MOROCCO

WHERE? Es Saadi Palace, Marrakech, Morocco WHY? To recharge in style HOW MUCH? Three nights from £866 per person, including flights and transfers; classic-collection.co.uk WHO? Victoria Archbold, WH contributor I’m forever recharging things: my phone, the portable charger for said phone, my laptop, the bloody Dyson – yep, even domestic appliances get more care and attention than my own wellbeing. So I decided to set aside some time for a spot of recharging of my own. In Marrakech. Because why not. I stayed at Es Saadi Palace, set gloriously in eight hectares of tranquil greenery in the luxurious district of Hivernage. Just a five-minute walk from the old town, the hotel is ideally located to reach the hustle and bustle of the Medina but secluded enough to feel like a peaceful retreat from the city. The focus here is total wellness: from cuisine – with produce sourced from the family’s organic farm – to fitness – with a wellstocked gym boasting cardio machines, free weights and a studio hosting a variety of classes, including daily yoga. Breakfast and lunch are taken in the poolside restaurant; complete with the kind of salad bar that wouldn’t be amiss in a top UK deli, and juices as numerous as they are delicious. Dinner is a rather more decadent affair in La Cour Des Lions restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. It boasts panoramic views of Morocco which, on a clear day, extend as far as the Atlas Mountains – best viewed with a drink in hand on the terrace. With a full programme of spa treatments to try out, my taxing schedule kicked off with a traditional hammam experience: a full body scrub with black soap that washed the city grime from me (along with a layer or two of skin), followed by a hot water cleanse and cold rinse. This weekly ritual of the locals left my skin feeling so good, I’ve tried to keep it up ever since (it’s not quite the same in my bathroom back home in Blighty, though). Next up: a total-relaxation massage. I tend to go for the kind of massages that feel akin to being beaten up (all the masochists in the house, raise your hands), so I was a bit dubious. But I was wrong. The long sweeping hand strokes were instantly rejuvenating and made my tight muscles feel looser and lengthened. Feeling brave, I also opted for an abdominal massage, where the therapist applies pressure in small circular motions from the base of the ribcage downwards in a gentle but firm manner. It was a little, er, uncomfortable at times, but after the initial tenderness it started to offer the release it promised. I’ll leave the finer details to your imagination. My final indulgence was a Micheline Arcier Aromathérapie facial and body brushing treatment, which left my skin so radiant and buoyant that, when I got home, several friends questioned whether perhaps my treatments had been more invasive than I admitted. Obvs, I told them this inner tranquillity and outward glow are just those of someone who has chosen to stop for a short time. Simple. So simple, in fact, I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner.