Kasbah Tamadot

This 19th century Moroccan castle became a luxury mountaintop retreat thanks to a chance encounter with Sir Richard Branson

- Sharon Parsons

Imposing, dramatic and wildly romantic, Kasbah Tamadotis the perfect setting for any number of magical stories,but it is the true account of its transformation from acrumbling fortress into the renowned hotel it is today that’s the most captivating.

In 1998, Sir Richard Branson embarked on an unsuccessful quest to circumnavigate the world in a hot-air balloon, starting from Morocco. His parents, who came to support the launch of his expedition, set off to explore the Atlas Mountains and returned with tales of an enchanting but dilapidated crenelated kasbah - the Moroccan equivalent of a castle - perched high on a hilltop, overlooking the remote Ouirgane Valley.

Convinced it could be transformed into a unique retreat, they persuaded their son to visit the 19th century privately-owned property, and he too fell under its spell. He agreed to buy it – with the proviso that his mother, Eve, establish a foundation that would help the local Berber people with education, healthcare and employment initiatives: a promise she was happy to keep.

It was several years before the kasbah’s extensive renovation would get underway. Beautiful as the property was, much of it lay in ruins, and demanded painstaking patience, skill and research to restore what was already there and to create new aspects that fused seamlessly with the original foundations. Finally, in 2005 the vast, carved wooden doors built long ago within the castle walls swung slowly open to welcome its first guests.