It's beautiful here : MARRAKECH
Fresh mint seller, Jemaa el-Fnaa.
Friends,
Next up in my favourite cities is Marrakech, Morocco. I love, love, LOVE this city. Arabic and French are the main languages spoken here, but you can get by with just English.
This book is a lifesaver and tiny enough to slip into your bag. This one is also one of my faves and filled with things to do and see.
This beautiful article by the team at Cereal Magazine sums up the mood of the city exquisitely.
Here’s my five things to get you excited about Marrakech.
1. Sleep
I’m a creature of habit so I tend to end up at Riad Dar One for every trip. Run by the loveliest Frenchman called Jean, it’s north of the Medina, just next to the Bahia Palace.
Great location, small and intimate hotel with the most incredible roof terrace. I meditate on the roof and take my breakfasts up there to the sound of birdsong.
Jean treats every guest as if they are family so I highly recommend staying here.
Rooftop view at Riad Dar One.
Sunset from the Riad.
Three others options I’ve tried and loved:
Jnane Tamsna : located outside of the Medina, in the Palmeraie. *note - you’ll need to taxi in & out to the centre.
La Mamounia : has the best spa I’ve ever visited.
2. Eat
The view over the Medina.
Best place (imho) for dinner and my all time fave is NOMAD. You can lunch here too, but the sunsets are spectacular and shouldn’t be missed.
*note: they do not serve alcohol here.
The food is D-I-V-I-N-E (order the tagine) but save room for dessert - I’ve never tasted ice cream this good in my life and if you know me, you will know that I’m actually moving to Italy just for the gelato.
Ice Cream:
Amlou – almond, argan oil and honey
Hibiscus flower, vanilla and mint
Olive oil and orange zest
Sweet pumpkin and saffron
Vanilla
Smooth spiced chocolateSorbet
Berber Tea – sage, geranium, marjoram, wild mint and lemon
Rose, raspberry and black pepper
Moroccan mint tea pots.
For lunch, I cannot recommend La Famille, Marrakech enough. A small, intimate garden restaurant and concept store (reservation needed as it’s super popular!)
Garden table at La Famille.
Two other options:
3. Gardens
There are so many beautiful gardens to see outside Marrakech but the two I love are in the centre and definitely worth a visit. Marrakech is HOT AF no matter when you visit, so it’s lovely to have a wander in a beautiful garden and sip mint tea under a tree.
This is the garden designed and created by Yves St Laurent and his partner Philippe Berge. Yves loved Marrakech and bought a home here in 1966. He encouraged his friends to bring heeds and plants from all over the world so the collection is fascinating - beautiful exotic plants and trees with incredible colours, set amidst wonderful designs with cool tranquil pools - lots of cacti and palm trees.
The famous blue paint.
I recommend booking ahead and also allowing a few hours to wander around this beautiful space. There is a small YSL museum where you can buy the blue paint they are famous for as well as postcards and YSL designs.
Another Medina garden with a lovely cafè.
4. YSL Museum
Book ahead as the queues can be brutal.
5. Shop
Obviously the best place to buy carpets, Moroccan slippers, mint tea, spices, tagine ceramics, argan oil and other moroccan delights is in the Medina, but my fave shop is actually located outside - grab a taxi & remember to barter!
The most magical place - LRNCE.
Ceramics, textiles & clothing @ LRNCE.