Everything glitters in this breathtaking shop: antique Berber silver, amber jewelry, inlaid mother-of-pearl furniture, and ceramic bowls full of gleaming beads and stones. 3 Fhal Chidmi, Rue Mouassine, 212/(0) 24-442-2578. Photo by Nally Bellati. This appeared in the January/February 2013 issue.
It took four years to build this hotel at the base of the Atlas Mountains. French designer Jacques Garcia included black-and-white zellij tile work and other intricate Moorish details. Each of the hotel’s five guest riads (typical Moroccan houses) comes with a private garden and heated pool. At the spa, guests can choose from hydrotherapies and traditional remedies such as a facial mask that uses rhassoul clay from the mountains. The hotel’s stables house 16 Arabian purebreds, which visitors can meet on a stable tour when the steeds aren’t roaming the property. From $392. 212/(0) 52-445-9600. Photo courtesy of Hôtel Selman. This appeared in the January/February 2013 issue.
Some regents construct palaces; Morocco’s tourism-minded King Mohammed VI built this opulent hotel. It's a short walk outside the souks, not that many people get there by foot: the clientele here is the sort that opts for chauffeured vehicles, preferably very expensive ones. The 53 riads, serviced by butlers who travel using a network of hidden passageways, are paragons of privacy and exclusivity, and the cost reflects it. However, look presentable and you're welcome to pop by the public areas for mint tea or, if you’re feeling tony, a glass or two of fine Armagnac. (Take it up to the cigar bar, where you can play on hand-carved chessboards inlaid with mother-of-pearl.) You never know who might turn up. When I was there, I eavesdropped—no joke—on Hilary Clinton’s advance team making arrangements for her stay.
I sampled tagines from a half-dozen places in Marrakesh, including fancy restaurants, and the succulent chicken tagine at Bakshish, an unassuming and bohemian-flavored café in the souk, topped them all. It’s a nice spot to take a break from haggling with spice and leather vendors—and has wi-fi, too. On Rue des Banques.
Argan oil is celebrated for its skin-nourishing properties. It’s also hugely expensive when bought outside Morocco, so this cosmetic wonder is pretty much a no-brainer for any Marrakesh shopping list. Inside the medina, argan products are not hard to find, but it can be hard to know which merchants are selling the real, unadulterated deal. My first suggestion, then, would be either to enlist a guide or visit a dealer you know to be legitimately government-approved. Otherwise, if you’re deep in the souk, keep an eye out for Assaisse Ouzeka, which sells legit argan products made by a women’s cooperative in the coastal town of Essaouira. Look for a slightly messy setup by the door with women demonstrating the oil-extraction process. (It’s apparently still done by hand everywhere, which strikes me as amazing.) Inside the tidy, well-lit shop, you’ll find everything from hair and skin oils to lip balm and anti-wrinkle cream. The salesgirl who helped us was very sweet and—a true rarity in the go-go souks, one sometimes feels—not too pushy. I wish I could be more specific about where the shop is, but anyone who's been in the souks knows what a labyrinth they are!
Located right across the street from the popular Jardin Majorelle, 33 Rue Majorelle takes the Marrakesh souk experience, adds a gloss of Euro chic, and plops it into an air-conditioned, cement-floored boutique. It’s a bit upscale, but it's a better deal than museum and hotel gift shops—even, potentially, the souks, especially if you’re as timid a bargainer as I am. Studded babouche slippers, silver teapots, raffia ballet flats, colorful scarves, and a bunch of items made from recycled bags are just some of the many gift-worthy goods you’ll find. And if the offerings tend to appeal a bit more to women than men, I’d say that’s just a reflection of the Marrakesh shopping experience in general.
You’ll get much cheaper hammam services—which include traditional gommage, or scrub treatment, with Morocco’s famous savon noir—in the souks than you will at the Amanjena’s lovely spa. But there’s something to be said for the privacy afforded here, not to mention the oasis-like surroundings into which you can stroll afterwards to your heart's content. The rose-pink walls, gentle arches, enormous pool, and peaceful canals add up to quite a place to spend an afternoon in your new skin.
