Morocco Part 3
““In Morocco never be surprised. If you see a donkey flying just say “Allah is capable of anything.” ”
Game of Thrones and Marrakesh
We set out for our final leg of our guided tour across Morocco to Marrakesh. This was one of my favorite travel days. It could have been because I actually wasn’t holding back the urge to throw up, or it could have been that we went through some absolutely beautiful scenery. Whatever the case, we made our first stop on way to a Kasbah aka Moroccan fortress castle in the middle of an oasis.
Side note: Did you guys know that oasis’ (oasi?) are real things? I mean, I did, but I didn’t really understand it until I came to Morocco and saw the sea of desert rock with a lush, green patch of land in the middle of it. Any ways, that’s what this was. We were surrounded by the High Atlas Mountains and lots of gravel/rocks and then there was this green, paradise area with palm trees and greenery and a large castle in the middle of it.
Skoura Kasbah
View of Skoura Kasbah where you can see the desert and oasis
The area we were in is called Skoura and it’s a little town that is famous for it’s Kasbah. This castle fortress was made of mud, clay and straw and it is an incredible architectural feat. Somehow, even though it was blazing hot outside, inside the kasbah walls it was cool. Our guide told us that the art of making mud houses had been perfected to the point where the kasbah could be kept cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The secret to this is by making the entrances low, the ceilings high, having thick walls, using local materials and making sure those materials are compressed tightly. Genius!
Side note 2: The kasbah we visited is where they have shot the movies Hanna, and the BBC versions of The Nativity and The Bible.
Delicious fruit plate with Ait ben Haddou in the backdrop
Yunkai from Game of Thrones aka Ait Ben Haddou
Then it was on to lunch in the city of Ait Ben Haddou. This was one of my favorite lunches of the trip. First, it was my favorite because I could actually eat again. Second the food was fresh and delicious. And third because we got to eat on a terrace overlooking the fabulous ancient city of Ait Ben Haddou. This city was built in 757 AD and is built into the southern slopes of a mountain side. It has a large gate that surrounds the entire city and lots of kasbah and dwellings within it. It has been used for several movies including Gladiator, the Mummy and as the city of Yunkai in Game of Thrones. Really cool!
Because I get carsick pretty easily and therefore cannot watch anything on my iPad, and because our guide Mohammed wanted to practice his DJ skills, I basically have sat and looked out the window of a car of the past three days with little to no 21st century entertainment. It’s been great. It’s been great to just have time to think and enjoy the scenery of this beautiful country.
Aragon Oil with Rose Petal Extract.
We stopped and finally got our rose-petal infused Aragon oil! Some of my friends in the US had recommended a placed called Aragane Tihka Huile D’Argane. It was a little place on the side of the road on our way to Marrakesh. My friend Liz told me “Don’t say one word. Let me do all the negotiating.” I am classically not the best bargainer so I was happy to let Liz do the talking. In the end, we were able to get some Aragon oil of good quality. We both bought 500 mL bottles for $60 each (bargaining down from $120).
We were grateful to arrive in Marrakesh in the late afternoon. We said goodbye to Mohammed and checked into our Riad Al Assala. It is not quite as beautiful and ornate as our riad in Fes (see blog post Morocco Part 1) , but still beautiful with it’s white pillars, ivy overhangs and large wooden and brass doors.
Riad Al Assala
After several days of either not eating anything or eating Moroccan food (which basically consists of 4 things: Tajine, Pastilla, Kabab, or Cous Cous) we went a delicious French fusion restaurant in the “new town of Marrakech” called Grand Cafe de la Poste. We finally ate an entire meal; which consisted of French Brie with potatoes, shrimp on rice pilaf, Caesar salad and spaghetti and meatballs. It tasted delicious and it was nice to have a little variety.
Entrance to Cafe De La Poste
Food at Cafe de La Poste: Potatoes with Brie, Cesar Salad and Shrimp with Rice Pilaf. Bon Appetite!
