David and I arrived after a two-hour flight into Marrakesh. While the city has an attractive modern airport (about 12 years old), flights from discount airlines such as Ryan must walk down the stairs and into the hall. It took probably 45 minutes to go through immigration, no time to wait for our bags since we only did hand-carry, and then we entered another line to scan our bags. That said, the attention to the scan machine was very limited. It took probably 45 minutes to the riad, so all told we were probably settled in two hours after we landed.
Mohamad, from the tour agency, greeted us at the airport, and we were soon off to the Riad. Jon had booked Dar Beit Zellij https://www.vrbo.com/3262694 Omar, who looks after the riad, met us along the main road and escorted us the few blocks through the Medina to the riad. It’s a comfortable 3 story riad with four bedrooms. It was a bit dusty which did not help my allergies.
Cats are appreciated in Marrakesh as they keep the city free of rats, and are found roaming throughout the medina. Rebecca named a particularly loud and vocal cat Roofie as he paid us a visit to our roof top deck after Rebecca enticed him with pate’!
Though apartment rentals often lack consistent maintenance and daily cleaning, staying in a riad within Marrakesh's medina is recommended for an authentic experience.
Here we were greeted by the call to prayers from the mosque across the alley four times each day, including at 5:30 am! We arrived at the start of Ramadan so apparently everyone was adjusting to their fasting schedule. They would eat before 5:30 am and were anxious to be at home by 6:30 pm for the sunset and dinner. Rebecca would say people were getting “hangry” late in the afternoon. Unfortunately, she witnessed one fiery exchange probably led by the frustration of no food or smoke late on one of her afternoon shopping expeditions.
Morocco practices a moderate form of Sunni Islam, primarily adhering to the Maliki school of jurisprudence and the Ash'ari school of theology. This approach emphasizes Sufi traditions, tolerance, and stability. While we noted many religious people, we were told several times that the people of Morocco are moderate and accepting.
We visited a couple of the major hotels for dinner and they are outstandingly beautiful with large gardens, perfect decoration and style. But they are hotels, are outrageously expensive, and not the true Morocco.
Actually, we found everything expensive. It is true, if you have a hearty stomach, you can eat reasonably priced street food but given my digestive system we visited proper local restaurants. Mixed drinks were about 13 to 15 USD, and wine was pricy. The restaurants at the two hotels ran about 200+ USD per person if not more.
Walking around the medina is an exercise in dodge ball. They allow scooters to drive down the narrow allies through numerous twists and turns, so it is always necessary to be vigilant. Plus you have a few horses, donkeys pulling carts, plus many people walking aimlessly about. Then of course there is so much to see with all the stalls stocking everything from kitchen wear to clothes to raw meat hanging unrefrigerated. It is a sensory overload.
The first night David and I were on our own and we went to Dar Yacout https://daryacout.com for dinner (recommended). It’s a very traditional riad style design, very high end. They had musicians playing and swinging their heads which causes their tassels to swirl around and around. It was a set menu with too much food. Most meals began with several small plates of Moroccan salads which we very much enjoyed. We found all the food tasty if not particularly memorable. There are limited spices used, lots of lamb and couscous and vegetables. Again, very nice but during our several meals we found ourselves saying we enjoyed the food, but we weren’t raving.
Rebecca and Jon arrived from their flight via Atlanta earlier than we expected the following morning so had to bang on the door to wake us up to unbolt the door at 7 am. It was great to see them, and they snacked with us on the breakfast platter of breads and Moroccan pancakes Omar had brought that morning, and we began catching up on each other’s lives.
After their long nap we meandered through the medina to lunch at Café des Espices https://cafedesepices.ma (recommended). It is best that you book all meals in advance, many of which you can do on-line. We didn’t have a reservation but they quickly found us a table on the ground floor where we enjoyed Moroccan sandwiches and salads. (The restaurant is multistory with the roof top being the prime location for watching over the medina).
