Countdown to Morocco Retreat 2024/2025. An Adventure of a lifetime.
NEW NOVEMBER 2024 DATES ~ ONLY 3 ROOMS LEFT for our last retreat of the year.
Welcome to Essaouira! Our new home on the Moroccan Coast!
Spend 8 days with me on a culinary adventure, as we feast, travel and enjoy an experience of a lifetime, from the bustling Medina of Marrakech to the chic coastal town of Essaouira. Keep reading to enjoy a sneak peek of our magnificent new home in Essaouira below and highlights of our delicious adventure across Morocco.
NEW DATES FOR OUR RETREAT IN MOROCCO
23rd - 30th October 2024 (FULLY BOOKED)
23rd - 30th November 2024 - (ONLY 3 ROOMS AVAILABLE)
22nd - 30th October 2025 - NOW OPEN
When you register your interest in booking, we will get back to you with availability. Secure your place with a deposit and spread your payments with a payment plan.
I found paradise in Essaouira…
Fresh from a much-needed sojourn and travelling across Morocco in preparation for our sold out retreat in October, I am awash with inspiration. With only 3 months to go until our October retreat, by popular demand I have added another date in November for those who missed the chance to book. And with this new date comes a new-found love, a new home for our retreat on the coast. One that I have fallen deeply in love with. Paradise tucked amongst all lush vegetation and treasured argan trees.
Welcome to Cook with Lerato where I share recipes and stories with a good dose of African magic. If you haven’t subscribed, click the button below to join us! Our new retreat in Essaouira
I fell in love with Essaouira! And not for the first time! When I find the perfect place for my holidays and for our retreats, it tugs at my heartstrings. I pine for it, looking forward to finally visiting, meeting the people, eating the food. The architecture and story behind the place and people are important to me, its history, the food culture, sustainable practices are high up on my list of priorities. The first time in visited Essaouira, I instantly fell in love.
A few weeks ago, as we drove into Essaouira, after 2 1/2 hours from bustling Marrakech, I was overcome with glee, like a kid in a candy store. I love this town! The laissez-faire attitude, the abundance of seafood, bumping into Gnawa performers in the Medina and around, on this occasion I did much more than just jump into these performers. I was right in the middle of the epic parade to commence this year’s festival. More to come on my upcoming Morocco diaries. Essaouira is notably one of the most comfortable cities I have travelled to as a solo female traveller. It is almost like Brighton in the UK, with a little hipster vibe. With its light coloured buildings and breezy promenade, a far cry from the ochre of Marrakech, I thoroughly enjoy my time here. After driving for about 15 minutes inland, from a distance I caught a glimpse of ochre coloured domes peeking through lush trees. We have arrived, my driver said. We were in paradise! And what a joyous few days I would spend unwinding and plotting ahead of new retreats. Feasting on the best of seafood, enjoying the spectacular parade of the Gnawa Festival and getting lost not only in the charm of this town.
For a second I thought of how wonderful it would be to organise a retreat to coincide with Gnawa festival so that you too many be able to experience its wonder, however I worry it will be far too hot. Morocco in June/July is a furnace. So for now my dear travellers, Morocco will be our home in October and November when the temperature is milder. Planning our retreats is one of the most demanding yet exciting things I do. And soon, some of you will see why!
For the best experience at our cookery retreats, only a limited number of guests on each trip, please join the waiting list to register your interest in our cookery retreats & to be the first to find out about our new dates and destinations.
Highlights of our Morocco Cookery Retreat
A specially curated multi city/terrain experience from the city to the desert, the mountains to the coast with hidden gems and my address book of favourites gathered over years of travel.
Stay in architectural masterpieces, from our luxurious eco-friendly Earth House, a sprawling villa overlooking the Atlas Mountains in Marrakesh and our sumptuous mud huts on the coast.
Exceptional food, with organic seasonal produce, fresh fish from the nearby coast, olives you can pick yourself and olive oil harvested just footsteps away. A generous food tour feasting at my favourite restaurants, street foods stops, the best pâtisseries and more.
Immersive cookery classes with me, at a 5-star hotel, with local Dada’s (expert cooks, Morocco’s version of African Aunties who hold all the secrets to cooking) to cooking high above the Ourika Valley with the Berber (Amazigh) locals.
Rich cultural immersion at every turn!
An unforgettable experience with like-minded people
Great for solo, pair & group travellers Togetherness is one of the unique characteristics of my experiences. Solo’ does not mean ‘alone’.
I cannot wait to introduce you to my friends from the artisans producing beautiful ‘Beldi’ traditional glasses, wooden marvels to the women at Amal Center training to become the chefs of tomorrow, to Brigitte the chic restaurateur with the very best food I have enjoyed in a restaurant in Morocco. With much to do and see, I have curated a week-long experience of a lifetime.
Now, who’s coming with me? Click the link or write to me if you will love to secure your place.
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Thanks for reading today. Share this sunshine with your family and friends, and win some treats.
