And THEN there was Marrakech!
Day One:
Upon leaving Madrid, we were able to catch a direct flight to Marrakech, one of the 4 Imperial Cities of Morocco. Although only about 2 hours, by air, from Madrid, the two cities and countries..i.e Spain and Morocco..are worlds apart.
Common thought is that no trip to Morocco is complete without tackling Marrakech, the city at the heart of Moroccan tourism. Located at the foot of the Atlas mountains with a wealth of intriguing sites and museums, a bustling medina (old city within walls), great roads and a chaotic mixture of new and old…from hotels to restaurants to shops, Marrakech charms, overwhelms and leaves its visitors wanting to linger a little longer.
As our driver approached our riad (a traditional Moroccan house located within the walls of the medina–old city), I wondered whether I had made a major mistake in the selection of our property. Though I had done intense research, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as the driver pulled up to a rather desolate alley.
I glanced at my fellow travelers….all my clients…and wondered whether their bewildered looks would turn to anger if the hotel turned out to be a “dump”! We wanted an authentic “Moroccan” experience but I wondered whether “too authentic” would prove to be my undoing.
As the group leader, I asked the driver whether we were in the right place. “Bien sur”, he responded, “we will accompany you down to your hotel”. We rather timidly left the security of our luxury van and walked down the alley way only to discover a phenomenal inn on the other side of the wall.
“La Maison Arabe”, our hotel home away from home was just a delight. Billed as a luxury riad and famous for its restaurant, cooking school and hammam (traditional Moroccan sauna and spa), La Maison Arabe is a place which makes you want to return, again and again.
Upon our arrival, we were ushered into an atrium where we lounged on plush chairs and were served Moroccan morojitos…a mixture of mint leaves, lime and pineapple juices, mint syrup and ice. Our host quickly registered us and one by one took us to our rooms.
As we walked through the maze of stairs, we marveled at our unique surroundings thinking that the hotel is a delightful mixture of colors, furniture and layout. We later learned that the hotel is actually a series of old homes within the medina which were architected into 1 property.
As a result, each room is totally different…some built on multiple levels and as we peeked into each other’s rooms, we were amazed at how many different styles were available. For sure, we all “loved” our rooms and this hotel.
Day Two:
Breakfast— Okay…not to dwell on food or the hotel’s features but when I walked down to the breakfast area, my breath was taken away. Set next to a pool-side oasis was an assortment of dried and sliced fruit, Moroccan meats, homemade crepes, pastries, freshly squeezed fruit juices, nuts…all waiting for us to dive in, AND SO WE DID to our stomach’s content. As much as we enjoyed the food, we also enjoyed the ambiance of eating poolside among the lush foliage.
After breakfast, our guide, Karim, met us at the hotel and took us sightseeing in Marrakech. The 12th century Koutoubia Mosque with it’s minaret (tall tower) is one of the city’s highlights. Like in Washington, DC with the capital building, Marrakech city ordinances forbid the building of anything taller than the height of a palm tree which enables the minaret to be visable from anywhere within the city.
Other places visited were the El-Bahia Palace (key feature was the Grand Vizier’s harem—multiple apartments which were decorated based on the status of the various wives), the Saadian Tombs (one hundred mosaic-decorated tombs) and the Jemaa el Fna–Marrakech’s most celebrated square and the heart of the city. About this square….
We visited the Jemaa el Fna at dusk and stayed until it was totally dark. Jemaa means “congregational mosque” in Arabic and congregate is exactly what people did there. This square, during the day, is just a regular square with people meandering here and there and lots of orange juice stalls. As the day progresses, the entertainment changes and by night it’s transformed to a hustling, bustling, overcrowded, somewhat scary place with food vendors, snake charmers, hustlers and tourists.
