THE MARVELS OF MYSTERIOUS MOROCCO
As gifts in our 40’s, Tony & I have preferred to do experiences rather than material gifts & for my 2022 Christmas gift he surprised me with a trip to Marrakesh Morocco!
With 2023 being ridiculously busy, our first chance for him to book was August.
So, after finishing
work for the summer on the last Saturday in July, we set off early the next
Sunday morning for our Moroccan adventure.
After a trouble
free flight & only 3 hours from the UK, the heat hit us more than I’ve ever
known getting off a plane before, probably because we’ve had such a rubbish
summer in the UK so far! Marrakesh is extremely hot at this time of year &
has been in the 50’s during our stay.
We were greeted by the most friendly & helpful staff who continued to bend over
backwards for us for our whole stay, such lovely, friendly, humble and helpful people.
Once settling into
our room we had a lovely meal by the pool before settling in ready for the next
day.
We did go to bed
slightly puzzled though as we seemed to be the only guests in the hotel which
unnerved us a little to say the least!!!!
We later found out
that July is ‘out of season’ for Morocco as they have just had a huge holiday
for Ramadan and, apparently British & European visitors usually choose
Spring or Autumn to visit which is understandable due to the intense Summer
heat.
Day 2
We woke up to
glorious sunshine & unbelievable heat!!!!!
We went for
breakfast by the beautiful hotel pool ready to begin our first day &
luckily met the hotel owner Sophia who was beyond helpful, giving us tips on
where we should go and booking us in for various trips & excursions. I had
a good plan of what we wanted to do & see in Morocco but she helped us plan
it all smoothly. I can’t praise her enough, she was superb.
After a leisurely breakfast we went into the centre to experience the main Medinas – Jemaa el Fna. Our hotel organised cars for us everywhere and the efficiency was superb!!!
I had been a little
worried as, on reading various reviews on Marrakesh before we came, many people
said they stayed in the Riad’s near the centre rather than a hotel which are
all situated around 20 mins away from the centre to get more of a feel for the
place. This may have been good for us in our 20’s but….. I am so so glad we
were in a beautiful hotel, especially after experiencing the Medina & The
Souks!!!!!!!
Jemaa el Fna is an
experience to say the least and you must visit here if you’re in Marrakesh!
It’s certainly an eye opener and you really do need your wits about you! It is
however a fascinating place with snake charmers (they want money the minute you
stand and watch), spice sellers (the spice displays are wonderful to see), food
sellers and very pushy sales people!!!!
The Souks which are
situated within the Medina are simply astonishing to see! Marrakesh natives
selling their wares, all displayed beautifully on the many hundreds of stalls.
I thanked my lucky stars I’d spent a lot of time in Egypt in my 20’s as I knew
how these salespeople work & you really do have to be careful. There’s also
a big problem with pickpockets in this area so you have to be very careful!!
This said, these salespeople, although very pushy, are just trying to make a
living and, compared to Egypt, their wares are beautiful and fascinating to
see. I did manage to haggle pretty well for a few souvenirs to bring home.
The Medina is an
extremely busy & heady place so we then found a lovely rooftop bar that I’d
seen recommended called La Salama where it’s happy hour all day! Alcohol is
expensive in Morocco but this place was very reasonable and they were very welcoming!
It was cool & calm compared to the astonishing heat, hustle & bustle in
the square.
After a break for
drinks we walked across the road (a life risking experience itself in
Marrakesh!!!!!) to the Argana Mosque which is, as all the Mosques in Morocco
are, a stunning place, following this we visited the beautiful Jardin Majorelle
before heading back to our hotel to get ready for the evening.
We were picked up at 8pm on the dot to go to the highly recommended Chez Ali show & dinner. This was a truly Moroccan experience with Moroccan dancing, a delicious meal of traditional Lamb Tagine and Moroccan style vegetables, camels and a Moroccan horse show to finish. The setting of the Chez Ali palace was palatial & beautiful with stunning Moroccan lanterns, rich colours, aromatic smells, beautifully embellished décor & traditional dancers & musicians.
The atmosphere was
electric & gave us a wonderful insight into Moroccan traditions for the
more wealthy & influential in this fascinating country. You really can see
how both the extremely rich & the extremely poor live within minutes of
each other.
Day 3
After breakfast we
spent a relaxing morning & lunchtime by the beautiful pool which we had to
ourselves the whole time which was absolute bliss.
Then, when in
Morocco… we just had to do a camel ride & desert trip which was fabulous.
Everyone says you have to see the medina both in the daytime & then again at night to get the full experience so we ventured back into the town in the evening. I’ve travelled extensively and this place greatly reminded me of Morocco but on another level. It’s quite a heady & manic place to be and you certainly need to be aware at all times & look out for pickpockets! The Souks on a night were crazy but we managed to get a few souvenirs to bring home.
We went back to the
rooftop bar for some drinks & nibbles before heading back to our hotel,
definitely feeling like we’d experienced Marrakesh as much as we could on a
short trip.
Day 4
On our last day, as we were heading for the airport after lunch, we just had breakfast then spent the morning relaxing by the pool which we had to ourselves again.
It was a fabulous
few days away & we were blessed with our hotel which gave us the
tranquillity & peace we needed amongst the hustle & bustle of this ‘heady’
country. If we do return to Morocco I’d like to visit Casablanca on the coast
rather than back to Marrakesh but it’s a place I’m certainly glad to have
visited.
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