When selecting a vacation specifically for the culinary delights, Morocco might not be the very first destination that immediately comes to mind. But Kasbah Tamadot, a retreat located in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, right by Marrakech, could very well change that. This dreamy boutique resort, one of the many owned by Richard Branson, is made up of just 28 rooms and suites and it offers an ideal gourmet adventure.
There are “interactive cookery sessions” led by the hotel’s chefs, which starts at approximately $100 a person for a three-hour class. Each person is set up at an individual cooking station, where they create a three-course meal made up of salads, soup, tagines, and a dessert. For those who want to ensure they’ll be able to keep up their new gourmet skills at home, not to worry—the chefs take you through it step-by-step and give you detailed recipes to take home with you. If one decides to stay at the resort for evening dining options, guests can choose to eat by the infinity pool, or perhaps the starlit rooftop terrace—it’s all catered from the Kanoun restaurant, where the local cuisine is paired with wines from all around the world. The bread comes from the traditional wood-fired kitchen in the hotel, which is run by two local women through the Eve Branson Foundation.
When you aren’t embarking on a culinary expedition, there’s also lots of space in the hotel to wind down from all that food—there’s an indoor pool, as well as spa treatment rooms and a hot tub. If you’re feeling a tad weighed down from the cuisine, perhaps a set on one of the two tennis courts amidst the green outdoor spaces would serve you well.
The rooms start at $635 a night if you’re planning on going between September 1 and November 13 (high season and such), though it’s a tad lower, at $532 a night, if you go from November 14 to December 21.
Just saying, Marrakech is already a celeb-approved spot–David Beckham celebrated his 40th birthday there with wife Victoria last year, and Michelle Obama brought her daughters Sasha and Malia there earlier this summer, while Poppy Delevingne married James Cook in Marrakech in 2014. Sure, you might not have quite the star-studded extravaganza had by Beckham, but tagine is quite lovely, too!
