Berber Lodge, Marrakech
Sitting on the outskirts of the Villages of Oumes, Berber Lodge is a lesson in Moroccan simplicity.
Woven amongst rows of wild olive trees are nine individual cottages, accommodations laid out on the land to create their very own mini Berber village. A twenty minute drive out of the city, Berber Lodge sits at ease in its landscape, a welcomed escape from bustling Marrakech and an elegant way to experience the beauty of Morocco’s underrated natural surrounds.
The lodgings are the latest project by architect Romain Michel-Ménière, who is also behind Kasbah Bab Ourika, a luxurious nearby hotel that overlooks the Atlas Mountains.
As he has with Bab Ourika, Michel-Ménière has employed the use of traditional natural materials in the construction, using mudbrick and timbers from local palms and eucalypts. Ceilings are covered in tufted reed above tiles the colour of ash. It feels as though the lodge has been thoughtfully made with only what could be gathered within arms reach of the building site – the effect is satisfying.
These earthen elements are elevated by the use of tadelakt and marble bathrooms, with deep, inviting tubs and the softest handwoven towels from Tameslouhte.
Grass lamp shades cast soft shadows across the cool mudbrick walls in rooms furnished with rattan furniture and carefully sourced vintage textiles and curios. A communal space indoors houses a large stone fireplace, library, bar and dining room. Outside in the gardens you’ll find a long outdoor pool and a pergola bar for guests to frequent at their leisure.
The Berber Lodge is the kind of place you go to with the intent to spend your days slowly. Ideal accommodation to tack on to the end of a busy holiday spent city-hopping across Europe, the lodge is where you will stop looking at the clock and allow yourself to bask in the heat of laid-back Moroccan simplicity.
Credits: Berber Lodge, Unfolded