Marrakesh is really different than anywhere else we’ve traveled in that it seems that the women do not follow a strict dress code. Women seem to dress much more conservatively in both Fes and in all the little towns on our journey and we have in kind tried to follow the dress code by wear long skirts, shirts with sleeves and nothing too form-fitting.
Our first full day in Marrakesh was basically spent in one, magical place. We treated ourselves to a spa day at La Mamounia.
No amount of photos can really do this place and it’s beauty justice. (but I can try…)
Entrance to La Mamounia
This spa was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Period. The highlight was NOT getting a massage with Aragon oil although that was great and my hair has never felt softer since I got a scalp massage with it too. Nope. The highlight of the spa was the setting. First, when you walked into the spa the fragrance of orange blossom, cedar and jasmine waifs through via candles made exclusively for La Mamounia. Then you walk down the stairs lined with lighted lanterns. The dressing room in the spa has floors and counter-tops of marble. While you wait for your massage you sit in a dimly lit room with a pool and at least 15 huge red and white lanterns. The hallways are beautiful archways and mosaic tiles covers the walls.
Waiting area at La Mamounia Spa
After our massages we went to the most beautiful swimming pool I have ever been to. There are gilded columns and grand arches that surround the elaborately tiled pool, and there’s even an elevated swim-up day-bed for posing on. You guys, I’m not even describing it that well because I’m not that talented but you should definitely google it. I swam the heck out of that pool and jumped off the swim-up day bed. Sorry not sorry.
Pool at La Mamounia spa
Had the whole pool to ourselves
Part of our spa package (around $120 pp) included “lunch” at one of the restaurants. “Lunch” was a 3 course meal at an Italian restaurant overlooking the lush gardens of the resort. Seriously, I felt like a princess, dined like a king and it wasn’t even that expensive! Gotta love that dollar-to-dirham ratio!
Can I please take home this china from La Mamounia?
Delicious Lunch of fresh spaghetti with Moroccan Mint Tea Lemonade
By the time we finished our massages, swimming, eating, and exploring the hotel it was 6pm! Where had the day gone?! Oh, right. Well I did not feel like the day was wasted AT ALL! (Note all the CAPs and exclamation points in this post).
Wandering the grounds of La Mamounia
Fresh fruit and flowers growing everywhere you look
Amazing water fountain with the Tree of Life in Mosaics
In the evening, we went to check out the Souks (open air markets) which were a an assault to the senses. People were constantly coming up to us trying to get us to buy things or “eat here”. There were the smells of food cooking, spices, and sewer. We walked by spice stands, olive stands, fig stands, stands where you can lanterns, stands where you can buy knock-off Chanel purses. Seems like you could find almost anything in the Souks.
The Souks
For day 2 in Marrakesh, we set out to see as much of the city as we could, so we hired a guide again. Hiring a guide in Marrakesh is a good way to go if you don’t have a lot of time to explore. Many of the touristy places we wanted to see typically have long lines to get in but with a guide you can skip the lines.
Our guide, who again was named Mohammed, was an elderly gentleman who took us around. He was very nice but at the end of the day tried the same ploy that our other guide in Fez did where he took us to some overpriced shops that were “the best in Marrakesh”. From our research on the World Wide Web, it seems like this is common, even when you hire guides from hotels. Apparently, they have their own specific vendors who then give them 10-15% of what is sold to you. This time, however, we were wiser and didn’t buy anything. Mohammed was disappointed but cheered slightly when we gave him a good tip.
We literally saw so many beautiful things that I’m just going to list them and show pictures
So that in case any of you ever go to Marrakesh – these are some places to go because they all feature stunning architecture/mosaics/tiles/woodwork and amazing photo opportunities
Le Jardin Majorelle – aka the Blue House aka Yves St. Laurent’s house
The lush gardens juxtaposed with the cacti at Le Jardin Marjoelle is just stunning!
Bahia Palace: Attention to detail, much?
It’s fun to twirl around the multicolored hallways.
