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 :: Dar al Hossoun

[trip style = budget conscious + sun]

{Editor’s Note: Over the holidays we’re pressing pause on our inflight schedule after a busy year traipsing between cities like Palm Springs, London, Miami and Morocco. We'll resume our regular Tuesday/Thursday route January 7th. Until then, look for updates on Trip Styler’s Instagram and Editor’s Diary. See you in the New Year, and from all of us on the TS crew, happy holidays wherever your journey takes you.}

I've been a Moroccan design lover since I was old enough to flip through the pages of Vogue Living Australia. When I visited last week, my eyes and my lens were blinking at snap speed processing the colors, textures and shapes that have made Morocco an Elle Decor darling.

While my trip took me WAY beyond design---4x4ing the Western Sahara, sipping vino in wine country and visiting an argan oil cooperative---I wanted to whet your palate {and your palette} with some fabulous interiors I shot at Dar al Hossoun, a French-owned, 16-room garden lodge in Taroudant, Morocco. Rooms start at $150 a night and include WiFi and breakfast. At this price, you can live the Elle Decor dream.

PS. I had a half-day snafu with my camera's SD card, so all of these shots were taken on my iPhone 5.

[gallery columns="1" type="slideshow" ids="15770,15769,15768,15771,15774,15777,15778,15775,15772,15776,15779,15780"]

[photos by @tripstyler]

Trip Styler's Best Stays + Sips of 2013

[trip style = any]

Every year I sleep in hotels of all designs, shapes and sizes. Many delight, some throw curveballs and a few are downright disappointments {aka. the naughty list}. This year I took it upon myself to chronicle the standouts in categories ranging from architecture to amenities and service to spa treatments, plus a few dining hits that shouldn't be missed. Here are the winners.

Best Overall Encuentro Guadalupe, Mexico - Twenty rectangular lofts sit staggered between desert brush and boulders on a steep hill overlooking grapevines in Mexico’s wine country. Inside each minimalist muse is a blank slate bathed in white—white paneling, white tiles, white duvet—and lit by Edison-style bulbs. Wooden furniture completes the space and makes an appearance on the pod’s front porch around a clay, wood-burning fireplace.

Best Design Encuentro Guadalupe, Mexico - See above. Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai - The scale, stature and sizzle of this 405-room resort sends you into a Nirvana-like state with every glance. The Standard, Miami Beach - While I can't recommend you stay at The Standard Miami---the service is on-again, off-again---you should take a peek at its gorgeous, vintage design. Templar Hotel, Toronto - A subdued and stunning collection of villas in Toronto's fashion district. Hotel de Glace, Quebec City - The most awe-inspiring ice palace I've ever seen. I wanted to kiss the walls!

Best Service Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay, Lanai - Every single staff member stopped in their tracks to speak with me and ensure my stay was comfortable. Four Seasons Resort, Whistler - Their attention to detail was so perfect, the staff went beyond anticipating my needs and became BFFs with my dog.

Most Pleasantly Surprising Stay Vive Hotel Waikiki, Oahu - Opened in summer 2013, the Vive has the friendliest staff---Trip Styler Sis hurt her knee and they asked her multiple times if she needed ice---and great Honolulu 2.0 touches like included breakfast and free WiFi. A great option for a budget-boutique stay two blocks from the beach. The Pearl Hotel, San Diego - The Pearl's Jet Age charm extends to their staff, who were the cheeriest group of gals I've ever encountered!

Most Exquisite Stay Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas - Discreet and decadent, serene and spacious, the Mandarin is without a doubt one of my top 20 stays of all time.

Best Hotel Bed The Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino - Straddling the 49th Parallel and the divide between a centuries-old coastal rainforest and the open ocean, this Travel+Leisure hall of famer—the only one of its kind in Canada—delivers low-key luxury on a gold-plated, Douglas fir platter. I'm quite certain I'll see the Wick Inn's dreamy beds in heaven.

Best Hotel Bathroom Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai - Clad in light grey marble, the vanity is decorated with a pounded copper sink and lit by twinkly Moroccan lights. Two steps lead up to the bathtub and into another world. Big enough to bathe a baby elephant, the bath area is a room unto itself topped with a golden dome. I even considered sleeping in the tub one evening! NOBU Hotel, Las Vegas - The bathroom had me at its tall, white sink, big enough to fit a three-year-old, yet it was the four-quadrant design separating the sink, toilet, shower and vanity with sleek wooden slats that made me want to sing an ode to NOBU in the shower.

