Want to be healthier next year? Try storytelling. If you’re a traveler, you already have a story or two (or twenty) to tell. If you want to become a better writer, do a safari, and live a more creative life, 2026 is YOUR YEAR. Join us on THIS writing retreat! See PDF for details (testimonials, Kenya itinerary, all that is included).
Contact me at cindylmccain1@gmail.com TODAY. Registration deadline is Monday, December 15. Only a few places left!
If you long to wake up in a new world full of wonder and possibility…
If you’re tired of being tired, restless, or overwhelmed…
Listen to the whisper: There’s more to life. It’s the Call to Adventure that Joseph Campbell described in The Hero’s Journey. Taking the first step to changing your narrative is the hardest for some because it means choosing YOU. This I can promise. Kenya will give you a love story. You’ll fall in love with your life.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. — Henry David Thoreau
Write what should not be forgotten. —Isabel Allende
When my friend Dee and I heard about the passing of Robert Redford, we immediately watched him again in Out of Africa. We love the film and the memoir by Karen Blixen on which it is based. Living in Africa stretched her and made her a better storyteller. She left forever changed. So did we. After Dee lived in Kenya and I lived in Morocco, we wrote memoirs and other publications about our experiences. Of the 58 countries we’ve explored between us, nowhere has transformed us more as writers and women. Seeing Karen Blixen’s farm and doing a safari in Kenya topped my Bucket List, so when Dee suggested a writing retreat there in 2026, I was on board! We’re taking only 8 explorers with us, so read on and sign up soon!
Full Disclosure: Robert Redford (Denys in Out of Africa) won’t be your pilot, but we’ll fly over Kenya to Tsavo for an authentic safari experience. We’ll be inspired by epic beauty and adventure for creative inspiration and future writing material.
Robert/Denys won’t be there to wash our hair, either, but we’ll read travel literature from master writers to improve our craft. We’ll relax and recharge with kindred spirits … refreshing.
Kenya will give you a love story. You’ll fall in love with your life.
If you’re a writer not writing … an explorer not exploring … or someone who longs to try both…
If you long to wake up in a new world full of wonder and possibility…
If you’re tired of being tired, restless, or overwhelmed…
Listen to the whisper: There’s more to life. It’s the Call to Adventure that Joseph Campbell described in The Hero’s Journey. Taking the first step to changing your narrative is the hardest for some because it means choosing YOU.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. — Henry David Thoreau
Write what should not be forgotten. —Isabel Allende
Download the Brochure or See Below Information on the Writing Workshop, Testimonials, Retreat Leader Bios, Package Costs, How to Register, and Deadlines. Share the brochure and this blog post with novice or pro writing friends!
To hold your spot, contact Cindy McCain at cindylmccain1@gmail.com for registration forms and payment information. Completed Registration Forms and Fee Due DECEMBER 15, 2025.
Contact Cindy at cindylmccain1@gmail.com with questions about the writing workshop. Contact Dee at deeflower@mac.com with questions about Kenya. Download .PDF below.
Take a Peek into Cindy’s Morocco Writing Retreat to Know What to Expect
Join Novice and Pro Writers As We Gather Around the Table
Artist dates in Africa inspired us with beauty, rest, and adventure. At the Morocco Writing Retreat, we enjoyed lunch, playing in multiple pools, and riding camels at the iconic Jnane Tamsna.
The Kenya Writing Retreat includes:
Inspiration (see link to Origins itinerary description above)
Workshop sessions for crafting a compelling, poignant travel tale (personal essay/blog post/memoir chapter) in one week
Prompts for journaling your journey in Kenya for writing material
A supportive writing community
Practices for sustaining a creative life in 2026 and beyond
*You’ll have access to workshop materialsonline before, during, and after the retreat.
Please see the Bios of hosts Cindy McCain and Dee Flower in the brochure above.
Cindy McCain (Southern Girl Gone Global)
I’m a university writing and literature instructor, writer, editor, and photographer. Living in Marrakesh inspired my memoir, travel articles, personal essays, and podcast. Nothing makes me happier than exploring the world and empowering writers to tell their best stories. I’ve been leading Travel Tales workshops/writing retreats in the US and Morocco since 2018.
