After driving all day across some incredible desert landscapes and checking out a 300-year-old kasbah (fortified mud house), we arrived at our hotel, which has a balcony with a great view of the red citadel of Ait-Ben-Haddou.

Hollywood loves the citadel, that hill behind me. It appeared (with massive CGI upgrades) as the city of Yunkai in "Game of Thrones" and without enhancement in a couple dozen movies, including "Kundun," "Gladiator," "Alexander," "Kingdom of Heaven" and most importantly, "The Mummy."

Photos, videos, TV and movies usually show the other side — this is the backside.

This fortified village sat on the the medieval caravan route between the Sahara and Marrakech.

WiFi is slow, but there are outlets here and food, tea and coffee service from the hotel's restaurant. Plus the view. Overall, a great place to work.

Get our free email newsletter! (It takes 3 seconds to subscribe!)