Just south of Asilah (Tangier - Tetuan), on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, Khanfous Retreat is the latest accommodation offering to this increasingly popular tourist destination.

  In anticipation of our opening, I have just finished mocking up our "Responsible Tourism Policy". It's still very much a rough version, which will be modified and updated as we go along, but have a look. All comments and criticisms welcome. Khanfous Retreat's Responsible Tourism Policy...

So, a few weeks on after the mad decision to build a “luxury” bamboo camp in the middle of a rural Moroccan village, how are we doing?

 

Despite the bad news in the last post, I was determined not to give up. We have been racking our brains for a solution to our “no planning permission” problem. One night a few weeks ago, whilst mulling over the situation for the nth time, I had one of those comic light-bulb moments.

    Delays, delays… and more delays.   So, you may be wondering why there has been such a long delay since the last update. Well, it’s quite simple really, nothing has happened.   Once the architect’s final plans were approved they were submitted to the Urban Agency in Tangier (via the local Urban Agency in Meshlew) in order to get planning permission. We took great care to ensure that we provided the authorities with exactly the information which they required, however, as is always the case, there were some documents missing, and then the plans had the wrong title, and then they were held in the local office for several weeks (we still don’t know why).   We were then told that we had to wait for the planning permission committee to meet so that they could assess the plans and make their decision. Throughout this rather tedious process...

Following my last post in which I mentioned that I was going on a bit of a recce to find out what systems others in the area were using, particularly tourism businesses. From the roof of our friend’s terrace we could see that there were several buildings with solar water heating systems installed, on of which is a guesthouse. Perfect. So we popped round to ask them some questions. The owner of the hostel was not there, but the very lovely receptionist was able to give us a basic lowdown. Their establishment has 7 bedrooms and they use two of the 300lt + two panels system, exactly what I had been recommended. She told us that the system worked very well for them. During the summer months they could use all seven showers at the same time with plenty of hot water. However, they also have a backup electricity system...

  My question for today is: is solar energy the way to go?   In line with the sustainability aims of this project, I have been trying to research this subject for quite a while. However, I am not getting much clarity. Ok, so what I know is that I could use solar panels to a) heat the water b) provide electricity and c) power the water pump for the well. But what I didn’t know was exactly how these products worked, if they were available in Morocco and how much they cost.   Finally, yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with a solar panel supplier in the area. He has installed both solar panels for water heating and solar panels for electricity in several of the large hotels in the area. Furthermore, some of these panels have been operating for over 10 years…sounds promising. So, to get straight...

  Hi Everyone, I am back out in Morocco checking up on progress and meeting with the architect to finalise the plans for the Ecolodge that I'm building. I have just updated my blog with the latest news from the project. I am really keen for feedback, comments and critisisms, so if you have something to say, please let me know. Follow the story at www.responsibleresortmorocco.com Thanks! Carin...

  Hi everyone, Thank you to all of you who took the time to read my first entry, this one comes a little later than I thought  - and is perhaps even less coherent than the first - but in a nutshell, I ponder being eco, my justifications and how/to what extent it is possible for my rural retreat project. If you're interested: www.responsibleresortmorocco.com Look forward to hearing your feedback! Carin...

Hi all! Thought some of you might be interested in a project I am about to begin. Hopefully, over the next 12 months I will be building a rural retreat here in Morocco. I am a complete novice at a venture like this, but would like to bring responsible tourism here. I have just set up my first blog at http://responsibleresortmorocco.com/. There isn't much information there at the moment, but I hope to bulk it up over time with more details and images. Please visit, have a read, give some feedback...all comments are gratefully received. Regards, Carin...