Cindy McCain (Southern Girl Gone Global)
More About Dee Flower and a Preview of the 2026 Kenya Retreat
(Photos Below from Dee Flower’s Exhibitions, Publications, and Life in Kenya)
I’ve never known anyone with more energy, love for travel, and a way of making anywhere an adventure than author/retired park ranger/safari guide trainer, Dee Flower. See her photography from six continents on her website. See more of her INCREDIBLE author bio on Amazon, where you can also get her memoir on living in Kenya, Where the Wind Wills (available on Kindle, Audible, and Spotify free with a Premium Spotify account). She’ll share her writing process, publication journey, and vast understanding of Kenya as our Resident Master Guide.
From the first year that I lived in Marrakesh, I dreamed of leading a travel writing retreat there. No country has been a muse to me like Morocco. I wanted to share inspiring experiences with women who also need to write and explore. The pandemic postponed my dream. But while waiting for borders to reopen, I wrote a memoir about my years in the Red City.
Meanwhile, a woman named Laila Krattiger was trying to fulfill her dream — a haven for travelers that offers Morocco’s warm hospitality, Switzerland’s pristine precision, and Italy’s dramatic style. She opened the doors to Riad Luciano in Marrakesh… and pandemic slammed them shut. The world was on lockdown. As she discusses in the interview below, she shook off the shock with optimism and then used the time to make a major renovation and assemble a dream team.
The word quarantine is derived from the Italian quaranta giorni which means “40 days.” During the Middle Ages, passengers were detained on ships in ports for this length of time to quell the spread of bubonic plague. The Black Death killed one-third of the world’s population. However, in the next era, survivors celebrated life and were more creative than ever before. During the Renaissance, which means “Rebirth,” art flourished.
Likewise, post-pandemic we’re traveling like never before. We recognize our need for adventure, beauty, and connection. Riad Luciano reopened and is a work of art even more beautiful than before. Laila’s tenacity paid off, and her vision was realized. I’m so glad I could experience it.
My writing retreat finally happened. Before it started, I set aside three days of solo stays in Marrakesh. Since becoming a caregiver to my mom over a year ago, I’ve valued solo travel more than ever. Since 2013, I’ve featured my favorite resorts, boutique hotels, and Moroccan riads on this blog. Every property has an essence — the souls, the people who are the brand. A place of beauty has heart. It’s the product of hard work, tears, and tenacity. The realization of a dream.
I read websites and reviews on about a hundred resorts and riads before choosing Riad Luciano for my first night back in Morocco. It promised Moroccan warmth, Swiss precision, and Italian style… and delivered. I still dream of living in Italy, and I fell in love with Switzerland on my first trip to Lucerne. The stay was even better than I anticipated. Take a tour of Riad Luciano below. Meet Laila who lives her life in Zug, a city between Zurich and Lucerne, and Morocco. We talk about living cross-culturally and she gives must-dos in her cities. Hear her advice to younger people on seeing the world.
If you prefer listening to the podcast, the audio is here. You can book Riad Luciano on the website link above or here.
Disclosure: I was a guest at Hotel Luciano. I only recommend accommodations I’ve stayed in personally and HIGHLY endorse. As always, all opinions on this blog are my own.
Disclosure: Some posts on this blog have affiliate links to offset my cost at no additional fees for the consumer.
Riad Luciano CourtyardRiad Luciano’s Purple Salon and Second CourtyardRooftop BedsThe Sultan SuiteSultan Suite ClosetBath with Shower, Two Sinks, Toilet, and BidetRooftop LoungeEntrance to Another Salon
Below are photos of Laila in Morocco and Switzerland with family and colleagues with whom she designs excursions.
Madrassa Ben Youssef is one of many historical sites near Riad Luciano.Rooftop at Night
Choosing accommodations when you’re a solo traveler in a new city is especially important. And yes, a vital consideration is location, location, location. As Laila points out in our interview, guests aren’t forced. to stay in their rooms or go out when there are plenty of public spaces for relaxing. As in any large city, I don’t typically go out alone on foot after dark. Having a balcony and rooftop allows me to enjoy city lights, cool breezes, and full moons.
The house is a metaphor for the self, of course, but it also is totally real. And a foreign house exaggerates all the associations houses carry…. And, ah, the foreign self. The new life might shape itself to the contours of the house, which already is at home in the landscape, and to the rhythms around it.–Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun
I love a love story, a happy ending, a dream come true.
