Olinto, Atlas Mountain Retreat - adults only

The owner descends from the fascinating Roman Ruspoli family line, dating back to a general under Charlemagne in the eighth century. Beginning as papal nobility, the line includes one of Handel’s most important patrons, Marquis Francesco Maria Ruspoli, a member of the 17th-century Arcadian Academy (who adopted the Latin pastoral name Olinto). And there are more luminaries in the prince's ancestry: the Marquis de Lafayette, who was influential in the American Revolution; Alessandro ‘Dado’ Ruspoli, who inspired Fellini’s La Dolce Vita; and Charles Haas, who the character Swann in Proust’s In Search of Lost Time is based on. And Prince Fabrizio himself has been a pioneer of hospitality, creating the first boutique riad in Marrakech in the 1990s with the iconic La Maison Arabe. Even more impressive, he’s been the sole visionary for Olinto, acting as architect, interior designer and garden creator.

Staff who’ve been hired from the surrounding Berber villages offer warm polished service and can be summoned via Whatsapp. And, they’ll ferry you about the property by golf cart if needed.