When I walked in, I was stunned to find modern decor reminiscent of a city more like LA, than Marrakech; modern decor so unlike that of a normal French restaurant yet that's what the establishment purported to be. Chairs reminded me of an Eames design, the tables could have been bought from IKEA and what's that written on the menu boards? Tapas choices! Morocco surprises the typical visitor in many ways, yet never was I as surprised during my three weeks in the country as I was on my last night during our farewell dinner for our tour group. Not only is Kechmara a fusion of Spanish, French and Arab cultures it is an excellent place for an American burger! Try the version that includes avocado slices and blue cheese. Just skip the frites and order a salad on the side instead. Kechmara has a patio and during warm weather, this is the best place to sit and enjoy the cobalt sky that Marrakech does so well. A sunny day on the patio level of any restaurant in the city is a good one but with Kechmara's wine list and comfortable chairs it's even better. At night, candlelight is the only accompaniment so be prepared for the ambiance. WiFi is free but you will need a password and dessert is excellent so save room!
We found Morocco to be beautiful, intriguing, and overwhelming. We would hit the square all day then go relax at our secluded riad about 30 km south of all the chaos. One thing we knew we absolutely had to do was learn how to cook with all the amazing ingredients for sale in the square. So, we hired a guide to take us through the spice markets and hand-pick some stuff to cook with. [I'm deliberately omitted the meat market experience.] Then she took us to her kitchen and taught us how to prepare some delicious tagine dishes. What an experience!
French-owned Club Med has two properties in Marrakech. One is very near the old medina mere moments from the souk and the other is in the palatial Palmeraie area farther from historic Marrakech. I am not usually an all-inclusive traveler. It's not my preferred style of travel. However, Club Med Palmeraie won me over first because of its location. After spending all day in the sensory overload that is historic Marrakech, with its bustling souk, medina and kasbahs; the walled compound that is Club Med so far away and sheltered by so many palm trees felt like an oasis in the desert. It is a calming place with no overly bright colors, no jarring music, no stall owners begging you to buy. Unless, you want these things! In true Club Med fashion there is trapeze, horseback riding, golf and dance parties should the traveler want them. Among many other things. At the buffet meals, one can even find excellent non-Moroccan food once sick of the local specialities (if that ever happens). I didn't yet I still was able to enjoy Club Med for the oasis that it is. With a trapeze lesson just for good measure!
Amazing experience just walking around the Marrakech Souks although the vendors can be pretty pushy - be prepared to haggle, haggle, haggle. http://www.peregrineadventures.com/blog/10/01/2012/5-tips-surviving-marrakech-souk
If ever you wanted to plan an exotic "Sex and the City" inspired vacation at a fraction of the price, the Equity Point Marrakesh Hostel would be the place to stay. This hostel is hidden within the labyrinth of streets that make up Marrakesh's Unesco World Heritage recognized medina. This area stood in for the United Arab Emirates in many of the movie's scenes. The hostel is near the famous Djemaa el Fna, the city's main square, and close to the store where Carrie left her passport and spices after running into Aidan in "Sex and the City 2." It isn't quite as opulent as the hotel the girls stayed at. There are no individual butlers, no bars and no fancy cars. But the Equity Point Marrakesh does have clean private en suite rooms, a pool, a roof terrace and lots of lounging areas. And it doesn't cost $22,000 a night.
Riad Linda is a British owned, beautiful riad, peacefully situated a few minutes walk from the lively souks and the famous Djemma el Fna Square. Guests can enjoy our lovely roof terrace, free breakfast, free wi - fi, hammam & rooms with air conditioning / heating. Great central location. English speaking staff. Airport transfers arranged as well as excursions to the Atlas Mountains and the shara desert.
Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent made Morocco his second home, and with his former digs there now open to the public you can get a pretty good idea just why. The Jardin Majorelle is as much a garden as a home, as the name suggests, with paths winding through tall shoots of bamboo and labeled displays of a mind-boggling different types of cactus. Saint Laurent’s remains are tucked away at the end of one walkway, in a simple urn. There’s a nice little museum devoted to Berber art. I love the gallery of framed drawings and photo collages that Saint Laurent created for his New Year’s greeting cards—which he sent out to friends for decades—and, just as much, the fact that you can buy them as postcards in the gift shop. Unlike many of the other historic sites in town, this one is conveniently open every day.
One of the finest hotels in Marrakech. A short 20 minute drive from the center of the city, but a million miles away! Zen is the buzzword at this perfect Moroccan resort!