Bahia Palace – where the King of Morocco used to live and keep all his harem/concubines. Wouldn’t want to join the Harem but I do love twirling around these palace courtyards!
Kasbah – an area of markets that used to be where the Military captain of Morocco lived and where we grabbed some lunch at the Kasbah Cafe
The most beautiful kebabs in the whole wide room at the Kasbah Cafe.
Saadian Tombs – where the kings of Morocco are buried
Mind-blowing amounts of detail at the Saadian Tombs
Madison de La photography – featuring photography of Morocco in a beautiful old home
Ben Youseff Madrasa – where students come from all over Morocco to study the Quo-ran
Not a bad view when studying the Koran
The Souk (open air markets) (again)
Spice up your life!
Some things I learned today. Marrakesh is known as the Red City and the only color the buildings here can be are shades of red/pinkish. With the exception of the Yvesa St. Laurent house because the guy, Mousier Majorelle was a famous French painter who used a lot of indigo blue in his work.
Also a “Medina” means “everything that’s inside the walls of a city.” For Marrakesh, there is a wall that encloses the old part of the city and so everything inside that wall including our riad and most of the places we visited, are in the Medina.
Moroccan Toothbrush (for real!)
Other things I’ve learned on this trip. Some important phrases to know in Morocco are “Shuckaran” which means “Thank you” and “Inshallah” which means “If the Lord wills it”.
I love the phrase ‘Inshallah’ because it’s used pretty much for everything but also can be used to get out of things. For example today when one of the vendors asked if I would buy something tomorrow, I said “Inshallah”. Then that vendor literally CANNOT get mad at me if I don’t buy anything because obviously it wasn’t the Lord’s will. Boom.
‘Inshallah’ I will find a lantern at the Souks
We ended our night at the Country Club Beldi. Sounds super fancy and it totally is, but their restaurant is definitely affordable. Beldi is located about 5 miles outside the main city of Marrekesh and has this glass greenhouse where you can get cocktails. The greenhouse is lush with lanterns and hanging candles for lighting. It feels like walking into a dream world. We enjoyed sipping cocktails in the glass greenhouse and watched a beautiful wedding reception happening just outside.
Country Club Beldi
Botanical Garden of the Beldi
I will never get over how beautiful some of the places we’ve been are. Morocco takes attention to details to a whole new level when it comes to architecture and ornate intricacies.
Entrance to Royal Mansour
Something devious in me wants to jump on that couch and mess all those perfectly placed pillows up.
For our final day in Morocco we went to the Royal Mansour Marrakech which is another 5 star hotel in the heart of Marrakesh where you can spend the entire day just exploring the grounds. It was commissioned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco with no set budget and no spared expense. The result is an exquisite masterpiece of a hotel which somehow feels serene and peaceful even though it’s in the heart of the bustling Medina of Marrakesh. Large cedarwood doors with brass knobs greet you at the entrance. The inner riad features fountains, lounge chairs and orb-shaped light fixtures.
We walked into the spa which is one of the coolest architectural feats I’ve ever seen. The entrance is a giant circle with high ceilings and it is completely white with intricately carved metal filigree spanning the entirety of the entrance. Small alcoves with white filigree peak out where customers can lounge in on comfortable day beds while they wait. In the center of the entrance is a large fountain full of white rose petals.
Spa at Royal Mansour
We ended up eating lunch at La Jardin on the patio surrounded by cooing doves and the sounds of the city in the distance. We split one of the most delicious cheeseburgers I’ve ever had in my life (it was $25 so it better have been!) They brought us these beautiful little tarts with real gold shavings on them for dessert. For free! And they were delicious.
Chocolate tart with 24 karat gold flake on top
It was such a lovely way to end our time in Marrakesh. This city has so much more to offer but we felt like we had a good combination of sight-seeing and affordable luxury and relaxation.
I hope these posts have helped you to consider Morocco as a great option for an adventure. Flights from NYC are direct and are 7 hours – so what are you waiting for?