Rebecca and Jon were aiming for a little shopping, so David and I went wandering to Carrefours for a few groceries. The grocery store was modern, and we found all the items we would normally find in Europe. Again, the prices were like what we found find in Barcelona.
That night we went to Le Trou Aumur https://letrouaumur.com for dinner (recommended, probably our favorite Moroccan dinner). We climbed several stories up to the roof top. It was a bit cool that night, even with the heaters placed near-by. This was a more moderately priced restaurant with pleasant food.
Thursday, we relaxed in the morning before going to Nomad https://nomadmarrakech.com (recommended) for lunch. It opens at noon and fortunately we had booked because there were many people waiting to enter as they opened their doors. Again, we climbed several floors to the roof and today we could watch the hive of activity below in the medina. The food here was more standard hearty Moroccan food versus the lighter lunch location from the previous day (they are apparently owned by the same people and are a stone’s throw from each other).
Our guide met us at 1 pm and we wondered through the medina to a traditional garb shop where Rebecca found a dress and Jon a shirt/ jacket. We also visited a traditional medicine shop where we found some teas and other must have remedies. The salesman was a character and it was a colorful demonstration if nothing else. We also went into the Palace that is used for the king’s guests- Dar el Bacha Museum https://darbacha.com. It is beautiful, though only a few rooms are open. We particularly loved the tile work and ceilings. They have the famous Bacha coffee shop based here so a few more items were purchased. Here it wasn’t too busy so it was peaceful enjoying the space. We then went to Medersa Ben Youssef https://www.medersabenyoussef.ma, which is a 16th century Koranic school. Here it was busy and not peaceful. Apparently most of the teaching was done in the mosque so this complex was the dormitory. We walked through various dorm rooms, and saw how the beds would have been laid out with multiple boys crammed into some tight spaces. We then continued through the medina visiting a couple of furniture/ art shops with Rebecca & Jon finding the perfect antique door for their living room at the second shop. We were running late so we quickly walked through Jemaa El Fnaa Square, the main open square of the medina with snake charmers, fortune tellers and more. Yes, it was just as loco as you would expect!
That night was had diner at +61 https://plus61.com, in the “new” city (highly recommended). It has an Australian owner and the food reflects the Australian influence. Simply decorated but a bit cool & chic. The food wasn’t particularly Moroccan, but it was good!
The next day we drove out to the Atlas Mountains. It probably took about an hour to arrive into the mountains. We made a photo stop, and we stopped at a Women’s Cooperative (David bought honey). The highlight was stopping at a Beber family’s home where the old lady demonstrated how she makes tea over a wood fire stove. The home is very basic with the cows living under the house so that the warmth rises into the house. It seems the walls are made of dried mud. Rebecca had her hand painted with henna, though it didn’t last as long as we expected. We really enjoyed the personal experience.
Later we arrived at a stop where we went hiking. It was much more vertical than we expected but we persevered up to the waterfall area created by the melting snow. Very pretty. There even was a hotel up there that must use donkeys to carry up all their necessities. But at least everywhere here has electricity. (Note, we had a separate guide to make the trek. He was more like a goat in his ability to move rapidly up, but I wondered why they driver/ guide didn’t also guide us up to mountain.)
Afterwards we felt we deserved a nice long lunch so we ate at Richard Branson’s Hotel, the Kasbah Tamadot
Here we sat outside overlooking the mountains and a quiet river. It was a pleasant afternoon, with the bottle of a lunchy, minerally white wine helping us really get into the Zen of the experience.
On the way back we stopped at a larger Carrefours and later had dinner on the roof terrace consisting of cheeses, cold cuts and baked potatoes. Unfortunately, due to Ramadan the wine shop closed early. However, it was nice to stay “home” tonight.
