Places: Morocco

Oh that we had more friends who’d throw a party for 100 guests at the Amanjena in Marrakech! This was a mean feat of organisation for cazenove+ loyd, who planned every aspect of the party down to the finest detail and pulled it off with faultless aplomb. We trekked, we danced, we swam, we shopped, we ate, we drank and were entertained at every turn by dancers, acrobats, jugglers and musicians. What do I remember most? The horse-drawn carriages taking us to dinner in the Medina, the fancy-dress outfits laid on our beds awaiting our arrival, the 30m dining table laid out beneath the stars in the hotel’s garden and the day trip to the Atlas Mountains to trek in the hills before a lavish picnic on a high escarpment with rolling views of the countryside.

I have been raving about the Route du Sud and cazenove+loyd to all who will listen! We had the most marvellous trip from start to finish and I credit you with making it so. There were so many personal touches and no ‘hiccups’ on the trip. We felt taken care of and very confident that all would go as planned, which it did. I was so impressed with the details and surprises along the way. Another wonderful touch was the incredibly informative and useful app with our itineraries, maps, photos and more. I used it while in France to show a new Moroccan friend and to recommend the trip and Dar Ahlam to his wife and him. Ellen, Frank and I all travel the globe a great deal and this had to be one of the best trips ever because of the destination, Thierry Tessier’s vision and cazenove+loyd. Thank you again for your attention to the many, many details. I wasn’t ready to leave magical Morocco at the end. You are simply the best and I would not hesitate to travel with you again!

What can I say? But thank you so very much for arranging the most amazing experiences in Morocco. From start to finish the organisation was impeccable. The team here are still trying to process everything we pulled together. The balloon ride was out of this world and really quite unbelievable. Thank you. Mark never uses the word ‘tremendous’ but he has on this occasion to describe our time in Morocco.

Bilal is certainly worth his body weight in gold. He was on hand every step of the way and really became part of the Buckland team. We loved him. I accidentally left my Chanel glasses in one the Land Rovers while being taken from Marrakech to the Champagne reception destination at Black Rocks. (I didn’t do the quadbiking). I only found this out when I got back to the hotel at 2.15am on Tuesday morning. Thankfully, I needed to send my email address to Bilal for an invoice, so just happened to mention that I had left them ‘somewhere’ but most likely the Land Rover. At 8.45am the following morning he walked into the hotel reception with my glasses. Just brilliant!