The square has on one side the Marrakech souk (a traditional North African market which has a gazillion stalls and vendors selling practically everything). On 2 other sides, there are hotels, gardens, cafe terraces and streets which lead to the alleys of the medina. Fortunately for us, our guide led us to a cafe terrace which enabled us to view the square from above rather than being crushed within the crowds.
Whew! We finally left the square and made our way to a local restaurant for dinner. Though the name escapes me, the food was delicious. Most hilarious was the delivery of a “salad” ordered by one of us. 17 little dishes in all, little bits of things that didn’t look familiar, not at all our notion of a salad but delicious.
Day Three:
Off to the Souk, shopping locally, strolling through parks and taking a horse drawn carriage through the Gardens of Majorelle and the Gardens of Menara, visiting a Berber herbal pharmacist….all of this was really interesting and touristic but the highlight of the day was a Moroccan cooking class at the off-site property of La Maison Arabe. Located about 20 minutes away from the hotel, the cooking school was a complete surprise.
Our first bit of time was spent watching a local woman baking bread in a vast wood-fired outdoor oven and sharing home-brewed herb tea.
After our bread and tea experience, we entered the cooking kitchen and spent the next 4 hours learning to use a tagine, making tomato roses, baking Moroccan cookies and being entertained by the school’s delightful chefs. As much as we enjoyed the food and sights in Morocco, on this day, we were totally taken with the kindness, enthusiasm and knowledge of the school’s staff. Each of us, regardless of our culinary skills, felt that we were budding Martha Stewart’s on that day. Under their guidance we managed to produce a meal which we were pretty proud of.
Day Four:
Today we ventured out of Marrakech to the High Atlas Mountains and Kasbah du Toubkal (a phenomenal Berber summer palace/restaurant built high on a mountain…more about this later).
En route, we traveled through hairpin bends keeping us on the edge of our seats and stopped at a Berber village to see how Argan oil is processed.
All was well until we reached the Imlil village and were told that we would have to hike up the mountain to the Kasbah. We looked up and in the distance…..the far distance…saw a building perched at the top of what seemed to be an unhikeable mountain. YIKES!!! Then, they told us that we could ride up….on a mule…a smelly, wet mule! So..being my normal, finicky self, I decided to walk up ….UNTIL…I was soooooo winded that I decided that the mule looked and smelled MUCH better. I imagined that I could burn my clothes after returning home and up on the mule I went…not too happy but, whatever!
The trek up was well worth it as after enjoying a sumptuous meal at the Kasbah, we were privy to stunning views from the mountaintop. A note about the Kasbah: In addition to serving traditional Berber food (couscous, tagine-cooked meats with dried fruit, chickpeas), it is also available for hotel stays. With its hilltop location, guests who are into hiking and skiing find this to be a great place to stay.
As much as I enjoyed the Kasbah experience and the convenience of the mule ride, for sure, I decided to walk back down. No amount of discussion could lure me back on what proved to be a helpful, but jostling, frightening ride atop a smelly beast..(smile) As I looked at others on mules, I thought that perhaps my main issue was because of my lack of experience with this form of transportation. In looking at the locals below, you can see just how comfortable they are traveling in this manner….even with being able to navigate their cellphones during the ride!
So now, after 4 days in Marrakech, our short journey was at its end. Though we technically stayed there for 5 days, we transferred over to Casablanca for our final night to enable us to have a better flight connection back to the US. (Great hotel in Casablanca…the Sofitel…but the city is, from my perspective, not worth visiting on its own. “Rick’s Cafe Americain” is there (remember the movie Casablanca?) and as a transit place, it’s ok but I wouldn’t stay there longer than an evening….fyi)
Would I go back to Marrakech? In a heartbeat! Would I stay again at La Maison Arabe? Absolutely! Do I want to expand to another location in Morocco? Yep…perhaps to Fes as it’s even more traditional than Marrakech or out to the Sahara desert (Merzouga) to stay in a tent under the stars. For sure, this trip just whetted my appetite and I look forward to my next visit to this magical country.