So cool its hot

Villa Santa Maria Foris – Reception

Historic cities spawn tasty artistic accommodation

There are certain cities in the world where you can be sure of wall-to-wall taste experience in every sense of the word. But two are Marrakesh and Ravenna.

Marrakesh is not only stunningly beautiful, authentic and sensual but this combination seems to evoke tasteful food and very tasty accommodation.

Wherever you go in Marrakesh, it’s the same. In the evening the crowds of chic but cheap wander to the Djemma el Fna signposted by the irresistable beat of Gnaoua drums, clouds of smoke and the delicious cooking smells, drawn to the open braziers cooking meats and fishes, cooking pots full of bubbling brown snails, vast trays of fruits and candies, great kettles of teas and spiced drinks – and that’s just a start.

In this spicy city, it’s all about taste in every sense of the word – truly mood-altering food, satisfying music, great fashions, wonderfully tasteful carpets and combinations of colours and smells. All this brings a set of tourists to Marrakesh that want something more, something different, something exotic, something tasty.

No more so than the accommodation in which they sleep. In Marrakesh there are over 400 individual Riad style hotels – each an individual, created to the taste if its owner.

Plus, the range and splendiforousmess of Marrakesh’s 5 star offering is quite amazing, from La Mammounia to the Royal Mansour, you couldn’t live better (or more tastefully) if you were a Sultan!

Make no mistake – high value, high taste, low impact tourism has come to stay (for quite a while) – just like the iPad that many of the current visitors use to book their well-designed, tastefully appointed rooms.

There are many destinations that are realizing this and using their history and beauty in which to set ranges of unique and interesting accommodation for tasteful travelers who want their requirements met at reasonable cost.

Another is Ravenna, the ancient, mosaic-filled, ex-capital of the western Holy Roman empire. In this city, unusually with its own nearby beachfront, new boutique accommodation is springing up taking advantage of fabulous architecture to deliver really sumptuous luxury to demanding tourists.

For instance the Villa Santa Maria Foris  – extremely up market, luxury bed and breakfast – a millionaire’s mansion newly refurbished and decorated in the British style.The villa incorporates delightful works of art including fabulous Murano glass chandeliers in the boutique B&B which includes, of course a library, of course a serene garden, of course superb intimate lounge areas.

Breakfast on local specialities in the villa’s terrace after a night in a sensationally comfortable (and very expensive) bed in a massive room – and you know that you’ve arrived in the land of well-priced good taste – all this for around 150 Euros!

A stroll in Ravenna to explore its 2,000 years of architectural history, magnificent Byzantine art and culture that swings from Byron to Dante – and you are ready to enjoy some more Ravenate taste in the form of any of the area’s local culinary specialities from the bounteous sea to its fertile plain.

You’ll probably want to try cappelletti, piadina, fritto misto of seafood, the aroma and the taste is just undeniably tantalizing.

And the music! Just a look at the programme of the annual Ravenna Festival and you’ll see why the city is a powerful contender for European City of Culture 2019.

To these two stylish, tasteful, well-priced cities, you could add many more including Cape Town, Barcelona, Antwerp – all offering that truly elusive and much in demand modern quality – authenticity combined with taste; bringing quality, sensitive tourism; leading to sustainability.

Valere Tjolle
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