In 2016, three weeks before I left Marrakesh, I received a message from a blog reader, a woman from Kerry County, Ireland. She’d lived in London twenty years, eleven as a flight attendant, and was then working in the Middle East. She reached out as a kindred spirit:
I have visited Marrakech every year for the past five years and am totally in love with it. I stay in the same riad, eat in the same restaurants, Pepe Nero, Le Foundouk, and relax in the same spa. Why change somewhere you love going? I am convinced in a previous life I lived in Morocco. Anyway, I am thinking of buying a renovated riad in Marrakech…
She wondered if I had European friends who had bought riads there as well. She wasn’t buying as a business venture but as a holiday home for herself, friends, and family. We bonded over our favorite films, Under the Tuscan Sun and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, stories of women who restored houses and made new lives in faraway lands. She finished:
…actually felt the need to email you as you remind me so much of one of my friends, Jo, who is just so like you with her outlook and is always taking herself off to Italy.
PS I adore Italy. Tuscany & Venice are too of my favorite places.
And with that, we were friends. I connected her with homeowners in Marrakesh who had fulfilled the same dream. Over the next two years, we stayed in contact.
Photo provided by Maison 71
I looked forward to her photos and updates:
It was so much fun house hunting in Marrakech online in my living room. After much research, I contacted Chic Marrakech, an estate agency, and viewed options on my visit in October 2016. The moment I crossed the door at Maison No. 71, I knew it was the house for me. The house was in good condition, but I could imagine vividly how beautiful it could be…
When I set foot on the rooftop terrace I could see the snow- covered Atlas Mountains in the distance. It was idyllic. It just felt right. I could see the potential, and immediately I made an offer on that day.
Realistically if you are going to buy in Marrakesh, you need to evaluate the state of the dwelling. Many of us fall in love with the property and we don’t want to suppose that the water tanks could burst or that there could be a damaged chimney. In my case I had no roof or canopy over the courtyard and of course when I returned in February 2017 to sign the paperwork for the house and collect my keys, it rained and rained and rained. It was cold and wet and I was not prepared for the wave of emotion which came over me. It only then dawned on me, “What have I done buying a house with no roof?”
Luckily I had a friend with me who calmed me down. The next morning the sun shone and everything fell into place. The seller was a very talented Italian man named Adriano who actually restores Moroccan properties and was so generous. He shared his workers with me and also gave me his valuable time and now it has lead to a wonderful friendship. I had to rely on photos of the work which was going on, especially when I decided to replace the doors and entrance tiles.
She forwarded me photos documenting the restoration, a labor of love.
Photo provided by Maison 71
Door Delivery Photo Provided by Maison 71
Photo provided by Maison 71
Photo provided by Maison 71
From February 2017 to present I lovingly restored the house, from furniture to tiles, everything I sourced locally. I wanted to keep it traditional with pops of color as Marrakech is bright and colorful. I replaced my doors with glass doors to let in more light which is really lovely in the warm days to open the doors and hear the Medina sounds around.
Photo provided by Maison 71
There were some mad impulsive buys like the brass princess bed which I bought without thinking it through. However it is now a much admired bed by many of my guests.
In the souks many purchases were made from Zouak artisans who made colorful Moroccan wooden tables and other crafts.
Everything was done slowly and I decorated room by room. Hours were spent in Bab El Khemis, a huge antique flea market, sourcing everything– Indian paintings, French chandeliers , Moroccan lanterns and furniture which I restored. Rugs, cushions, and blankets I purchased from a local shop on my street, of course bartering which is key in Marrakech and which I enjoyed.
Latest update Photo provided by Maison 71
Since Spring 2018 my friends have visited Maison 71 and I celebrated my birthday there. They all love it as much as I do.
I focused on finding a home, a project to work for, a focus and that became Maison 71. Passion and persistence is what really matters. Dreams are achievable with hard work and focus. I made my dream my reality in my early 40’s. I found and bought my haven in a foreign land. My dream holiday home.–Caroline
Last June, Caroline invited me to stay in her riad as a writing retreat. It was truly an honor and blessing. More on that in the next post…
I’m thankful for modern-day Pen Pals. Women who share their journeys, transform houses into homes, create beautiful spaces for the soul to breathe.
