Roam+Board :: La Gazelle d'Or

la gazelle d'or taroudant

[trip style = luxury + sun]

Editor's Note: This is the fourth post in a multipart series on Morocco. For a look back, seeSavoring the Sahara,CasablancaandDar al Hossounhotel, also in Taroudant.

What Drooling over the photos of La Gazelle d'Or prior to my December, 2013 trip to Morocco, I had fairy tale expectations. When I spotted a white Arabian horse grazing in the palm tree-lined field outside my bungalow one morning, my fairy tale swiftly took shape.

Part hotel, part orchard, part farm, all Garden of Eden, La Gazelle d’Or dazzled my senses the second my vehicle entered through the bamboo canopy entrance. It was 9pm when I checked in, and the front desk informed me they had been waiting for my arrival. The fairy tale continues: A seat was waiting for me at dinner {in front of a crackling fire}.

Firmly planted as one of Morocco's leading hotels, this sanctuary of calm is draped in North African decadence, Arab cues, Art Deco, and vases of fresh roses cut from the sprawling estate. Strolling between the dining room, the pool and my clay-built abode, I could hardly believe the scale of the 250-acre property without walking to every corner. Though occasionally, the far reaches of the relaxing resort would come to me: the bowl of just-picked oranges sitting in my suite's living room, the farm eggs served on my patio at breakfast or the poinsettia tree meeting me on my way to the spa.

While the scale and stature of the property have a treasure map quality, it's the timeless touches that made it difficult to leave. I miss the army of attentive and earnest staff---many of whom have been there 30 years under the property's uncompromising owner---and the meticulous upkeep and manicuring throughout the estate's 30 private bungalows.

If you're longing for a fairy tale trip, consider taking your magic carpet here. Trip Styler approved.

Where Located just outside of Taroudant's fortified walls, La Gazelle d'Or is one hour from the Agadir Airport, or a 3.5-hour drive from Marrakech.

When Winter is for palm-shaded picnics, summer is for frequent dips in the Olympic-sized pool.

Who/Why Your travel dreams are birthed on the glossy pages of Conde Nast Traveler, and your jetset pals include former French first families or US business tycoons.

Cost Rates start at $800/night {taxes in} and include breakfast, dinner and WiFi.

la gazelle d'or entrance

Photos The bamboo entrance

la gazelle d'or oranges

Bowl of fresh-picked oranges plucked from La Gazelle's grove

siting area draped in white la gazelle d'or

Sitting area

la gazelle d'or pool

Olympic-sized pool

Fresh roses by the pool

I came across a worker bringing in a bunch of roses from the garden, and he gave me a single stem---I wasn't kidding about the fairy tale...

la gazelle d'or bungalow

My bungalow

embroidery detail linens la gazelle d'or

Embroidery details on the towels

bongalow bathroom la gazelle d'or

Bungalow's soaking tub

breakfast la gazelle d'or

Breakfast from La Gazelle's 100% organic farm on my patio

white horse la gazelle d'or

White Arabian horse roaming in front of my private breakfast perch

la gazelle d'or indoor gazebo

Sitting room

decor details la gazelle d'or

Decor details

outdoor seating la gazelle d'or

Outdoor seating

Spa la gazelle d'or

Spa

dusk la gazelle d'or

Dusk

More Roam+Board
Mandarin Oriental – Las VegasHotel
Lone – Croatia
Templar Hotel – Toronto
Encuentro Guadalupe – Mexico
The Ampersand Hotel – London
The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay – Lanai

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]

Morocco :: Casablanca

[trip style = urban + sun]

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to enter our contest for a one-night stay at the OPUS Hotel in Vancouver, it closes TODAY at noon PST.

In mid-December I found myself in the exotic embrace of Morocco's eye-catching escapes. My eight-day jaunt satisfied almost every trip style from spa to surf, starting in Casablanca and veering from the Western Sahara to the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic shore. The journey was fortuitous given my obsession with North African design, and my September brush with the Morocco pavilion at Epcot, where I wished upon a star I'd get to visit soon. {Careful what you wish for!}

Spoiler alert: Aside from a few travel lifestyle bits, Morocco's going to take center stage on Trip Styler during February.

