Part 3 - Our Luxury Stay at Kasbah Du Toubkal, Morocco`s Premier Mountain Retreat

Our next stop was the stunning Kasbah Du Toubkal which totally lived up to its reputation and far more. Situated in the heart of the Atlas Mountains and just 60km from Marrakech you can understand why this place is the preferred retreat for many celebs looking for a bit of tranquillity away from the paparazzi.

The resort is now responsible for a bustling community of Berbers and has created over 100 jobs for the local community – from muleteers to chefs, mountain guides and waiters. The resort is managed entirely by the locals and its magical charm is impeccable – it`s clear that your comfort is their highest priority. The location is one of the finest that you`ll find in the Atlas Mountains!

Our apartment was in fact the luxury `Garden Suite` with a 20m panoramic viewing platform overlooking the mountain range itself. The suite had a fitted kitchen including washing machine, two large dining areas, and a spacious lounging area with log burner for those colder evenings. The apartment was kitted out with some Bose iPod speakers, board games and heaps of books to keep you entertained in the evenings and in fact the entire suite was geared up for trekkers whatever the weather and every minor detail had been thought about carefully to ensure a comfortable stay.

(Our Bedroom View!)

The food arrived in huge quantities at breakfast, lunch and dinner and was incredibly healthy – think traditional tanginess, salads, lentils and local breads, we certainly weren`t left feeling hungry during our stay – just healthy and revitalised.

Our second day in the mountains incorporated a 4×4 road trip over some rather narrow paths with breathtaking views all the way to our trekking lodge; there we met our personal mountain guide Mohamed from TrekkingInMorocco.com (below) and it was clear he knew the mountains like the back of his hands – he left us feeling completely at ease with the environment and went at our pace throughout our introductory mini trek.

After another incredible three course evening meal we rested down for the night in our cosy double ensuite bedroom in preparation for our big 4hr trek the next day. In the morning after a hearty breakfast we set off on our light and easy 4-5 hour trek over the mountains back to the Kasbah – stopping for a rather superb lunch in the dried up river bed itself, which was incredibly surreal.