Berber Lodge, Oumnass Rural Retreat
The beginning
Berber Lodge is a beautiful guest house in Oumnass, a charming village in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. The place features 9 unique rooms, all built around an olive garden, helping you with self-resourcing in a calming atmosphere.
As Berber Lodge owner mentions, the place has to be felt rather than seen. Romain Michel-Meunière is a French-Swiss architect who moved to Morocco back in 2002, during a life crisis. After feeling like his life was falling apart, Romain needed a safe space and a new beginning.
An hommage to Berbers
His love for the Imazighen, Berbers indigenous name, grew overtime after spending much time around them. Berber Lodge, which was built on a 200 hectares olive garden, pays homage to Berber traditions. He adores his life in Morocco and has immense respect for the relationships he nurtured through times with locals.
After working on some renowned establishments in Morocco like Nomad and Kasbah Bab Ourika, Romain finally wanted to create a space of his own. It was important for him to build and coexist with the land so he developed a sketch without disrupting the trees.
Building Berber Lodge
Romain finally asked for some help from his good friends Karl and Olivier, Studio KO founders, to polish the sketch after seeing the land. The famous French architects duo worked on large-scale projects around the world, such as the Yves Saint-Laurent museum in Marrakech. They were, without a doubt, the perfect pair to help Romain in this journey and bring Berber Lodge to life. After getting all the autorisations, the construction took about a year, which was relatively fast. The hotel opened in March 2017 but only started to get busy towards that summer. Berber Lodge can welcome up to 20 guests at a time, which, according to Romain, is the perfect amount so that the place still feels intimate.
A curated interior
Building Berber Lodge required time and knowledge and decorating it needed the same attention. The interior is curated with a mix of Berber pottery to designer items. Romain clearly has a keen eye for beautiful and unique furnitures. He doesn’t mind spending on specific items, like his leather Jacques Adenet made for Hermes that required him to pay monthly. The space feels like a museum full of treasures, something the eyes will enjoy through the whole stay.
Eat & drink
The kitchen consists of 4 peoples including 2 chefs cooking real food in a simple and healthy way. The menu embraces a culture of local sourcing, making sure everything is fresh and tasteful. Rather than choosing ingredients that are off season, Berber Lodge will change their daily menu according to what their garden or market will offer that day. The cuisine is a mix between Moroccan and Mediterranean, that will be adapted to your preferences or allergies. Berber Lodge also creates homemade syrups for their refreshing cocktails and offers an organic Moroccan wine. The menu is a true celebration of the Moroccan land and all the deliciousness it has to offer.
Home away from home
Historically, Imazighen were identified as “free-man”, which applies perfectly to Romain’s way of living. He is a casual person hence why he never liked being in a strict environment with too many rules. It was important to recreate this feeling so that his guests would feel free and see the lodge as their home. The place is warm, small, joyful and a reflection of Berbers hospitality ideology - guests are held in high esteem and very well treated.
