Passion Points: Family

The Elms hotel, Abberley, England; courtesy of von Essen hotels
The Elms hotel, Abberley, England; courtesy of von Essen hotels

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Postcard from Morocco

Indagare member, A. A. recently travelled with his family to Morocco. Here are his impressions.

Morocco was amazing! I am a big fan. We flew to Marrakech via Amsterdam and were picked up by our wonderful guide and driven to La Mamounia. We had a delicious meal at their Moroccan restaurant on our first night as we were too tired to go out. The food and experience were fabulous. La Mamounia is one of the best hotels I’ve ever been: architecturally beautiful, historically fascinating, excellent service, ideal location. I was so enamored I even bought the Assouline book about the hotel in its gift shop.

Our guide was wonderful. He knew everyone; planned our trip around prayer and hot/aftenoon times to make everything convenient and efficient (mindful of the boys interest and patience). Having a private driver was priceless (waiting on us to be picked up anywhere).We didn’t follow the itinerary as written instead went with what was convenient but covered everything There’s so much to love: my favorites: Medersa ben Youssef, Majorelle Gardens, praying at Koutaoubia Mosque, etc. This place is a photographer’s dream. I’m not much of a shopper but I even went crazy. We went to the Souks and Jema el Fna everyday. Wow!! I’m much poorer financially but richer culturally. Again, Aziz knew just where to take us: we bought carpets; antiques….

In terms of food, we loved Le Comptoir. The boys were somewhat embarrassed of the belly dancing show but I’m glad they saw it. One evening we left the boys in our hotel room to hang out while we went to dinner at Villa des Orangers, where the food was wonderful. Grande Cafe de la Poste was very good and we drank Moroccan tea any chance we got.

We loved the authenticity of the pottery workshop and found it to be a really fun and great experience, however the horseback riding was the one thing that wasn’t great. We roamed around garbage and landfills with horses that looked like donkeys.

Desert d’Agafay—wow what a place! The camel ride followed by an amazing lunch at a fabulous location was one of my favorite things on this trip. We drove to the Amanjena afterwards and relaxed for the rest of the day. I’ve always wanted to stay an Aman resort and finally got my chance. The property was beautiful and our villa was totally over-the-top, but we found the décor and furnishings to be somewhat dated. The heated swimming pool was great and on one cold and rainy day we stayed in our room and read by the fireplace. It was some much-needed relaxation time. We tried both of the resort’s restaurants, one serving Moroccan cuisine and the other Thai. Both were very good.

Overall, two days were plenty at Amanjena and I’m glad it wasn’t three (as we originally planned). It’s super quiet (too much so) it seemed like no one was there (but evidently booked to capacity). This could be the Aman aesthetic, which is very different from that at the lively and family-friendly La Mamounia. I’m glad I experienced it but wouldn’t return.

We stopped at a women’s cooperative just before heading up to the Atlas Mountains and got to see them make Argan oil products. I was blown away by Kasbah Tamadot and Berber hospitality. Our accommodations were choice and the swimming pool was perfect. Activities included a fun cooking/baking class for the boys; challenging and scenic 2hr hike in the mountains; and visiting the local Saturday market in town at Asni. The real authentic farmer and trading market was muddy, loud, dusty, exciting and a blast. It reminded me of visiting India as a kid, and created a memory that will stick with the boys. The hotel food was just OK but that was really irrelevant at this property.

We organized to have the fantastic VIP service at Nice and JFK airports. From now on it will be mandatory for international travel because we were able to bypass all lines. Overall, it was an amazing trip and I cannot wait to return.

Read Indagare’s destination report on Marrakech.

Read Indagare’s review on Kasbah Tamadot.

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Family Weekend on Dorado Beach

Indagare member Victoria Kennedy recently returned from a long weekend at the new Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve. Here are her impressions.

As we were being shown around the new Dorado Beach resort, a Ritz Carlton property, my husband asked whether there was a backgammon board anywhere. I don’t think our guide quite understood so we chalked it up to a language barrier thing and kept walking. About twenty minutes later, when we got to our room, a backgammon board was sitting on one of the beds. This was the kind of service we received throughout our stay at the hotel.

We took a quick weekend trip with our two sons, ages 12 and 7. While I had a feeling I would love it based on my research, I managed my husband’s expectations knowing it was a newly opened establishment. But from the moment we arrived—and were greeted by the staff standing outside like a scene out of Downton Abbey—we knew we were in for a special visit. I gasped at the view when we walked into the reception area, with a reflection pool and gorgeous water lilies—the serene interior juxtaposed with the dramatic surf beyond is stunning. Our room, a two-bedroom suite with a rooftop cabana and pool, was a dream. Rooms are beautifully decorated and the bathrooms are very large, though I preferred using the magical outside shower. At night my husband and older son played backgammon on the comfortable mattress chaise while my younger son splashed around in the lighted pool.

