Adventures in Marrakech
For quite some time I had dreamed about roaming the streets of Marrakech, in my mind I imagined something very similar to what I saw in Sex and the City 2... Beautiful clothes, colors, mosaic's, and kind people. I assumed that I would have to barter, because as with most countries in Northern Africa everyone is trying to sell you something anywhere and everywhere you go. What I didn't expect was how aggressive the people of Marrakech actually were almost like a mosquito that just won't give up.
My best friend and I decided to take this trip together in August and usually when I travel I am and she insisted we get the "real Moroccan experience". This meant that we would be staying in a traditional Riad (small traditional Moroccan style hotels that were once large homes or palaces-equivalent or smaller than an average home in Beverly Hills) but I managed to convince her to split our time up between a Riad and The Four Seasons, Marrakech.
First, the flight! If you're flying from LAX the best route I found for the best deal was through Sky Team (Delta/KLM). I flew from LA to Amsterdam and met my best friend who was flying in from Dallas. If you have the budget to shop, I highly recommend you check out the duty free shopping (including their design stores) while you're there. We then flew together from Amsterdam to Casablanca (unimpressed) and then from Casablanca to Marrakech. So as you can imagine very exhausting! I was pleasantly surprised by the airport its actually very clean, organized and beautiful but despite all of that my nest friend still managed to lose her luggage! Best travel advice I can give anyone (which I also gave to her but she didn't listen) is pack all of your favorites, essentials and expensive items in your carry-on (i.e. toiletries, underwear (including bras), you swimsuit, any can't live without items!!) use your second bag for secondary items that you don't need everyday, and try to keep it mostly empty for any shopping you plan on doing! If you aren't a connoisseur of useless items like I am then stick with your single carry on bag :).
Where to stay... In Marrakech you have the option of staying in the "old city" which contains over 800 Riads to choose from or in the "New City" which is all of your 4 star and up resorts and is where I recommend staying (if you can afford it). The hotel (or hotels) we chose, for the first 3 nights we stayed at Riad Anayela (an SPG hotel), this Riad is one of maybe two SPG hotels in all of Marrakech. We chose to stay there because one, it was and SPG and two, it was a beautiful Riad for a great deal. For the second half we stayed at The Four Seasons, Marrakech which was like a dream!
The weather in August, it was hot... very very hot and dry! Make sure you take nasal spray if you have allergies and drink a lot of water and bring a lot of shirts and clothes you can change out of (this include underwear) because you will be sweating all over! I did read some blogs before I went about dressing modestly etc... but essentially if you are a female prepare to get a lot of attention. Though Marrakech is fairly safe, we did come across some very strange people which I will tell you all about!
How to tour... whatever you do if you are staying in a Riad DO NOT request a tour guide. The tour guides in Marrakech make commission off of every penny you spend so do yourself a favor and read up and tour on your own. If anyone offers to help you DO NOT go with them. Because I speak Arabic fluently I was able to pick up on it quickly and I realized our very nasty tour guide was stashing money in his pockets everywhere we went! Even the restaurant he took us to for lunch (yep!) he made commission!.
Riad Anayela... this place was interesting and we learned a lot in the short amount of time we were there. First, their chef is one of the best! Her food is definitely 5 stars but keep in mind that after your first night you will have to request dinner if you are planning to eat there again. The staff is extremely friendly and the hotel itself is beautiful. They provided us with trustworthy transportation and a cell phone that we could use to contact them at any time. The neighborhood isn't great (we found this out later) but its interesting walking through the dark streets and you go through this huge metal door and what seems like an underground tunnel turns into a beautifully lit up mini "castle". Almost all Riads have a small pool in the center, I've seen plenty on instagram with beautiful mosaic tiles, the one at Anayela was simple but beautiful! They also have a beautiful terrace at the top floor where you can have breakfast or small bites while smoking shisha!
Riad Anayela
Riad Anayela in the Old City in Marrakech
The food... by far the best I have ever had in all of my travels around the world. Morrocan food is fresh, flavorful and so yummy! One restaurant I highly recommend you don't miss out on is Al Fassia! It's unlike anything you've ever had and trust me we tried a lot of restaurants there and this one remained at the top of my list! You will need to reserve (you can ask your hotel to do this), make sure you order the leg of lamb with prunes and almonds and get the Morrocan salad to start. Moroccan salad isn't what you would imagine, it's more like a table full of small tapas and its absolutely delicious! There are plenty of other other places to check out but this on stood out the most!
Traditional Moroccan "salad" great for appetizer or mizing in with the main dish
Morrocan leg of lamb with almonds and prunes
The Souks... they are large open markets filled with people and things you probably won't see anywhere else in the world. Things like men with pet monkeys that aren't being treated well, they are abused and it's very sad. There are men playing flutes for snakes (yep it's real just like you saw in Aladdin) and if you merely look at them or take a picture they ask you to pay! so try not to stare or take pictures within close range. Don't make eye contact with anyone in the open area where all of this is happening unless they are a fellow tourist because they will either haggle you or follow you until you threaten to tell the police and ask they leave you alone!
Me with my bag of unnecessary trinkets
Wasn't joking...
