Greatest holidays »
Continued from p9
6
THE ULTIMATE ROAD TRIP … IN AUSTRALIA
By Sarah Marshall
Few forces could challenge the power of an angry ocean. In a battle between land and water, fierce waves have conquered Australia’s southeastern coastline, lashing against millennia-old cliffs to create a scenic stretch of sculpted archways, limestone stacks and hidden bays.
Dramatic and awe-inspiring, it’s a fitting location for the world’s largest war memorial — a thrilling coastal road built by more than 3000 soldiers between 1919 and 1932 in memory of 60,000 comrades killed in World War I.
Running for 245km through Victoria, from surf capital Torquay to small-town Allansford, The Great Ocean Road is a wild, windswept driving route, which, at times feels as if it could be leading to the end of the Earth.
Thread along ochre cliffs soaring above sparkling beaches and tunnel through ancient forests where even the sound of tumbling waterfalls fails to rock sleepy koalas from their treetop cribs. Stop at an inexhaustible array of unique viewpoints to appreciate the strength of the Southern Ocean, watching waves roll thousands of miles from the ice shelves of Antarctica across some of the most treacherous waters to navigate. Then continue to swimmable, sheltered bays where the surf trickles lazily to shore.
Among the route’s essential stops is Erskine Falls, 10km from Lorne in the Great Otway National Park. Fresh water cascades down a vertical staircase of rocks carpeted in lime-green mosses and tickled by the fronds of enormous ferns. A strenuous hike to the second lookout point offers the best views.
Indigenous wildlife can be encountered at any point, but for (near) guaranteed sightings head to Wildlife Wonders eco-tourism attraction at Apollo Bay (wildlifewonders.org.au). A onehour walk led by a guide winds through protected bushland habitat for kangaroos, potoroos and bandicoots.
The biggest highlight of the drive, however, is the Twelve Apostles — a collection of limestone stacks isolated by erosion and gobbled by waves. Seven of the marine monoliths remain offshore from Port Campbell National Park, visible from clifftop trails or even helicopter sightseeing tours.
More natural sculptures are scattered along the coastline. Nearby, giant towers Gog and Magog can be seen from sea level by descending a natural staircase of 86 steps carved into the rock, tracing a path once used by the indigenous Kirrae Whurrong people. The Grotto, The Arch and Loch Ard Gorge — a steep-sided, sparkling bay laced with walking trails — are all highlights. Longer days and less rain make the summer months between December and February an obvious time to visit. But the shoulder seasons are also pleasant, much quieter and cheaper: expect mild in autumn and carpets of wildflowers in spring. If you can bear the cold, winter can be dramatic. Watch mighty waves charge from stormy horizons; listen to the rush of waterfalls swollen with rainfall, and spot whales making their journey to the icy south. visitgreatoceanroad.org.au
7
THE ULTIMATE HOTEL STAY
… IN MOROCCO
By Aoife O’riordain
Everyone has their own opinion on what makes the perfect hotel. Do you savour the smaller scale and intimate boutique style, or is over-the-top opulence with all the five-star frills more your thing? Maybe it’s all the location or the superlative service that really matters.
For me, having stayed in hundreds of properties in more than 60 countries, La Mamounia, a Marrakech institution, comes as close to perfection as anything I’ve encountered, offering everything you’d expect of a legendary hotel. Pulling up outside its history-steeped portals, you can’t help but feel a frisson of excitement as you are greeted by its smiling, tarboosh-topped doormen and ushered in. The best hotels transport you to another world and as soon as you are through the doors, you are instantly enveloped by its exotic glamour. On this front, La Mamounia certainly succeeds.
It helps to have heritage and La Mamounia has a compelling backstory. Its stunning gardens were originally given by the 18th-century Alaouite Sultan, Mohammed Ben Abdallah, to one of his sons as a wedding present. Two centuries later, the Moroccan Railway Company decided to build a hotel fit for the great and the good, employing French architects Henri Prost and Antoine Marchisio, who married the Art Deco style of the times with Arabo-andalucian flourishes.
Evolution is key, of course, and numerous refurbishments — the most notable a three-year transformation at the hands of French tastemaker Jacques Garcia, completed in 2009; the most recent in 2020 when a cinema, wine cellar and new restaurants were added — have kept things fresh. The best hotels should echo their surroundings, so you are never in any doubt where you are. There is a real sense of place at La Mamounia; you could not be anywhere other than Morocco. It leans into its heritage and Art Decomeets-arabo-andalucian style to spectacular effect with Moorish arches, giant lanterns and delicately-carved masharabiyah wood screens. Beyond its walls, you can immerse yourself in Moroccan culture with guided tours of the medina and the souks or day trips to the Atlas Mountains — the concierge can open doors not normally available to everyone who visits the Rose City. (If you can bear to leave, that is; the shady pool, zellige-tiled spa, and gardens dotted with swaying palms, orange and olive trees have a magnetic quality.) Location is also critical. La Mamounia sits on the edge of Marrakech’s ancient medina, a short stroll to the city’s iconic D’jemma El Fna square. Throw open your windows early in the morning and the birdsong competes with the evocative sound of the muezzin’s call to prayer. Ask for a room overlooking the gardens with views of the snow-dusted peaks of the Atlas Mountains in the distance. Seamless service is also a given, and at La Mamounia it hits that sweet spot between attentiveness and that uncomfortable sensation of people hovering around you. Other guests are also an essential element of hotel life. Winston Churchill was a fan and used to paint in the hotel’s garden and a veritable red carpet’s worth of famous faces have slipped between its sheets. These days, there is ample opportunity for peoplewatching, whether poolside or in one of the bars, where you can speculate and spin stories about your fellow drinkers.
Truly great hotels move with the times but never lose their soul.
La Mamounia embodies the ideal escape that we’ve all been longing for after two years of confinement — a stay here will linger in your memory long after you have checked out. mamounia.com