Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
,
making the annual
Hamdouchi Moussem
in September twice as raucous. Pilgrims visiting
each
zawiya
dance to a different rhythm in an all-day music festival in the town centre be-
fore going their separate ways in three-hour parades to the
zawiyas
. Sometimes the
moussem
peaks in blood purification, with dancers cutting themselves on the scalp in dra-
matic acts of ritual cleansing.
The 100-year-old
olive groves
dotting hillsides around Demnate produce Morocco's best
olive oil, with trace mineral salts, a golden colour and subtle woodsy flavours that com-
pare favourably to Tuscan oils. Almonds are another renowned local product, and the
flowering of the local orchards makes March a lovely time to visit. Meals at Café-Restaur-
ant Al Jazeera and Kasbah Timdaf are prime opportunities to sample Demnati olive oil
and almonds.
Sleeping & Eating
Kasbah Timdaf
( 0523 50 71 78;
www.kasbah-timdaf.com
; GPS coordinates N 31°46,50 W 007°01; s B&B/half board
Dh605/790, d B&B/half board Dh770/1140, extra adult/child Dh275/165; )
A cosy eco-castle
15 minutes from Demnate on the road to Azilal, with artful rooms warmed by vintage
woodburning stoves and snazzy
tadelakt
bathrooms. It may seem palatial, but this stone
and mudbrick kasbah is a working farm surrounded by almond and olive groves, provid-
ing inspired Mediterranean-Berber meals (Dh110 to Dh185) on a vine-draped terrace with
expansive views.
Owners Jacqueline and Yannick can organise cycling, trekking and fishing trips around
Demnate. Transfers from Marrakesh cost Dh500.
MAISON D'HÔTE
€€€
Café-Restaurant Al Jazeera
( 0524 45 82 39; near Gare Routiére, Demnate; 3-course menus from Dh130; 8am-8pm)
Call
ahead to reserve a table for savoury seasonal salads that are a prelude to Demnate's signa-
ture fine-grain couscous, decadently laced with local olive oil and sprinkled with toasted
Demnati almonds. Then enjoy a refreshing dip in the courtyard pool (open in summer)
and an excellent espresso in the garden.
BERBER
€€
Snak Itrane
(quarter/whole chicken with chips or bread Dh20/65)
Some 300m after the city gate on the left, this
sidewalk restaurant serves a mean rotisserie chicken.
MOROCCAN
€