My husband and 12-year-old loved taking surfing lessons and we all enjoyed lunches at Encanto with their kid-friendly menu and pool. I also saw people enjoying picnics set up outside their rooms on the beach by their personal butlers. The food at Mi Casa was excellent—especially the margaritas with salted foam and tuna tartare. Breakfast was delicious and coffee was excellent coffee. We also loved the bar area with the sand floor and the wide screen TV for watching sports games. They’ve thought of everything.

The resort has a perfect balance of excellent service, beautiful surroundings, world-class accommodations and lots of fun activities for a family or a romantic get-away. My children had a blast. One my favorite moments was when my 7-year-old—at the water park wearing an inner tube—yelled, with his hand-pumping over his head, “Best vacation ever!” With a direct flight and no customs, we can’t wait to go back for another long weekend.

Room tip: Buildings one through five are on the best swimming beach. I recommend splurging for a room with a plunge pool. Avoid the room that is right next door to Mi Casa as I imagine it can get loud at night.

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Family Vacation in Patagonia and Atacama

An Indagare member recently took her family to Patagonia and Atacama in Chile. Here are her impressions of the trip.

Cliff Preserve in Patagonia was so wonderful—words and pictures could never begin to do it justice. We knew we were in for a treat when we met a family in Atacama who told us that they had never found any place harder to leave than Cliff Preserves the day prior. At the end of our trip, we felt the same way.

My husband and I have traveled through some of the best African game parks and that’s probably the closest experience I can compare it to in terms of service. Each family has their own house and private guide throughout their stay. Our guide planned and accompanied us to everything, but in a way that was never invasive of family time or privacy.

Our sprawling two-bedroom home had sweeping views of the Pacific from every room. The refrigerator was always fully stocked with drinks and wine. The lodge building, the center of the property, is bright with sunshine flooding every room and lots of nooks and crannies for reading or playing games.

The food was five-star—the chef was superb. Every meal was started with freshly baked bread and artisanal butter, and every menu was a delight. With only six houses at the Preserve there was never a wait and meals were available whenever we wanted them. The bartender was a treasure—he would make delicious drinks for the kids with fruits and vegetables but keep it all a mystery so they never caught on to the fact that they were drinking something healthy! For the adults he make the most delectable arugula martinis, and I don’t usually even like martinis. His creativity and talent are matched only by his warmth, a case that was true of all the staff. Everyone we got to know would hug and kiss us, and we got to know everyone by name.

The spa was excellent and we were delighted that each guest received a complimentary massage. Some activities we loved included galloping on the beach on horseback and then trekking through the mountains; fishing off drift boats in a beautiful river and having a grilled picnic lunch in a grove of trees by the river; a canoe trip; endless trails and hikes each with a view more spectacular than the last; taking a Zodiac boat to see penguin colonies and sea lions; and woodworking with a kind carpenter, who helped our kids build a toy dog to bring home.

I cannot rave enough about this place. The owner is a man from Vermont who spent the last forty years in Chile. He is a gem as is his staff. The property was so family friendly and set in the most beautiful location I have ever seen.

Our time in Alto Atacama paled a bit in comparison. The excursions were great but not nearly as customized—we had to sign up for activities at least a day or two prior and they would all be with a group. Hikes through the Valley of the Moon and Cactus Valley as well as taking a bike ride to the salt flats were amazing. But the van excursions were less fantastic, and they were long and a bit boring. Some activities started really early, which would have been hard for kids under ten years old, and all activities end by around noon. Afterwards is downtime and there is nothing to do at the resort except scorch in the sun or nap in your room. Afternoon trips depart around 5:30pm and then don’t return until 8:30 or 9:00pm, which makes dinner late—a difficulty when mornings are early. One day we missed the morning activity and then had nothing to do until 5:30pm. I would recommend Alto Atacama more for adults and older children.

The food was ok but nothing like at Cliff Preserve. There was very little flexibility in the menu choices and occasionally we had to wait a while for a table. At several meals, we found the meat to be quite undercooked. The woman who arranges the excursions was very good and the manager was also quite nice. Service in general was ok and they were very kind to arrange a guide to take us to the hospital and translate when my son got sick.

The lobby was dark (partly due to its adobe architecture) and could have used some board games. All but one of the six small pools were too cold to use, so all the guests were vying for the seats around the one warm one. Guest rooms were fine but quite dark and could get a bit stuffy at night.

All in all, the physical activities in Atacama such as hiking and biking were fabulous and the setting is beautiful and otherworldly. We were glad we went, but Cliff Preserve is the huge winner—I don’t know when we’ve had a better experience.

Tip: The Holiday Inn in by the Santiago airport, rather than the Hilton, is the place to stay if you have an early flight. It is brand-new and about a 2-minute walk from the airport’s check-in desks.

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