At 5:50 am we were picked up at our standard pick-up spot by Oasis Balloons https://www.oasis-balloon.com and driven about 45 minutes in the dark to the balloon camp base. First, we received tea and were easily persuaded to buy the photo/ video package before getting back into the vans and driven to the empty field where they had set up the balloons. It was a smooth lift off and the wind was mild so we didn’t drift too far but rather gently rose and floated through the sky as the sun rose. It was a very relaxing and peaceful hour. Even Jon, not a fan of heights, enjoyed his time aloft. After they brought us down we were driven back to the base camp for a basic Moroccan breakfast of breads, pancakes and sweets (very average).
We returned to the riad so that Rebecca and Jon could go on a shopping expedition. They were very successful and ordered a rug, the second item on their target list. They were gone for almost 6 hours and apparently Jon only became a bit grumpy toward the very end, which a street chicken shawarma wrap seemed to cure.
David and I left earlier for Le Marocain Restaurant at the La Mamounia Hotel https://mamounia.com/en/the-restaurants/le-marocain.html (NOT recommended), We had an nice artisanal drink and listened to the jazz band in this stunningly decorated hotel. While it says it has existed since 1923 (and Churchill must have visited as they have the Churchill Bar), it was clearly rebuilt and they did a beautiful job inside and throughout the gardens. Rebecca and Jon arrived in time for the dinner. The dinner itself was very average, the service was average and the price was exorbitant for the experience. After dinner we enjoyed another drink on the terrace overlooking the gardens. (So do (expensive) drinks here but skip the food).
Sunday we went through the Le Jardin Majorelle gardens that had been restored by Yves Saint Laurant as well as the YSL museum https://www.museeyslmarrakech.com/en/
The gardens are very interesting with a lot of unique cacti and is definitely worth a visit. The museum isn’t large but it gives one a flavor of YSL, his history and design. We decided to have lunch at the café and then were picked up here to drive back to the medina to Hammam at Les Bains de Marrakech https://lesbainsdemarrakech.com. We each had a scrub at this historical, yet modernized and clean hammam. This was good and unusual. I wasn’t too pleased with the massage during the second hour, but I guess this is a first world problem.
That night we went to the other key hotel in the central city, the Le Grand Table Marocaine at Royal Mansour https://www.royalmansour.com/en/marrakech/dining/la-grande-table-marocaine/ for dinner. This too is a magnificent hotel. More sophisticated and exclusive than the hotel the prior night. Again, we had a nice drink and listened to a great duo in the beautiful lounge before going into the stunning restaurant for a traditional meal. The food was quite good but like the other restaurants there were no surprises and nothing that stood out as outstanding (except perhaps the price!) We did the multi-course meal and there was way too much food. This is listed in the World’s Top 50. If you want the experience then do it, but it is pricey and you might find other more local, less glamorous experiences you would prefer.
On Monday we were picked up at 11 am and driven out to the Agafay Desert to The White Camel https://thewhitecamel.com.
Here they have built an impressive large campus with individual tent-like rooms with views over the desert and onto the white snow-covered mountains. We really enjoyed our experience here.
After lunch at the hotel (we did full board) we did a buggy ride (David drove our buggy, and Jon & Rebecca took turns in their buggy) led by a guy on a quad bike. To say we got dirty is an understatement. David says I usually tell him to slow down but in this case I encouraged him to go faster. It really was a fun and the hour flew by.
Later Rebecca and David had massages, Jon a scrub and I had a nap! Dinner was at the second of the 3 venues at the hotel.
The next day we relaxed and enjoyed the camp. After lunch the four of us had massages. At six o’clock we climbed onto camels and trekked up to the top of a near-by hill to watch the sunset. It’s a bumpy experience so the 35 minutes were enough for all of us.
On our last night we ate in the traditionally decorated tent with low tables. Both nights we enjoyed the fire eater and tonight we also had singers that danced and bounced and generally looked like they were having a good time.
Afterwards we spent time outside by the fire with our drinks, reminiscing about our week together, and planning our next Four Musketeer’s Adventure!