La Fiermontina Ocean

Following the success of La Fiermontina, a gem of a boutique hotel in the Puglian city of Lecce, the owners opened a second hotel in Paris. La Fiermontina Ocean, on Morocco’s northern shore, is the third addition to the collection. Like the original, it has an elegant, worldly air inspired by the short but romantic life of Antonia Fiermonte, a painter and musician who modeled at Villa Medici, regularly attended Parisian salons, and traveled extensively in Morocco. And like its Italian counterpart, La Fiermontina Ocean is in an off-the-beaten-path place with few luxury hotels — it’s tucked away in a natural park near the fishing port of Larache, which is about an hour’s drive from Tangier. The hotel’s remote location, hugging a sloping hillside overlooking the ocean, is a major part of its appeal, and its low-lying stone buildings, surrounded by windswept sand dunes and scenic olive trees, make the most of the landscape. Part of the complex overlaps with the rural village of Dchier, and guests can choose to stay there in traditional houses built according to ancestral techniques — vaulted ceilings, woven rugs, small antique windows — or in more contemporary lodgings closer to reception. Pool suites are outfitted in all-natural materials and hues, with cool stone flooring and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking private gardens and infinity pools. Larger pool villas also have spacious kitchens and dedicated staff. In the village, the hotel’s gorgeous hammam offers traditional treatments, and back on the main property, a restaurant serves Italian and Moroccan cuisine with a view. A short shuttle ride or a 20-minute stroll down the hill leads to the beach club, where it’s all too easy to while away the day sipping mint tea or cocktails in a white-canopied cabana.