort and culture in Casablanca, riches and refinement in Rabat.

Marvellous Morocco: Comfort and culture in Casablanca, riches and refinement in Rabat.

Marvellous Morocco: Comfort and culture in Casablanca, riches and refinement in Rabat.

Yves de Contades jetted off to Morocco to luxuriate in the finest hotels, spas and restaurants in Casablanca and Rabat.
The flight from London to Casablanca is a breeze, just three hours and you are in the most exotic land of adventure and luxury. There is nowhere else as close to the UK that offers constant sunshine and the thrill of French influenced North African sophistication, cuisine and culture. It is my favourite short haul destination. Also Royal Air Maroc are still small and proud enough that they make that extra effort to look after you, so you are treated as a guest on the flight and not merely baggage.
Our car is waiting to pick us up at the airport and swiftly conducts us to the Relais & Châteaux Le Doge Hotel and Spa which is an exquisite boutique hotel tucked down a little side street just off the main thoroughfare in the art deco centre of Casablanca. The service is both personal and discreet and each of the rooms and suites are based on a famous art deco artist, such as Josephine Baker, Fritz Lang, Coco Chanel, Tamara De Lempicka, Jean Cocteau and Man Ray to name but a few of my favourites. Le Doge is the perfect base from which to tour Casablanca with friends or as a romantic hideaway for two.
Early morning is the best time to visit the Hassan II Mosque which has the highest minaret in the world and is an architectural marvel, combining scale, opulence and a prodigious retractable roof all illuminated by Herculean Swarovski chandeliers straight out of a 1001 nights. Built on a rocky promontory over the Atlantic you can even view the seabed through the glass floor in the hall. Another stunning example of Moroccan architecture is the Mahakma du Pacha or Pacha’s courthouse located just south of the Habous Medina, full of ornate wooden carved ceilings, stucco decoration and wonderful inner courtyards with undulating arches.
I highly recommend stopping off for tea at the beautiful La Sqala courtyard restaurant and cafe, slap bang in the middle of an old Moroccan fort. They do an amazing selection of herb and mint teas. The Flio herb tea is amazing, very strong tasting at first, with a real hit, followed by a lovely subtle aftertaste which is immensely refreshing. Try La Mer restaurant if you love seafood with a great sea view and for a little thrill, great atmosphere and talking point, visit Rick’s cafe and piano bar from the movie Casablanca. It’s based on and is decorated as an homage to the great film with Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, though Claude Rains steals a few good moments with his wonderful portrayal of a corrupt cop with a heart.
My next stop was L’Amphithrite Palace Hotel and Spa which is a magnificent sprawling palace of white minarets with its own private beach and numerous pools. It nestles on the Atlantic between Rabat, the capital, and Casablanca, adjacent to four golf courses all within a 30-minute drive, including the prestigious Royal Golf Dar Essalam. That night I dined at their poolside restaurant, Le Poseidon, with friends and we spent a lovely evening sampling various fresh seafood dishes and watching the sky morph chromatically as the sun set out to sea. The next day I went for one of the traditional Moroccan massages in the hotel Spa which are full body, back and front, and was quite fabulous. Why do most massages ignore the front half of the body, which goes through just as much stress in life as the back? Not to be missed. I must admit that the rest of the day was indolently spent in the sea with its great long rolling waves, and lounging by the pool bar in good company.
That evening we dined at Le Zyriab restaurant, in the Medina of Rabat, where you are greeted and treated in ceremonial Moroccan style and served delicious authentic traditional cuisine, before going off to watch the Impulse Solar plane land after completing a 19 hour flight from Madrid to Rabat. The Solar Impulse project was launched in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard and Swiss pilot Andre Boschberg and made history in July 2010 when it became the first manned solar plane to complete a 26-hour nonstop flight. It is absolutely huge, with a small cockpit, but the wing span of a jumbo jet. Look out for this technological marvel that can even fly at night on its solar cells, as it off around the world on a solar tour in 2014. After that we sampled the rich and refined night life that Rabat has to offer with exotic cabaret, singing and dancing.
When in Rabat don’t miss the Chella necropolis or Sala Colonia which are vast ancient Roman ruins on the mouth of the Bou Regreg River, built more than 2,300 years ago. The site is mind boggling in size and architecture and completely over run by a plethora of giant storks that nest in all the towers. It is a fairy tale vista and one of the worlds great historical sites with the added bonus of these lanky yet graceful giant birds flapping across the landscape like vast mythological Rocs.
The Kasbah in Rabat is straight out of Beau Geste, an old fort with picturesque winding lanes overlooking the river and the town of Salé on the opposite bank, classified a UNESCO World Heritage site. You can wander here for hours admiring the beautiful houses and blue and white painted streets and imagining the savage battles fought as Rabat was the staging post for the Almohad ruler Abd al-Mu’min’s pirate attacks on Spain to plunder for booty. You can continue this Barbary Pirate naval theme by dining at La Péniche barge floating opposite on the Salé side of the river. The perfect place to enjoy good seafood and watch the locals speed by on their water bikes.
Take a tour of the Mausoleum of Mohammed V with its green tiled roofs typical of modern Alaouite dynasty architecture which contains the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons, the late King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah. Opposite is the Hassan Tower set in wide grounds with stone pillars jutting graphically into the air festooned with guards on foot and on horseback in magnificent traditional Moroccan dress. Then finish the day off with a tour of the King Mohammed VI's Royal Palace with its impressive immaculate gardens, government buildings, cannons and Mosques.
Rabat, like all Moroccan cities is benefiting from large scale investment and the newest project is a massive development on the banks of the Bou Regreg River between Rabat and Sale, consisting of a new luxury marina, shopping mall, beach areas and housing for 2013. This will effectively become a modern luxury centre surrounded by the wonderful ancient history of Rabat and is sure to bring many new businesses and tourists to the area. I look forward to popping back soon to see it and spend more time in that wonderful city.