Bridge at the Kasbah

The perfect chance to combine bridge, delicious food, great company and much more in beautiful surroundings. Kasbah Bab Ourika is a StockenBridge favourite with guests returning time and time again - this will be our fifth consecutive year we are running a bridge holiday here. March is the ideal time to visit with warm daytime temperatures, lush gardens with a heated swimming pool and a welcome break from the British winter. Click here to read about our previous holidays.

Kasbah Bab Ourika

The Kasbah Bab Ourika stands in an exceptionally beautiful landscape in the Atlas Mountains, just 50 minutes from Marrakech. From its hilltop, in the fertile Ourika valley, it looks down on one side to the river, green fields and groves of olives, oranges and lemons, and on the other side to a picturesque ridge of red rock, known locally as ‘Arizona’ with dazzling snowy mountain peaks in the distance. 

The Kasbah is one of the most eco-friendly buildings in Morocco. Constructed principally from pisé (rammed earth), the traditional Berber building technique, it blends easily with rock and earth around it. Thick walls provide natural insulation in the heat and along with solar panels ensure a balanced temperature. All water at the Kasbah is recycled and used in the garden and an innovative biodigester system is used to produce electricity and also compost for the fully organic garden. 

Inside the Kasbah, the floors are of natural coloured beijmat (exposed brickwork) and furnishings of Berber fabrics in muted shades of cream, brown and beige. The result is a series of living spaces which feel deeply restful and spoilingly comfortable. Spacious and airy by day, but once the sun sets, lanterns glow in the courtyard, fires are lit and the interior is transformed. 

For more information about Kasbah Bab Ourika and to see their photo gallery, please visit their website by clicking here.

Excursions and Activities

At the Kasbah, there is plenty to do away from the bridge table, including wonderful walking trails directly from the doorstep or you can head further afield to the remote and unspoiled Salt National Park with one of the Kasbah's own excellent guides. The Kasbah can prepare a picnic for you and you can even take your own mule and muleteer. There is also camel trekking, horse riding and golf within easy reach. If all this seems a bit energetic, then you can visit the Kasbah's small Hamman by the pool offering traditional exfoliation with 'savon noir', and massage treatments.

We are also offering a number of optional excursions including a visit to Marrakech for a horse and carriage ride taking you to all the best parts
of the city. After lunch in an elegant and peaceful Riad, there will be time to snap up a bargain in the souk or one of the many luxury boutiques, followed by tea in the opulent La Mamounia Hotel, with its beautiful gardens. The second trip will take you to a beautiful organic farm in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains where you will have a guided tour of the gardens and learn how to cook an authentic Moroccan tagine

There are many other excursion possibilities including a trip to the high Atlas mountains, a beautiful saffron farm and a guided walk to the colourful Berber 'Monday Market' at the nearby town of Tnine Ourika.