La Bergerie

Activities

• Go hiking: there are 3 circular walks from the hotel ranging from 3 to 6 hours, with local guides on hand to show you the way. One loops around the pine-clad slopes above the hotel, stopping at a Berber hamlet for mint tea on a pisé rooftop; another passes via salt pans and the striped canyon of Oued N'Fis to reach the fertile Kik plateau; a third heads steeply up to Tassaouirgane via the Royal Hunting Reserve, with views of the Toubkal massif (North Africa's highest) en route. If that tempts, ask about the overnight ascent of the 4167m peak – or book it in advance through Kasbah du Toubkal. Do bear in mind that guides speak more French than English, and invariably underestimate timings!
  
  
• With transport, you can hike to historic Tin Mal mosque (one of only two in Morocco which can be entered by non Muslims) near the 2000m pass of the same name, passing crumbling kasbahs and walnut groves
  
  
• You can go horse-riding just up the road at Domaine de la Roseraie – anything from a one-hour trot around the yard to a full day's exploration of the hills – after which you might want to soak up the aches at the Domaine's spa and massage centre
  
  
• Franco-Canadian Eliane Lupuyo is offering reiki classes, Swedish massage and stress management lessons (weekends only)
  
  
• There are watersports about 10km away on the reservoir
  
  
• For local colour check out one of the nearby markets - souks are held on Thursdays in the village of Ouirgane (10 mins' drive) and on Saturdays in Asni (15 mins' drive).
  
  
• Keen golfers will find 3 good 18-hole courses in Marrakech, 1 hour's drive away.
  
  
• It's also possible to take a balloon trip with Ciel d'Afrique, starting and ending near Marrakech, and – weather permitting - flying into a Berber village for mint tea (how cool is that?!). But be prepared for a dawn start.
  
  
• Or just chill at the hotel, dipping into the pool (gorgeous, but unheated in winter), sunbathing on the lawn (possible for most of the year), following a self-guided walk around the exotic shrub and flower plantations, or playing billiards and darts up at the new auberge
  
  For typical costs, see Rates.