This post is especially for my friend who is off to Marrakech in Morocco in just over a month. Myself and two friends also headed out there for a bit of a winter girly break in November/December 2010.
One of the main things I love about Marrakech is that they speak "en francais" which means I automatically got carried away with way too many "oui oui's" but I think the locals appreciated we had a go.
One of the main things I love about Marrakech is that they speak "en francais" which means I automatically got carried away with way too many "oui oui's" but I think the locals appreciated we had a go.
We stayed in a Riad called Villa Amira, which was adorned with beautiful mosaic and water features, a small outdoor pool, which we sat next to for their traditional Morroccan breakfast - hard boiled eggs, sweet bread, fruit, yoghurt, tea and freshly squeezed orange juice. The riad also boasted a pretty roof terrace, which will be great in warmer climates.
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| The Pool at Villa Amira |
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| The half eaten Morrocan breakfast! |
The weather around that time was about 20 degrees, we had one day which was a full on storm. It was mostly sunny throughout the week, but we just layered up. Top tip for female travellers is to always carry a scarf around too, being a primarily Muslim city you need to make sure that you are covered although Marrakech is very used to tourists. Its easy to get alot of hassle at the but it is manageable, half the fun is haggling in the souks, a firm no would stop any unwanted attention.
There is so much to see in the Djama el Fna market square and in the souks, I've often said when I (eventually) buy a house of my own I'll take a trip back a stock up on the bold coloured beads, lanterns in all different shapes & sizes, spices and peculiar rugs.
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| Spotting ANTM being filmed; The colourful beads in the souks; Djama El Fna Market Square; Classic Mint tea with sugar |
As the people in Marrakech don't really go out to drink, it was a very foody holiday. The two stand out restaurants for me were part of the same chain. Firstly we went to a Lebanese restaurant called Azar, which is a short taxi ride away from any hotel in the centre.
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| Azar - Image from the azar-marrakech.com |
We chose to order a selection of their mezze: Homemade houmous with pittas; stuffed vine leaves; falafel: traditional lebanese potatoes; stuffed vine leaves; marinated chicken and I'm very sure a couple more dishes that I can't remember! The food was definitely some of the best I've eaten! It's probably not the cheapest place in Marrakech, but it is really lovely. It has chic interior and live music upstairs in the restaurant, plus the camel lounge bar downstairs, with shish and a large cocktail menu means it makes for an interesting but relaxing night.
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| Mezze at Azar Restaurant |
Whilst in Marrakech we took time to visit the YSL garden in le jardin majorelle which was a short walk from our hotel/riad. The garden was bought in 1980 by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge after they discovered it on their first trip to Marrakech in 1966. The bold blue stood out for me as soon as we went in, it was incredibly peaceful and pretty, with an exhibition about the famous designer in the main building and the collection of posters of "Love and YSL" from 1970 onwards. Which for a mush like me was fantastic!
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| La Comptoir Tagine; YSL Blue Garden; Souks; YSL Love Exhibition |
To conclude this little trip to Morocco:
We Ate: Tagines, Olives, Houmous, Pastilla's
We Drank: Mount Gay Rum bought for the duty free on our way out to Marrakech in our hotel room, Wine, Mojito's
We Talked About: Everything & Anything probably, and how much it was snowing back home!
Selling Point: Lots to see, interesting traditions, gorgeous food, house decor
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