Best Hotel Shower Lava Lava Beach Club, Hawaii {Big Island} - Every cottage comes with a private, lava-encased outdoor shower spouting water from a bamboo shoot.

Best Hotel Pool Treats Parker Palm Springs, Palm Springs - Boozy cocktails, bunches of berries and hot chocolate are just a few of the treats delivered to your pool-side lounger. Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay, Lanai - Where else does Dr. Shades pop by to clean your sunglasses while you snack on complimentary canapes like prosciutto-wrapped beet?

Coolest Hotel Amenity NOBU Hotel, Las Vegas - Forget standard slippers, NOBU offers guests fluffy flip flops. Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas - Rooms are adorned in fresh-cut flowers. The Ampersand Hotel, London - Where raiding the minibar stacked with sparkling water, juice and cookies is free---and encouraged. Parker Palm Springs, Palm Springs - If you request a wake-up call, it comes along with a silver carafe of coffee served in gold-rimmed cups.

Best Upcycling Program Caesars Palace properties in Las Vegas sanitize all left-behind guest soaps, melt them into new molds and deliver them to families in need around the globe.

Best Spa Treatment Turkish Hammam at the Talise Ottoman Spa at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Dubai - The treatment started with a full-court press scrubbing and cleansing splashes of water. As my Turkish towel-clad attendant ran a soapy bubble bundle from my feet to my shoulders, I felt like I was floating, weightless, on top of the clouds. Ali'i Experience at the Spa Without Walls at the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii {Big Island} - My treatment started with a lomilomi hot stone massage in a beachfront cabana and ended with warm coconut oil slowly trickling down my head. It felt so Hawaiian it was as if I was dancing the hula at Mauna Kea’s summit. West Coast Lifestyle Package at CHI Spa at the Shangri-La, Vancouver - With cashmere robes and sheets so luxurious you want to rip them off the bed and wear them as a scarf and spa suites sporting infinity soaker tubs with embedded light therapy, the four-hour West Coast Lifestyles package starts with a private yoga class {so Vancouver!} and is followed by a sea kelp soak, a body wrap with mud flown in from China and a seaweed facial {or massage}.

Best Restaurant Luce, Portland - Simple, cool, fresh and perfectly Portland.

Best Beverage South Shore {rum bar} at The James Royal Palms, Miami - I'm not the hugest fan of rum, but the Hispanola with three lemon wedges, egg white, mint, sugar and a dash of bartender love rocked my cocktail world.

Best Dessert France Pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando - The chocolate macaron, ice cream edition {find it in the ice cream shop}. Bearfoot Bistro, Whistler - A dessert-meets-magic show, where cream and liquid nitrogen mingle to form their famous Nitro Ice Cream.

Best Coffee Shop Barista Parlor, Nashville - An industrial-design coffee shop, where the java is brewed in a lab {before your eyes} and breakfast is served with handkerchief napkins.

[photo by @tripstyler at encuentro guadalupe]

Roam+Board :: Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

[trip style = luxury + spa + sun]

{Editor's Note :: I was first introduced to the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas a year ago when I did my spa marathon along the Strip. At the time, I was with a group of international journalists and we unanimously agreed the Mandarin's aesthetic and discreet decadence was so heavenly, we would each return. So, I did last week.}

What
At the risk of going all-in in my opening remarks; the Mandarin Oriental is my version of a Las Vegas jackpot. It's boutique, it's gorgeous, it's calm and it's non-gaming, summoning the traveler who visits Vegas for style over slots.

In a departure from all things glittery, the 392-room resort—small for Vegas' usual brand of 4,000-6,000-room hotels—sits quietly and confidently in a sea of sequins. Check-in doesn't follow the crowd either. Upon arrival, I'm met by a smartly suited gent in the uniform equivalent of tails, who escorts me to an elevator made for photo shoots. Clad in black marble, gold accents and a plush red velvet bench, I sit {because I can} and enjoy the short ride to the glass-encased Sky Lobby, perched high above Las Vegas Blvd on the 23rd floor.

Rooms are decorated in the same Five Diamond detail as the hotel. A touchscreen panel controls every moving part, a valet closet means a hotel attendant can drop anything off without disturbing you, there's a TV embedded in the bathroom mirror, and my personal favorite: The towels are thicker than a wooly blanket. Yet, nothing impressed me more than this rarity: Each room is accented with fresh flowers.

Outside, the 8th-floor sundeck continues the Far East tranquility theme. Unlike many a Vegas pool sporting a dawn-till-dusk scene, spa sounds woo loungers into sun-soaked relaxation, and two lengthy lap pools guilt me into swimming a few lengths before heading out on the town. Trip Styler approved.

