Being greeted by the sun in Marrakech was a much welcomed change from the insipid weather offered to me in England during February. This was a break I needed.
Why should you go to Marrakech
Only a 3-hour flight away from the UK, it’s perfect if you don’t have much time but still want a complete cultural switch. Marrakech is a superb place to go if you’re looking to wow your senses. It’s hard to believe such a big and energetic city exists on the edge of the Sahara Desert, complete with pink palaces and rose-coloured walls framed by the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.
Where to stay in Marrakech
Stay in a Moroccan riad in the Medina (Old Town) for a true Moroccan experience. Riads are traditional Moroccan houses that offer good prices and hospitable service. In contrast is the new part of town which has more generic chain hotels and shops. It’s ok if all you want to do is sunbathe by a pool, but then why go to Marrakech?
We had a great experience staying at Dar al Sultan which is a beautiful riad in the old part of the city so you’re a close walk to the souks and other places of interest. It’s super romantic, every last detail has been attended to, both in terms of hospitality and presentation of all the rooms. However, we did splurge a bit staying here, so you can compare prices with other hotels in Marrakech.
Go during Marrakech Biennale
We planned our trip to coincide with the Marrakech Biennale, a festival dedicated to contemporary Visual Art, Literature and Film.
We could either pay for individual days, or for the entire 5 days which enabled access to performances, debates, talks and screenings. Since we only wanted to attend a select amount of performances we decided to pay per day.
We got the chance to attend talks by the highly acclaimed author, Ben Okri discussing his favourite poem; the hugely charismatic and hilarious journalist Jane Bussman, who pointed out the bullshit of mass Media; and listened to comedian Ruby Wax take on the stigma of Schizophrenia.
The Souks and shopping!
Be warned, when you’re walking around the souks, it’s so easy to part with your money because EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL. Seriously, I was like a magpie eyeing up everything that glitters.
Note that when it comes to paying for things, bartering is customary but ensure you keep it friendly and fair on both sides.
Things I didn’t like about Marrakech
The overwhelming thing about Marrakech is that nothing is for free, everyone wants your money. So if someone approaches you and offers to show you parts of the city, politely decline. I know this sounds really cynical but money will be expected in return and I say this from experience. On quite a few occasions people tried to scam and trick me so you could say this is a case of once bitten twice shy. This disappointed me a lot because I enjoyed Marrakech but this aspect did tarnish my experience of the country, and I wouldn’t feel honest if I didn’t mention this.
Day trip to the Atlas Mountains
Another thing to watch out for, if you’re heading to the Atlas Mountains in a taxi like we did, do not get out of the taxi if you’re prompted to go inside a shop. They usually try and do that on the sly and then you have the uncomfortable scenario of trying to explain why you don’t need another ceramic plate. You should tell the driver that you do not want to buy anything, but by all means stop to enjoy the scenery on the way.
The road to the Atlas Mountains offer glorious, mountainous scenery.
The Atlas Mountains are beautiful, and provide the binary of the red city against white topped-mountains; the array of colours do not end there so head to the main square for exotic spice stalls, dried fruits, elaborate dress and dyed leather goods.
The intoxicating main square of Jemaa El-Fna at night.
In retrospect I would have spent a night on the mountains as opposed to doing a day-trip, so if you have the time you should definitely look into that option.
Dress code advice
Marrakech really is a ‘go with the flow’ kind of place but like any Muslim country you should dress accordingly. I thought I’d packed appropriate clothing, but ended up feeling conscious that my dresses still weren’t long enough. As a result, I wore the same jeans and T-shirt I wore for the airport pretty much throughout the whole of my time in Marrakech! So ladies… learn from my mistake and wear something loose and modest!