On December 9th, 2013 my flight landed in Casablanca---the country's hub for most international flights---just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Given the rise-and-shine hour, I dove into the local time zone with abandon. No dither-dather; my meeting with Morocco's major metro was only a day.

When I stepped out of the airport, the air was crisp. The light chill---similar to a late-September a.m. on the West Coast---woke me up. Coming to, I spotted my name on a signboard in front of a Mercedes van. From this moment on, the trip was guided by in-the-know locals from Heritage Tours who schooled me in Morocco 101.

During the 30-minute commute into the city of five million, the landscape turned from rural to urban. Early on we shared the palm-lined highway with a boy guiding a horse-drawn carriage filled with farming supplies. This was my first clear picture of Morocco's culture: a country where cosmopolitan and classic meet in the middle.

Once inside the concrete-clad port city bordered by a sweeping beach, we hit Monday morning rush hour and inched into the inner plazas where modern Euro-style trains buzzed about, and the time-crunched workforce played human Frogger over eight-lane expanses. I wanted to bottle the enigmatic energy and take it home.

Trip Styler Tip: Casablanca hosts major hotel brands, as well as beautiful boutique properties like Le Doge, a 16-room Relais & Chateaux property, and the smallest hotel in Casablanca {every room is different---I love the Josephine Baker and Earnest Hemingway rooms}.

Casablanca Disembarking the plane at sunrise

Mosque Hassan II, the most important living and breathing monument in Morocco capable of holding 25,000 worshipers inside and another 80,000 outside. The French-design structure rides the wave of traditional and fantasmic topped by a retractable roof and lit by almost 60 Murano-made chandeliers. Cool-to-the-touch white Carrara marble serves as a foundation throughout, while humidity-absorbing pillars made with limestone, black soap and egg yolk form the interior structure.

Mosque Hassan II

Mosque Hassan II

Mosque Hassan II

Exploring Place Mohammed V

A Casablanca rooftop vista

Regal staircase at Le Doge

Josephine Baker room at Le Doge

[photos via @tripstyler---except hotel room via hotels.com---taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]

The Oahu Quick-Change

[trip style = sun + beach]

When Trip Styler Sis and I were in Oahu a few months ago, we went completely gaga over a tropical trend we spotted: Beach-goers changing from their bathing suit to everyday clothes in the sand or beside the road. Forget the changing room or beach bathroom, they had the après-beach change dialed to a stealthy, one-minute affair. We wanted in. I mean, who doesn't want to channel the aloha attitude of Oahu's quick-change artists?

To teach us the art, we met someone who lives this lifestyle every day; chef, artist, free diver, champion spear fisher AND Patagonia Ambassador Kimi Werner. Here's what she told us about the Oahu quick-change and life on the island's North Shore.

1/ What's the background story of the après-beach quick-change? When you're surrounded by water and a warm climate you develop an ocean lifestyle. I think we become less conservative and more laid-back. Since we spend so much time in bikinis or board shorts, we get used to not wearing as much clothing as people from other places, so changing by the roadside becomes less of a big deal. It's practical. Change quickly and go on to your next experience.

2/ Is there an art to changing by the road or at the beach?
String bikinis are the easiest, because you can just throw on clothes, pull the strings to untie the suit and whip them out of your shirt sleeves or shorts. Or you can use a towel. Just wrap yourself up, drop your bottoms, undo your top and replace with dry clothes. And voila!

3/ What are some essential ingredients for the quick-change?
Clothes and a towel.

4/ What do locals do about storing their wallet and keys while they're at the beach?
If you don't have to bring it, don't, though most people stash their essentials out of sight and hide their keys while they're in the water. Otherwise, attach a lockbox to the outside of your car and put your keys in there.

5/ What are your favorite beaches on Oahu?
Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach.

6/ Best place to catch the sunset on Oahu?
Sandy's Beach.

