Fresh 72 DEPARTURES The beautifully remote Agafay desert, an hour’s drive from Marrakech, hosts guests at Philomena Schurer Merckoll’s To Retreat
PATRICK LOCQUENEUX Health is never far from our minds these days, whether it’s mental agility, physical prowess, increased longevity or weight optimisation. Herewith, a clued-in guide to the latest developments across a more enlightened wellness sector that’s increasingly putting the focus on holistic remedies and connecting with nature. by GISELA WILLIAMS Perspective Technology DETOX There are very few of us who have a healthy control over our devices, so one of the most effective shortterm retreats is one that allows (or forces) us to disconnect from them, ideally in nature. Benefits include sharper focus, better social interaction, less stress and more quality time. At Philomena Schurer Merckoll’s To Retreat in Morocco, guests spend several days without any wifi or phone connection at the rustic but incredibly beautiful farm owned and designed by the international architects’ Studio KO. A very natural satellite project stemming from her cultishly intimate hotel in Marrakech’s medina, Riad Mena, Schurer Merckoll brings in a Kundalini teacher from Berlin and a healer from Paris, while the manager of the farm, Noel, oversees delicious healthful meals made, in part, from produce grown on the property. Originally the tech detox had not been planned, and it was the lack of wifi that decided it, but Schurer Merckoll says, “The total disconnection from outside stimulus and stress in order to reconnect with yourself proved a key pillar of the retreat, especially in a world of never-ending expected availability. It’s what, in the end, had the most effective rejuvenating effect, allowing people to sleep, dream, talk to each other, read and do many of the things we are normally too distracted to do.” @to.retreat 73 DEPARTURES