Where
Las Vegas, Nevada, about 15 minutes from the McCarran International Airport {LAS} by car/taxi, or a four-hour drive from LA.

When
The sun shines on the Neon City year-round; rain is rare. Vegas is hottest in summer {40-45 degrees C} and coolest in winter {17-24 degrees C}, while spring and fall are most palatable for those accustomed to four-season climates.

Who/Why
You're a luxury travel enthusiast who craves a high roller slice of Vegas—famed restaurants, world-class shows, non-stop shopping—without the dice.

Cost
Rates start at $225/night in low season, plus a daily $28 resort fee {note: this fee is standard at most hotels dotting the Strip}. Rates include WiFi, complimentary coffee from 6-8am, a salon-grade hair straightener in the room, bottled water by the pool, gym access, yoga and Pilates classes, and a Mercedes-Benz S550 drop-off service within two miles of the hotel {airport drop-offs based on availability}.

Trip Styler Tip :: Don't miss the spa's Tian Quan Thermal Experience, an all-day escape combining personal experience showers, a vitality pool, heated lounges, an ice fountain, an aromatherapy steam room, and unlike any other spa in Vegas, a view overlooking the entire Strip. {$50 m - th / $60 f - sa / $80 for non-hotel guests}

Walking past the Sky Lobby's feature wall

Room

Room detail

Bathroom

Fresh flowers

The first welcome at the Mandarin Oriental Spa: Warm oshibori towels and peppermint tea

Spa's heated-from-within tepidarium chairs

Pool

More Roam+Board
Hotel 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 while as a guest of the hotel]

Roam+Board :: Hotel Lone

[trip style = luxury + spa + foodie + sightseeing]

{Editor's Note :: Recently, Trip Styler's Fashion Friday contributor, Heather, visited Croatia. Here, she gushes about one of her favorite Croatian hotels.}

What
Croatia's first five-star design hotel rises from its lush forest setting like a gleaming white ocean liner. The minimalist, curvy waterfront hotel was conceived and crafted by Croatian creatives. Everything from architecture to art to furniture to light fixtures to uniforms are Croatian design. I was wowed from the moment I stepped inside, greeted by a two-story living wall and a 9-metre art installation.

While Hotel Lone is only a 15-minute walk from Rovinj {pronounced roh-VEEN}, one of Croatia's most picturesque hilltop towns, you may never want to leave the property. It boasts excellent restaurants {I highly recommend "L"}, a Croatian design store where you can find unique gifts for others or yourself, a wine shop, indoor and outdoor pools, full-service spa, Finnish-style baths, saunas and steam rooms. If you're not accustomed to European spas, take note: the saunas and steam rooms are co-ed and clothing optional {emphasis on the optional}.

Rooms are large, decorated with tasteful textiles and furniture in greys, greens and blues, and all have big balconies with ocean or park views. Sixteen rooms have their own balcony infinity pool. Forget never leaving the property; you may never want to leave your room! I confess that we spent one night in our room, wearing robes, eating room service and watching Italian television. Perfecto! Trip Styler approved!

Where
The hotel is a short walk from the center of Rovinj on Croatia's Istrian peninsula. Rovinj is the country's most Italian city and only a three-hour ferry ride from Venice. If you're driving, it's 40 minutes from Pula or 3 hours from Zagreb.

When
A year-round destination popular with Italian, Slovenian and Croatian weekenders, Rovinj is hot -- both in temperature and busyness -- during the summer, but you can count on milder temperatures and smaller crowds in late spring and early fall. The hotel fills its 248 rooms with conference goers during low season. Foodies take note: October is white truffle season, with festivals and hunts celebrating the delicacy known for its aphrodisiac characteristics.

Who/Why
You consult the Design Hotels guide when selecting a place to stay. You appreciate a full-service resort that has everything you need, but doesn't feel like an all-inclusive mini city. You need a relaxing escape in the midst of your European vacation -- and you're not afraid of a nude spa.

Cost
Rates start around $150/night in low season for a premium double room {the same room will cost you up to $500/night during the summer}. Rates include full breakfast buffet, spa access, WiFi and free arrival-day minibar. Free street parking or paid valet. Note: single occupancy {vs. double occupancy} can save you up to $100/night.

Photos

More Roam+Board
Templar Hotel - Toronto
Encuentro Guadalupe - Mexico
The Ampersand Hotel - London
The Wickaninnish Inn - Tofino
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai

[photos by @heatherlovesit]