Beldi Country Club
The trend for rural eco-friendly retreats in Morocco, started when British ex-pat Mike McHugo set up his now famous mountain retreat Kasbah du Toubkal in 1995, has gathered pace, and several more eco-style escapes have sprung up in recent years.
Beldi Country Club is one of a number of eco-minded boltholes within striking distance of Marrakech. Only 6km from the centre of the Pink City, the Beldi feels a million miles away from the dust and chaos of the medina.
Among rose gardens, olive groves and a vegetable patch lies a 27-room hotel (built in the Berber rammed earth style known as pisé) with two good restaurants, several pools (including one for children), an artisan workshop offering pottery classes for children, two tennis courts and a spa.
Beldi means "traditional" in Arabic, a sentiment French owner Jean-Dominique Leymarie has worked hard to maintain. He bought the six hectares of land back in 2005 with the intention of building a small farm. After he threw a wedding party for his daughter Géraldine, Leymarie received repeated requests to host weddings and events. Five years and the hard work of an estimated 150 local artisans later, his pet project has bloomed into a blend of botanical wonderland and eco-minded retreat.
I'm not sure at what precise point I realised that my stay there was the most relaxing trip I'd had in years. It might have been when I drifted off by the pool to the euphonious sound of olive leaves fluttering in the breeze; or it might have been as I ambled through the resort's beautiful gardens – full of palms, cacti, orange, citrus trees and many roses – to try out the spa. A rigorous hammam gommage followed by a massage rendered me blissfully paralysed, unable to do anything but contemplate the intricately designed ceiling in the relaxation area.
The rooms are decorated in ethno-chic style – dark red walls, heavy wooden doors, ornate chests and four-poster canopy beds – all with private terraces. In the two restaurants, with outdoor seats under shade, I ate delicious Moroccan/French dishes, such as spiced quail with herbs from the garden. The hotel can also organise cookery classes, and a picnic on a farm 30km away for those who want to escape into the countryside.
Route du Barrage, Cherifia, Marrakech, +212 524 383950, beldicountryclub.com, Doubles from £133
La Pause
The Agafay valley is a rough, dry, red moon-like desert 40 minutes south-west of Marrakech. And within it is La Pause, a green oasis set beside a riverbed, in startling contrast to the arid land surrounding it. The resort was conceived when Frenchman Frédéric Alaime came to the area for a spot of horse riding in 2003 and decided – as you do – that he'd like to build a home there. Leasing the land from an olive farmer, Alaime hired workmen from the local village to build his dream rustic eco resort.
When I arrived, I was slightly aghast to be told that there was no electricity, no internet and barely any mobile reception, but this soon gave way to gratitude for the peaceful silence as I lay on a sun lounger outside my lodge, sipping fresh mint tea, unable to take my eyes off the surrounding landscape, all rolling, pastel pink mountains and olive trees.
The resort's lodges have been constructed to blend into the surroundings: their simple mud-and-straw exteriors conceal sumptuous interiors awash with traditional Berber cushions, a profusion of rugs, hand-sculpted bathrooms and huge, comfortable beds.
At lunchtime I was led to a nomad tent down the hill in the garden, with floor-cushion sofas around low ornate tables, thick rugs and lanterns. As I relaxed in the shade, staff in flowing white robes brought vibrant salads, a bottle of chilled rosé and a fruity chicken tagine.
Rocket, alfalfa and grapes are grown in the resort's grounds, and salads are served with a bottle of La Pause olive oil, produced and pressed on the premises. At night, local Gnawa musicians sometimes play, and guests can even sleep out in the nomad tents to appreciate the desert's starry skies.
After a post-prandial snooze (relaxation is what these places are all about), I explored some of the activities Alaime has dreamed up. There are mules and camels to ride and mountain bikes to rent, but I couldn't resist trying the nine-hole "cross country" golf course, which runs along a nearby rocky riverbed and is more akin to crazy golf. Being a phenomenally useless golfer, I welcomed the chance to practise my swing in isolation – and to blame the terrain for my frequent misfires.
Douar Lmih Laroussiène, Commune Agafay, +212 661 306494, lapause-marrakech.com, doubles from £49
Bab Ourika
Perched high above the exquisite Ourika valley at the foot of the Atlas mountains, the Kasbah Bab Ourika is the newest addition to Marrakech's eco-scene, and the creation of Englishman Stephen Skinner, proprietor of the cosy, eccentric Riyad Edward in the city's medina.
Getting to Ourika from the city took an hour by taxi (though it's just 35km from Marrakech's airport), along bumpy mountain roads and through Berber villages. It was a spellbinding journey, and it ended at a place of magnificent isolation. Behind high fortress walls, again built from pisé, lie an outdoor pool, lush gardens, a restaurant and 15 tasteful rooms set around two courtyards. Its terraces offer great views of the valley, the snow-capped Atlas, and the adjacent national park.
My plush, earth-toned room had handmade rugs, antique furniture and black-and-white photos; the restaurant turned out contemporary cuisine with a Moroccan twist – salmon fishcakes with wild herb couscous was a hit. There's little to do in the evening, so I just read in the cosy bar-lounge, which has board games and a fireplace for chilly nights. You could easily fill a few days exploring the area and trekking into the mountains. I walked into the Ourika valley, stopping at Berber villages and a sprawling market at the nearest town, Tnine Ourika; a little further away are the Setti Fatma waterfalls and the Tamadant valley. In winter there is skiing at nearby Oukaïmeden.
The hotel's environmental credentials stand up: there are solar panels for underfloor heating, a water recycling system, and an innovative bio-digester providing electricity and compost for the hotel and the village.