AXEL GRIMALD, 39, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SINGAPORE

champagne against a backdrop of more mountain peaks; a steep climb up a shrubbery-clad hillside to scope out ancestral rock paintings under the watchful eye of a shepherd and his goats; and supping on the sweetest mint tea in a Berber village, before climbing up a ladder to the roof of a mud house for a sweeping vista with our leader, Thomas, and his local friend, Hassan. From this vantage point overlooking the other flat-roofed homes, we could fully survey the dry landscape and the village’s pale pink mosque, the only bright pops of colour being laundry fluttering on washing lines. Our day in the mountains ended on the top floor of a Berber home, where we ditched our shoes to sit on traditional rugs while the owner,

Zorah, served a glorious homemade tagine.

From here it was a long, steep drive back down the mountains to Royal Mansour. The hotel is owned by the King of Morocco (in fact, he visited during our stay), and is a magnet for Instagrammers with its three-storey riad “rooms”, each featuring a rooftop plunge pool and sprawling spa, but our noisy arrival meant all eyes were on us as we pulled up outside the decorative reception, a sun-dappled courtyard adorned with hand-painted tiles and hung with glass lanterns. The faces of the guests staring back at us were full of curiosity – much like ours had been each time we flew around a mountain corner to reveal a captivating new view.