Go to the large Souks don't go to any stores that are closed (anywhere with a door) don't go inside, you will thank me! I learned the hard way when I was asked to pay $500 for a mirror that was maybe worth $5-$10 USD. Obviously, I didn't buy it but we were chased by the man in the store while I was yelling at him telling him he was full of shit! Go to the open souks that are under tents and are completely open and when you barter don't start anywhere above 15$ for anything there! Marrakech was surprisingly expensive so make sure you protect what you have at all times! The shop owners/workers are extremely aggressive and in your face it's important for you to be aggressive and even mean. They will use the words "you have expensive taste" when you tell them something is expensive. Just keep in mind, if it seems expensive it's because it is and they're milking it! Don't spend more than 10-15$ on small souvenirs and no more than 50$ for large items (beautiful kaftans etc...). The one and only thing I would say is worth buying in Marrakesh is Argan oil and they have mini sizes that you can buy as gifts for friends! Just make sure its legit and not fake which is what most people do and they do a whole presentation on how theirs is "real" argan and 90% of the time its probably fake. Pure Argan oil is luxurious and expensive and one way to tell is by opening the bottle you're buying and smelling it. It should smell nutty some liken the smell to freshly popped popcorn. Also, another way to tell is by looking at the bottom of the bottle. You should see some ruminants at the bottom of the bottle that looks similar to soil or dirt, and pure oil will appear yellow in color. A lot of people selling argan will use clear bottles so you'll be able to point them out. If you would like more info on choosing the most pure argan oil during your trip this article is very helpful!
Argan seeds themselves are also known to have several health benefits one of which is to lower blood sugar levels. While I was in Marrakech and headed to the Atlas Mountains we came across a small store that had fresh Argan oil and she was also selling the seeds. I purchased two bags for diabetic family members but always consult your doctor before trying any herbal remedies!
Hiking the Atlas Mountains was by far the best experience I had in Marrakech along with staying at the Four Seasons. It was stunning! I did have difficulty with the altitude given that I am anemic but if you're anything like me and decide to go for it, go slow and take as many breaks as you can. Make sure you have a guide you can trust, our driver from the Riad was the nicest person we met there and he made sure we went up with someone we could trust and because we are Middle Eastern we did get special treatment ;-). We had lunch at an amazing garden restaurant called Ourika Garden Mountain Villa the food was out of this world and the scenery was even more amazing. They also have hotel accommodations there so if you have a long stay in Marrakech definitely try to book some time here!
Ourika Garden Mountain Villa
Fave Picture from the top of the Atlas Mountains
One nice fact about Morocco is that the King ordered each city be painted a unique color. In Marrakech for example, all the buildings are painted red and this is unique only to Marrakech. Another beautiful city in Morocco is called Chefchouen, their city was assigned blue so every building in that city is blue (ahhhhmazing).
Chefchaouen, Morrocco
We ran into a huge problem there unfortunately, like most Riads in Marrakech there is no lock to the doors meaning when you're in the room there is a small latch that keeps your door locked but if you leave the Riad you are left to trust that the staff will not steal your belongings. We built a good relationship with most of the staff so we trusted we would be okay and put a good amount of our money in the safe. We left for the day and came back in the evening to find that some of our money was stolen :(. If was extremely stressful and our last day at this hotel was spent at the police station because the hotel itelf wouldn't agree to to give us our money back unless we filed a police report. Even in speaking with them in Arabic, it took us at least 6 hours before we were able to leave and go to the Four Seasons.
Finally, The Four Seasons in Marrakech. By far one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at, we met an amazing employee there I believe he was a Junior Director. His name was Magdi, and luckily for me he was Egyptian! He was so polite and kind to us and he provided us with 5 star service. I was able to get a really great deal off of Kayak for our stay and it was worth every penny! The Four Seasons has multiple pools (one for adults only and one for families) it is the definition of luxury and amazing customer service. The staff is friendly, and always smiling. They are extremely kind and generous, my best friend accidentally pulled the magnifying mirror out of the wall (no joke) and they told us not to worry about anything and we weren't charged for any damages! Granted, I think it was pulled out of the wall by someone before us but they were so accommodating! The pool is definitely something you can't miss out on and if you are willing to splurge definitely checkout their spa/traditional Moroccan bath.
The Four Seasons, Marrakech Pool View
If I had to do this trip all over again, I would stay at the Four Seasons the entire time. I would say save yourself the headache and if you can afford to stay at the Four Seasons for the entire duration of the trip do it! It's worth it and their tour guides are not allowed to take commissions or take you to any of the shady places we were taken to. The hotel rooms are beautiful like all Four Seasons resorts, you know what to expect and you're never disappointed. If you want the Riad experience go for it, but they're definitely two very difference experiences. In the Riads keep your valuables with you at all times and don't use the safe in the room because the staff has the key (at least ours did) and so leaving your items in your hotel isn't ideal.
Overall, Marrakech was an interesting experience but the people are aggressive and it gets exhausting. If you are eager to go, then go! If you have other places on your bucket list that you are contemplating, I would say go there first :). Would I go to Marrakech again? I would say probably not, but if I did it would be for 2 things... the food and to stay at The Four Seasons, Marrakech.