Marrakesh: Jnane Tamsna (Guesthouse)

Address: Douad abiad , Marrakech 40000, Morocco

Lonely Planet review

Meryanne Loum-Martin has set the standard for Palmeraie retreats with a simply stunning modern North African villa set in organic gardens. She raises the bar for responsible tourism with water-conserving plants and filtered pools, all-organic cuisine, a fair trade design boutique, and cultural immersion 'Diversity Excursions' run by her English ethnobotanist husband, Gary.

A-list celebrities like Brad Pitt, Giorgio Armani and David Bowie flock to mellow-inducing, effortlessly elegant Jnane Tamsna like moths to a flame. Jawdropping keyhole archways welcome you into this Moorish estate, a jigsaw of elegant patios and intimate terraces amid a six-acre organic farm. But what sets the Jnane Tamsna experience apart from deluxe digs anywhere else in the world are Gary and Meryanne's signature passions: inventive organic Moroccan cuisine, a heartfelt commitment to conservation and local community development, and trendsetting North African Nirvana style (Meryanne gives guru-like shopping advice). Cooking classes, yoga retreats, and literary salons here are runaway successes - Booker Prize winner Kirin Desai taught a recent workshop, with proceeds going to local literacy programs.