Worth Traveling For
Morocco is full of dazzling riads, sumptuous desert camps, and chic coastal hideaways. Michlifen is something else entirely, an alpine-style chalet in the Middle Atlas Mountains where the elites of Casablanca and Fez flock as soon as the snowflakes start falling. (The name Michlifen, in fact, means snowflake in the local Berber language.) For them, it offers a taste of Europe without the distance — French Alpine or Scandinavian decoration in many of the 71 rooms and suites, Continental fine dining in one of the restaurants, a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course for the summer months — while for international visitors, it provides a view onto a romantic, extravagant corner of the country that’s a world away from the souks and medinas that most tourists see. It’s also home to the largest spa in Africa, making it a magnet for wellness seekers as well.
Hotel Highlights
Today’s Michlifen is the result of a six-year, $100 million renovation that was completed about 15 years ago. The owners — essentially the Moroccan state, with strategic oversight from the King — went all in on dramatic volumes, noble materials like marble and solid wood, and designer everything, including a flotilla of Ralph Lauren leather sofas in the lobby lounge, furniture from Chellini, and fabrics from Rubelli or Pierre Frey. It’s opulent to be sure, but squarely on the side of good taste. Along with the golf course, there are two pools (one outdoor, the other indoor in a gorgeous heated pavilion), a spa that spreads out over nearly 40,000 square feet, the elegant Le Cedray restaurant that serves French-style fine dining (fine French and Moroccan wines), and an intimate Andalusian-Arabic dining room (tricked out with Limoges Desoulhières porcelain crockery and stylish armchairs) at L’Oriental, which serves Moroccan tagines and Levantine cuisine inspired by Jordan and Lebanon.
Rooms & Experience
Panoramic elevators inside a central atrium whisk guests up to the large rooms and suites, which have luminous wooded walls and ceilings, and refined designs inspired by other mountain destinations around the world. The Nordic rooms have a Scandi simplicity, all blond wood and white marble bathrooms accented by black mosaic tiles. The Tyrolean rooms recall the Austrian Alps with their coffered wood ceilings and carved ivy garlands. The American Lodge rooms have spruce logs on the walls, driftwood and antlers, and patterned Berber carpets that look a lot like Native American weavings. But it’s the Savoyard rooms, with their chintz fabrics and wingback armchairs, that best speak to the French-style mountain town vibe of Ifrane. The light (both natural and artificial), views, and privacy in all are sublime, whether they’re designed to be cozy for a couple or more expansive for a family.
What to Know Before You Book
The beauty — not to mention the sheer unlikeliness — of the pristine mountain snow makes Michlifen a popular winter destination. But apart from that high season, it’s worth a visit any time of year. The Michlifen Golf & Country Club has an 18-hole championship course with stunning mountain views, a European-style clubhouse with first-rate dining, and a technology-led golf academy staffed with PGA Professionals. Non-golfers can enjoy the region’s hiking trails and scenic viewpoints of Ifrane National Park, forest picnics, horseback rides among the cedars, visits to traditional villages, and wine tasting among the vineyards of nearby Meknes.
Address: Avenue Hassan II – BP n°18, Ifrane, Morocco
Closest airport: Fez (one hour away)
Feature image courtesy of Jacob Sjoman. Travel Curator may earn a commission from product or booking links on this page.
