Morocco's 'côte sauvage' enters the chat, as a new hotel launches in the dunes

Based in Lecce, Italy, the small, family-run Fiermontina hotel group has branched out into Morocco with a collection of suites and villas on the ‘côte sauvage’ of Larache, 40 minutes outside Tangier.

Its first La Fiermontina Ocean eco-retreat consists of 11 suites, each with its own pool and private garden, plus two multi-room villas outside the rural village of Dchier. The property is close to the protected Khemis Sahel Dunes and has two miles of forest trails.

Interior architects Charles-Philippe Mommeja and Christophe Vialleton of Laboratoire Design in Rabat undertook the design. They followed the company brief—’Italian charm, French elegance and warm Moroccan colour’—by delivering cool plaster spaces and Taza stone floors the colour of desert sand. King-sized beds and lounge seating were sourced from contemporary designers; they’re complemented by traditional Moroccan items, from mirrors and vases to rugs and Berber poufs from the Atlas mountains. Locally sourced artwork is lit by midcentury Italian lamps.

Long banks of glass doors face the pool deck and the Atlantic beyond from cosy lounge spaces. The indoor-outdoor feeling is enhanced by the open-air showers tucked away and protected by greenery.

There’s more over at the main building, where guests can relax in a midcentury-style bar and lounge, swim at the communal pool or book a session at the wellness spa and marble hammam. Staff at Ocean are recruited from the village of Dchier. They bring abundant breakfasts of crepes and fresh jams, flatbread, honey and fava purée, accompanied by rosewater and mint tea. And they lead treks through the countryside. Dinner at the restaurant is a choice between Italian specialities and Moroccan tagines.