Visiting the 19th-century Palais de la Bahia is one of the best ways to escape the hurly-burly of the Marrakesh souks; meandering through the tiled courtyards of Dar Si Moussa, the older of the 20-acre, cat-prowled compound's two buildings, I could practically feel my addled nerves unwinding. The rooms were ransacked long ago, making it easier to appreciate the beautifully painted wood doors and ceilings. The Palais de la Bahia has an emptied-out, contemplative vibe that I actually really liked. There are plenty of other places in Marrakesh to go treasure-hunting.
So, you're sitting halfway around the world on your computer thinking about booking a tour in Morocco and wondering whether that's a good idea. You should not hesitate to work with Younes and I Tour Morocco (ITM). From the simplicity of setting our itinerary to settling up the final bill, this tour company is exceptional to work with. ITM delivered prompt and clear communications, can-do problem solving, along with letting us screw up the schedule, all while keeping things running smoothly. We are very picky when it comes to connecting someone to our travel experience. With ITM, you can't miss. Kate and I tend to go it alone in our wanderings: out of two week in-country we spent three days with ITM. With so much to see on our itinerary, we could not have done it without our ITM guide, Hafid. We felt like family after a few short hours and grew to learn more about him and Morocco throughout our journey. Tour guiding is a tough job with sometimes impossible demands. Hafid proved time and again to have the resources to meet our needs. He is a gifted, passionate being and we always felt enriched and enlightened by his knowledge and heartfelt love of his homeland. He's also a great driver with a comfortable set of wheels. We would hire ITM again and recommend you do the same.
A royal-sponsored showcase of sorts for Morocco at its worldly, movie-friendly best, this longstanding annual event brings actors and directors from around the globe to Marrakesh. The festivities include screenings and public Q&A sessions; they kick off in early December, last a week or so, and take place mostly at the centrally located Palais des Congrès. Play your cards right and you may end up rubbing elbows with Martin Scorsese, Catherine Deneuve, Bollywood megastar Shahruh Khan, or one of the many other luminaries who have attended in the past. Or try one of the nightly open-air screenings at the medina’s bustling Place Jemaa el Fnaa, where medieval Morocco brushes up against the 21st century.
With so many high-end hotels and riads in Marrakesh now, all the fancy options start to blur into each other. But Selman, a 61-room hotel a short drive outside the medina, is distinctive for a few reasons. First is the rich yet tasteful design, courtesy of Jacques Garcia, channeling French and Moorish styles. Breathtaking as the rooms and public areas are, I found them less transporting to the eye than the sixteen Arabian stallions that are kept on property. (The owner raises horses.) Surely, no hotel in the world can boast a retinue quite like that. And lastly there’s the knockout spa, with treatments from celebrated French dietician and holistic doctor Henri Chenot. The 12,000-square-foot spa offers a pretty nifty high-tech take on cupping therapy and a comprehensive hydrotherapy program, which makes sense. With miles of desert just beyond, you’re likely to appreciate the magic of water even more.
Djemaa El Fna is one of Morocco's most famous spots, mostly for it's exciting night life and noisy food carts that come alive just after dark. Boiled snails in broth are a favorite among Moroccans in many cities, and although they may seem off putting at first, there is nothing more rewarding that fishing a good, fat snail out of it's shell with nothing but a toothpick and your wits to guide you. The trick with these little guys is to be patient and gentle with your toothpick, and if you have a weak stomach, don't look too hard. Choose wisely: there are many snail carts lining he outer rim of Fna's labyrinth of food carts, and each may seem more appetizing than the next. Your best bet is to follow your nose and let the vendors do the rest. Remember to drink the broth at the end, it is arguably the best part!
After a lot of research to find the perfect riad, I found P'tit Habibi. We loved the just off-the-beaten path location, chic 70s-ish style decor, gracious staff, and delectable homecooked meals. P'tit Habibi is an intimate little riad with just four rooms and a small rooftop pool and lounging area.
Initially skeptical of the costly renovation of La Mamounia I was delightfully surprised at the beautiful and elegant outcome. Truly an experience not to miss on a visit to Marrakech, an early evening drink at the Churchill Bar is a decadence to indulge in.
While in Marrakech, Morocco, I made sure to see this local treasure: the Koutoubia Mosque. Built in the 12th century, it is evidence of the Moorish and Islamic influence the suffused Morocco and still does. The modern city bustles around it and yet there is still an ancient presence surrounding it. Listen for the different dialects and watch for the myriad cultures that make this ancient city what it is today.
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