PS. Don't miss Kimi's breathtaking {literally} video about her island life, the ecosystem and encountering a great white shark on a research trip.

[photos in order of appearance: 1 - Jeff Johnson, courtesy of Patagonia / 2 + 3 - Jake Marote / 4 - Malia Yoshioka]

*A special thank you to my friend, foodie and all-around nice gal Malia for making this possible.

Hola Hualtulco

[trip style = beach + sun + budget-conscious]

It's 5:15pm on Dec 29th. Mr. Trip Styler and I are combing the travelsphere for a flash of sun-spiration. Huatulco, Mexico's heat and hues grab our attention. We've never been and the flight leaves in a day. As the sound of rain drips in a hypnotic drone from my balcony, spending the first week of 2014 consuming cervezas and guacamole al fresco turns from window shopping to buying. Before booking we check the weather report---an upside of last-minute travel---to confirm tropical temps and steer clear of the Polar Vortex. Seven straight days of sun makes the harried should we? moment before hitting "submit" so much easier: Hola Huatulco.

Hualtulco hugs the base of Mexico's Pacific Coast so far south it's the last major beach destination until Central America. "Do you love Huatulco?" "It's beautiful, si?" are the main questions asked by shopkeepers and taxi drivers. They're fiercely proud of their stomping grounds, a collection of 36 beaches and nine bays nestled into the cactus-covered coastline. If you have a private boat {or an affinity for bushwhacking} like some of the snowbirds we met, they'll tell you tales of many more beaches and bays.

Until recently, most of the spots I've visited in Mexico are driven by international tourism. Huatulco is different. Local hotels occupy every few buildings and far outnumber the big and beachy structures frequented by winter-averse margarita mavens. Beach dwellers are mostly Mexicans. Residents and visitors pay the same cab fares and eat at the same restaurants. This we're-all-in-the-same-boat approach to tourism is refreshing, like a cold Corona on the beach.

Beaches 

Arrocito Beach

Arrocito Beach

Tangolunda Beach

Tangolunda Beach

Chahue Beach

Maguey Beach

Maguey Beach

Maguey Beach

Maguey Beach

Tejon Beach

Tejon Beach

Tejon Beach

My beach read: Life by Keith Richards. About 200 pages in, you won't want to put it down. Tales of the Rolling Stones' shenanigans at concerts, in hotel rooms and on private jets will either conjure a love for your normal life or lust after fame.

Food

Just opposite the main square in La Crucecita, Los Portales glows in technicolor with neon, plastic-woven chairs---a take on the famed Acapulco chair---bright lights and eye-popping dishes.

A bottle of Pacifico washed down my best chicken taco meal in Huatulco at Restaurante Arely, a festive locals' joint a few blocks off La Crucecita's main square.

MediterraneO, an on-the-beach, shipwreck-style restaurant we visited three times sporting swings as bar stools and wooden tables decorated with yellow gerbera daisies. Visit at night---9 or 10pm---to dance the night away to the rhythm of live music. Find it in the Santa Cruz neighborhood.

Don't rule out the beach for good food, either. At Maguey Beach we secured an umbrella and lounges for ordering a few Pacificos and guac.

Shop

Museo de Artesanias Oaxaquenas, a family collective of artisans making carpets, blankets and scarves by handweaving colors sourced from the land to dye local wool. Find it in the center of downtown La Crucecita.

Hotel
Hotel Villablanca, a modest, little off-the-beach abode with included breakfast and WiFi. It's so well positioned two blocks from the beach, near a grocery store and a 15-minute walk from town that a flock of snowbirds winter here, meeting every day for breakfast and happy hour by the pool. Rooms are basic, beds are hard {common at local hotels in Mexico} and the grounds are well kept. From $60 per night.