Maison 71 is in the heart of the Marrakech Medina and occasionally allows guests to rent the full house for retreats or long weekends. If interested, reference this post and make inquires here: admin@maison71marrakech.com
Whispers within as lanterns flicker, casting silhouettes on white canvas. Stars without, winking from an ebony sky at the palm grove beneath. All is silent but green leather leaves rustling in a restless breeze.
Since I was a child, Hollywood has fueled my love affair with tents. Though Tarzan never slept in one, the adventurous women on African safaris did. So did leading ladies in my favorite romantic movies–Beyond Borders, The English Patient, Lawrence of Arabia. At Manzil La Tortue my adult fantasy of nomadic nesting made chic by sheiks was finally fulfilled. Merging my love for camping and country (Dad’s only idea of vacation involved a campfire, and our grandparents took us every Sunday to visit relatives on farms), my stay at this rural retreat was heaven. As Paula (see video below) said after welcoming me with mint tea, “This is our own little piece of paradise.” I’m so grateful they shared it with me.
I had booked a Sunday pool and lunch day with friends the weekend before. My fish was delicious, the molten chocolate cake amazing, and the pool was perfect.
I couldn’t wait to return for a weekend stay when I’d wander and photograph the property. When I arrived last Saturday with my friend, Jasna, who photographed me for this post, Paula walked us past the herb gardens. Outside our tent we could smell the orange and lime trees, but the breeze also carried mint, thyme, lavender, rosemary, and scented geranium which reminded me of home.
As we passed the hen house I thought of my cousin, Sonjia, who showed my sister, Penny, and me how to gather eggs. I remembered my cousin, Brock, who showed prize rabbits as we passed the thatched area where bunnies were munching on breakfast.
We passed through a gate to a private area where our tent awaited. I hadn’t looked online to see if because I wanted to be surprised. My mind flashed back to last fall when my friend, Monica, and I rode camels to a campsite in the Sahara Desert. I had expected a white canopy cloud blowing in the instead. Instead our guide disappeared to fetch dinner so we stumbled by the light of my phone into a pitch-black tarp where we slept on 2- inch burlap mattresses tossed on the sand.
As I walked inside, I was stunned. By contrast, Manzil La Tortue provided so much more than I expected… glamping at its finest.
Tour the deluxe Koutoubia tent in the video below– an immense 61 square meters/656 square feet. Waking up to morning light illuminating the colorful canopy was as delightful as falling asleep to the wind’s breath causing the canvas to rise and fall.
The rest of the weekend I felt like a kid again in my own secret garden.
As a Southern girl who values beauty breaks in bucolic settings and family, I love that this peaceful place is owned and run by a team of great people: Fouad Housni and his wife Meriame, manager of two companies, Unitours Moroc and Morocco My Way, providing excursions for guests; Fouad’s mother, Paula; and two adorable girls, Lina and Salma. I enjoyed hearing Paula’s romantic story (video below) of passing through Casablanca in 1970 headed to Canada but never making it. She moved to Marrakesh with Fouad in 1981.
Breakfast is included, and half board and full board is also available for lunch and dinner. As a mom who grilled nightly on my deck in Tennessee and a girl whose dad grilled on every camping trip in Kentucky, I was excited to try their specialty, Planchas, plates of food grilled by guests at the table. Not quite sure what to do with so many olive oils and spices, I was assisted by Brahim, the waiter, then Chef Abdelhaq, who showed me how it is properly done. From Abdessamad, pool tech and security, to Naima who served breakfast, the staff made us feel welcome.
Seafood Plancha
Beef fillet with mashed potatoes, apples, and apricots
Moroccan chicken tagine with prunes
Gazpacho with home grown tomoatos
Marrakesh is a frenetic place–a speedway of honking taxis and zooming motorbikes. Malls and even grocery stores blare “disco” music, and at my last pool in the Palms, the speakers that hung over every lounge chair vibrated from a DJ who made relaxation impossible. Sometimes we need wide, open spaces…especially when the road ends here. Fouad can assist with transportation.
Manzil La Tortue, thankfully, is a No Noise Zone. All I heard were brilliant blue birds singing; fat, white doves cooing; and hens clucking. Whether your “tent thing” is Gatsby, Game of Thrones, or a childhood version in the backyard, here you can play.
Lina and Salma watching a child’s program on a tablet
For the Manzil La Tortue picture gallery, go here.
Thank you, Manzil La Tortue, for a wonderful experience!
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