I don't normally do this. I mean traveling to a fabled, exotic city like Marrakech in a country full of adventure, then stay in one place and not leave the premises' for five days and five nights. This was different though. If for a while you find yourself in a state of total well-being and you are keenly aware of it, why move? It doesn't happen often - at least to me it doesn't. This case was also different in the sense that my hosts' family and friends had gathered here for two birthdays and they constituted a fascinating international crowd of creative spirits indeed. All, young and old, seemed to be in a similar state of well-being!

My hosts themselves made the difference. Said the Independent on Sunday about Meryanne Loum Martin and her husband Gary: "¿Morocco's style queen and her ethnobotanist husband have created the place to stay in Marrakech. As enduringly chic as Marrakech is, it does not get much more chic than this."

That is not to mean that the lifestyle here at the Jnane Tamsna isn't extremely laid-back. It is the intense beauty of the place, every little detail, that is exquisite, imaginative, entrancing - and at the same time tranquility reigns. There is an obvious stress on art - art in the sense of painting and drawing, art exhibits, art in gardening, and art in the cuisine.

Says Meryanne Loum-Martin: "Here we have 24 bedrooms spread out over 9 acres, swimming, and one tennis court. Ideal for families. We host a lot family reunions. It is cool, laid-back, without the oppression of a hotel. If kids do a lot of pool screaming we assign one pool to them exclusively."

These facts only describe the amount of space.

What has been created within these nine acres borders on mysterious in the sense that it is hard to put your finger on precisely why such a feeling of relaxed, happy calm reigns here. Some have called it a zen-like state.

Interior patios have gloriously healthy olive trees and white bougainvilleas flow and cascade everywhere around the main house. And then there are the magical Moorish horse-shoe arches. Pots, jars and amphorae are strategically dotted here and there.

Pieces of fine furniture are harmonically arranged in the spacious living rooms which are full of fascinating detail like lots and lots of drawings, photos, paintings, some mounted effectively in sets of nine. You can lose yourself in one drawing or item or just take in the whole effect sitting down comfortably with a glass of excellent Moroccan wine.

The amazing details are not confined to the living room. In my bedroom alone there were seven drawings on just one part of the wall and in the bathroom there were six.

This is where genius shows. If you were to give me all these items and tell me to create a harmonious whole I would surely make a total mess and then undoubtedly consider bombing it.

This is where Meryanne Loum-Martin comes in. Her background is Afrique Noir, Caribbean, French, and American. She practiced as a lawyer in Paris - and, having had some 25 years' experience in Morocco the influence is naturally North African as well.

Her background is reflected in the architecture and the colors of the Jnane Tamsna, the way she talks and the way she dresses. And in the cuisine which can perhaps best be described as the very finest of Moroccan with touches of the very best of other cuisines. In my few days there I found that every morsel I tasted exploded with flavor, be it from a Moroccan chicken dish with 41 spices or a fruit salad. And here another strong influence enters in the form of Meryanne's husband Gary Martin, founder and president of the Global Diversity Foundation. A world-renowned American ethnobotanist who lectures around the globe on matters of biodiversity and conservation, Gary has made certain that just about all of the vegetables and herbs used in theJnane Tamsna hotel's cuisine come from their own extensive gardens

Continued on Page 19

which in traditional Arab style are ornamental and useful at the same time.

Walking slowly around these gardens, observing, smelling, was one of my favorite pastimes at Jnane Tamsna. Just about every vegetable and herb I can name is grown here in profusion. Leeks, artichokes, lettuce, herbs, lavender, wild lilies, pomegranates, collar greens, chilies, tomatoes, fig trees, corn were some of the ones I could identify.

Magnificent date palms shade whatever needs shading. They are harvested in October. Even the exquisite olive oil used in Jnane Tamsna's cuisine comes from their own trees. Before every meal you see a gardener or a white-dressed cook carry in armfuls of fresh ingredients.

The Moroccan staff has been chosen as carefully as everything else here. Quietly efficient, in a gentle, friendly way they make sure you have what you want when you want it - without anyone rushing which of course is what this place is about.

After a few days here anyone seriously interested in cuisine gets curious about how this mouthwatering and partly vegetarian food comes about. I asked Meryanne about cooking courses. Says she: "Bahija, our main chef, has been written about in many magazines, TV shows etc. She's highly competent and speaks good English. She runs the cooking classes." My comment: And she's good-looking.

I asked a friend, Lori Anglin, expert on conservation and restoration what impressed her most about the Jnane Tamsna. Her observation is right on: "Having seen it BEFORE construction eight years ago as the ruddy desert setting that it really is, the true marvel is this apparent splendid oasis, and that you can eat much of it!"

The website is www.jnane.com

Email address is meryannejnane.com

Or phone Meryanne at: +212 24 32 84 84