Recommendations
- Cash is king. Credit cards are not widely accepted in local joints. Take out pesos as you need them at one of the many bank machines in town {HSBC, ScotiaBank, BancoMex and more}. - Brush up on your Spanish beyond "donde esta el bano" and "un cerveza por favor." English is not widely spoken.
- Cabs are very reasonable, with small trips starting at $2 or 25 pesos. Tip up.
- If you want to explore the local beaches, which I recommend, bring a beach umbrella. The breeze is light and won't overturn your shelter and there isn't much shade.
- Casual clothes are du rigueure {read: I never wore the wedges I packed, only my sandals, but know that I didn't stay at big, beachfront resort}.
- While you should always be street-smart when you travel, I never felt unsafe.
- Of course only drink bottled water and try all the local food!

[photos by @tripstyler]

Leaving Las Vegas {Healthier Than I Arrived}

healthy las vegas

[trip style = active + weekend getaway + urban + sun]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to our friends down South! Here at the Vancouver, Canada-based TS headquarters, we toast your fine-feathered cocktail of turkey, beer and football. Enjoy!

When Lady Luck started shaking her sequins and stomping---in stilettos no less---down the Las Vegas Strip, she wasn't thinking about burning calories or reaching 10,000 steps a day. Ye-Old-Days Lady Luck was too busy sipping scotch on the rocks and sucking back cigarettes. Flash forward to today, and modern Lady Luck still chinwags with the same crowd, yet in her time-refined wisdom, she's picked up a healthy trick or two RUNning the Strip.

Like Lady Luck, I've learned a thing or two on the road, and am pretty protective about maintaining my wellness while I wander. With health on my mind, on my recent trip to Vegas, I was surprised to leave healthier than when I arrived. While most people don't travel to Sin City to sip smoothies, eat spinach salads and workout more than they go out, I made it my mission to test wellness on the Strip without sacrificing a smashing cocktail or Michelin-starred cuisine.

Here's how to stay well while under the LV spell:

run the LV strip

1/ Run the Strip Jogging the LV Strip is a thing. Rise and shine early enough in the AM---from 6am to 8am---and you'll see a ton of fit cats chasing last night's calories down LV Blvd. Bonus: most of the hotels blast music, so no is iPod required.

spa in las vegas + detox

2/ Detox at the Spa I've had TREATments at most of the major sp-ahs lining the Neon City's most glitzy stretch. Recently, I re-familiarized myself with these cocoons of calm and wrote about a private Turkish Hammam and other must-soothe experiences in Las Vegas Spa Hopping for the Expedia Viewfinder Travel Blog.

yoga among dophins las vegas

3/ Yoga among the Dolphins There's yoga, and then there's yoga practiced between a circular viewing area below Vegas' only dolphin habitat. The second you arrive nature's miracle mammals perk up and come to greet you like kids waiting for their parents at the airport. Dolphins dig yoga, so there's a parallel play synergy that takes place as I sink into warrior pose while the pod floats by. Classes are offered Fri - Sun mornings and cost $50 {which also includes a post-yoga smoothie and day access to the Mirage's spa pools and heat havens}.

las vegas MO hotel

4/ Hotel Most travelers I talk to aren't aware that Vegas has a few non-gaming hotels. Translation: no slots in sight! My favorite of the few is the Mandarin Oriental. See my review in Trip Styler's latest Roam+Board hotel feature.

bacchanal buffet caesars

5/ Eat well In the past five years, Vegas has turned into a foodie destination worthy of the 50+ world-renowned chefs whose restaurants season the Strip. Case in point, while I was there, I sipped cognac three feet away from Guy Savoy at his namesake restaurant. One of the newest eateries you "knead" to know about is Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace. Before you write us off for even mentioning a buffet, think of it like more like a collection of nine restaurants manned by chefs who've all worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. Yes there are stations, yes there are 600 seats, but it also boasts a hearty list of awards to back up its baking and made-to-order dishes.

Trip Styler Tip: While I'm not a huge Starbucks fan, if you want to eat a healthy snack on the go, Seattle's coffee institution can be found around every corner offering a bevy of fresh-prepared and reasonably priced snacks mingling fruit, veggies, cheese and nuts.

[photos by @tripstyler]