The intimate retreat, with only 12 rooms, three restaurants, and a spa, soothes and energises in equal measure. Each guest is given a smartphone upon arrival, with which to contact their personal butler, light fires in their rooms, fill the cavernous private jacuzzis, or pour a cold glass of gin and tonic.
After a sunrise breakfast of eggs and msemen at the Jan Janz, a cosy restaurant and bar under a traditional Jong roof hut, we took to the seas. Our Swedish photographer, Kalle – also an accomplished sailor – stood on the bow of our boat as we sailed across the lagoon, snapping pictures of our daring model duo, who boldly played the part of lovers, as we floated past pink flamingoes. We had to go in dizzying loops because the lagoon is quite small; the only other major building is the palace of Mohammed V, the last Sultan of Morocco, which has now fallen into disrepair.
Beach BBQs
The boat was moored not too far away, with views back toward the hotel. We climbed up an empty grassy dune populated with local dogs and ran down the sand banks to our private beach, where a vibrant barbecue of locally caught spider crabs and langoustines was cooked on flame pits in the sand, lapped at by the rolling waves. (The very waves favoured by the Moroccan Royal family for surfing year round!). Our models, Chiara and Alberto, danced in the surf, while I kept tabs on the bags of accessories and jewellery for styling, as the dogs looked on. For lunch, we were treated to oysters farmed in the lagoon. Oualidia is known as Morocco’s ‘Oyster Capital’, so it was our due diligence to indulge.