A birthday weekend in Marrakech
For Ivan's birthday this year I decided to surprise him with a trip away. I think he expected Cornwall so when I said we were flying off to Morocco the next day he seemed a bit shocked! This did make me a little bit nervous, I didn't really know what to expect from the city and with the added pressure of a birthday I was really glad that I booked in a few key things before we arrived.
A TOUR OF THE MEDINA
We only had two days to take in the amazing sites and sounds of the city so we jumped right in. On our first morning, we met our guide Nour and took a half day walking tour of the medina (city centre). We would highly recommend booking this tour before arriving, it saved the pressure of any haggling or negotiations before our brain was in Marrakech mode, and after overhearing a few other passing tours I'm really sure we had one of the best.
With Nour leading the way, we wound our way through the labyrinth of colourful alleys to visit some of the most notable sites. As we walked, we learnt of the city's amazing history: the cultural, political and religious influences that have shaped Marrakech today. We visited Ben Youssef Madrasa - the beautifully ornate Islamic school - and the Djemma el Fna main square, bustling with its snake charmers and musicians. We were lured inside a Morrocan rug store and, despite making it explicitly clear that there was no way the rugs were going to fit inside our Ryanair hand luggage, we were given an elaborate show of the most intricate rugs accompanied by our first mint tea. Luckily they did seem to believe we weren't buying so we left far more knowledgable but with our bank balance somehow untouched.
We stopped to see Tangia cooking in the embers of a hamman oven and were treated to traditional music. It was moments like these that really captured the essence of Marrakech, a city so unlike anywhere else we've visited.
The tour was most vital for navigating the bustling souks - with a guide by our side we didn't have to worry about getting lost in the seemingly impossible maze of alleyways and we didn't find ourselves in as many negotiations with the sellers. The souks are a bustling sensory explosion and knowing we were in safe hands made it much more enjoyable.
NOMAD
After our tour Nour pointed us in the direction of Nomad, a restaurants in the heart of the medina. It's a nice place for lunch with a rooftop overlooking the main square. We enjoyed a salad and mezze plate and sipped more mint tea enjoying a break from the bustle below.
LE JARDIN SECRET
While not the most famous gardens in Marrakech (more of those later) the secret gardens are a peaceful retreat in the middle of the medina. Beautifully restored over the past few years, its a grand riad garden filled with exotic plants and brightly tiled walkways. It's a nice place to pause for a little while - you can watch a video of its restoration, photograph the colourful tiles or enjoy another tea break in their garden cafe.
PHOTOGRAPHY MUSEUM OF MARRAKECH
Another of our top Marrakech sites is the photography museum, which houses a beautiful collection of vintage photographs capturing Marrakech from as early as 1870. They reveal a really interesting history and a glimpse of the changing city over the last century. It's a lovely way to spend an hour or two, before heading upstairs to their roof terrace to enjoy (more) mint tea and look out over the medina towards the nearby Atlas mountains.
Don't be put off if people tell you the museum is closed as you make your way there, it's not! In fact, you might hear statements like this a lot as you walk through Marrakech to local attractions - we were told this is an attempt by stall holders to guide you elsewhere but just look up times in advance and trust your instincts!
DAY TWO: Jardin Majorelle
After a lazy morning at our hotel enjoying the novelty of sun in March we headed to the Jardin Majorelle. We queued for about 5 minutes to get in and although like with many attractions around the world you wish you could visit it alone, it is an incredibly striking place to see. We wandered through the garden in awe of its vivid colours, the foliage and flowers highlighted against the bold yellow, orange and electric blue of the buildings. Even the fish seemed carefully planned additions to the garden. Yves Saint Laurent bought, restored and gifted the garden to the city and you can visit a small museum of his work while there.
We walked back into the medina this time with (the surprisingly accurate) google maps as our trusty guide. We stumbled across Souk Des Teinturiers, the district of colourful dyers. We let ourselves be led into the alleyways draped in colourful wools and be shown the most beautiful tables of dyes. It was fascinating to see these craftsmen at work.
A MARRAKECH FOOD TOUR
If you want a true Morrocan food experience we would highly recommend the Marrakech Food Tour, it was such a nice way to spend our final evening. In a small group we were guided to some out of the way stalls and backstreet restaurants to taste an array of amazing foods. We tried lamb - a whole head roasted slowly in the embers of an underground fire, snails - cooked in a salty broth, delicious sandwiches stuffed with minced sardines and a traditional cous cous and tagine. There were also plenty of sweet dishes - hot sticky doughnuts bought from a street vendor, and an array of cookies served with a fruity milky smoothie for dessert. We left stuffed and happy - pleased to have tried some really genuine and delicious dishes while exploring the medina at night.
WHERE TO STAY
We stayed in a hotel outside the city centre (about a 10 minute taxi from the medina). It's not the traditional riad experience but we really liked relaxing in the quiet grounds away from the buzz. Les Deux Tours is set in beautiful gardens with large traditional Moroccan styled rooms and a brilliant pool. The staff were so lovely and made a beautiful cake as a birthday surprise! We also had a delicious meal in the hotel's restaurant and enjoyed cocktails in their bar at night (most restaurants we tried in the heart of the medina were alcohol free).
EAT
Nomad - central restaurant in Marrakech medina with a great rooftop view.
Marrakech Food Tours - we took the street food walking tour. Packed with great food and led by lovely people.
L'ibzar - we had delicious tagine here and tasty pastry starters.
TOURS
Hidden Sites Tour - we took a half day tour of the medina. Our guide was so knowledgable. We wouldn't have had enjoyed walking the medina and souks half as much without him.
