The A5 motorway crosses the northwest of Morocco and connects the industrial port of Tanger Med, on the Strait of Gibraltar, to the capital, Rabat, along the Atlantic coast. City cars, coaches and heavy goods vehicles pass smoothly on its well-maintained asphalt. But branching off towards the wild coast is a completely different matter. To access La Fiermontina Ocean, an estate perched in the middle of the dunes, north of the town of Larache, 90 kilometers from Tangier, it is better to drive in a 4 × 4. You have to take a bumpy track of orange earth traced in the heart of ‘a forest of cork oaks over 5 kilometers. The duration of the journey varies depending on the number of herds of goats and sheep encountered along the way.
A former Spanish military fort stands to the side, behind a surrounding wall. Further on, a few scattered animals graze on the hills. Imposing monoliths planted in the decor mark the entrance to the property. A path winding through the olive trees leads to a hamlet of around ten ocher and gray stone houses, built on the hillside, as if suspended 200 meters above the ocean. A sea wind sweeps the dunes which dominate a long deserted beach. Seagulls and a few birds of prey hover in the azure sky. We can see the silhouettes of gardeners under their hats, crouching among the pistachio bushes and clumps of aromatic plants.
The vast suites and villas (from 65 to 300 square meters), extended by swimming pools and terraces dug into the rock, all benefit from a panoramic view of the Atlantic thanks to large bay windows. Just like the hotel’s spacious restaurant, where Italian specialties (pizzas, pastas, focaccias) and oriental specialties (couscous, tagines, harira, choukchouk, etc.) are served. The whole thing was designed by Laboratoire Design, an architectural firm founded in Rabat by the French Charles-Philippe Mommeja and Christophe Vialleton. They decided to adorn the floors of the Taza stone buildings and draw from Moroccan and Italian repertoires for furniture and decoration. Pieces of local craftsmanship – rugs, poufs, pottery, small pieces of furniture – took their place alongside retro lamps, armchairs and bedside tables by Gio Ponti, Scapin and Memphis consoles and lamps produced by the FontanaArte house.
Local friendliness
The duo of architects also worked on another aspect of this surprising hotel project. “We have recreated four traditional houses with sloping roofs made of Spanish tiles, emblematic of the architecture of the Moroccan Rif, in the village of Dchier, located 1 kilometer from here,” they explain. At the wheel of a small electric 4 × 4, Antonia Yasmina Filali, the Italian-Moroccan owner (with her brother, Fouad Giacomo Filali), emphasizes that it was important for her that guests who wish can share moments with the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, notably by staying in these accommodations which are simpler than those overlooking the ocean. She also had a hammam and a Moorish café built, to encourage exchanges. We can easily imagine the passing children playing ball with those from the douar without worrying about the language barrier.
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