Marrakesh, October 2017

This year we decided to go somewhere completely different, and experience something new and exciting! I decided on Marrakesh as the prices were good for October time, whilst the temperate remained warm, and the flight time wasn't too long for somewhere as exotic as Morocco. As expected Marrakesh bombards the senses, leaving you feeling slightly overwhelmed with what you have just experienced. There were a lot of highlights of our trip, and we saw some awesome things, but there were some experiences that weren't as enjoyable although don't let that stop you from experiencing it yourself.

We stayed in a Riad (La Parenthese) in the centre of Marrakesh which was absolutely beautiful. It was inexpensive but felt like a little haven from the hustle and bustle of the streets outside. The temperature of us during our stay in October was unusually hot for the time of year and reached around 30 / 40 degrees so having a small plunge pool was a big plus for me, and we spent quite a lot of time here relaxing with a pot of mint tea. It also had a rooftop terrace for sunbathing if that's your kind of thing.

During our first afternoon there we somehow managed to get lost in the Souks (maze-like undercover streets filled with market stools) which was pretty intimidating as it's very unclear how to get out, and of course, as the sellers want you to buy things they direct you the wrong way and try to lead you to their shop which does take away the enjoyment of browsing somewhat. In fact, there were probably lots of things I would have enjoyed looking at but ended up not bothering as I didn't want to have to deal with the hard sell. Once we finally managed to get out we vowed to not venture back in again – lesson learnt! After that we visited the Ben Youssef Madrasa (see picture below) which did feature some beautiful tile work but was relatively small, and did seem to lack information about the actual site – I'd definitely recommend taking a guidebook with you so you know what you're looking at. During lunch, we had a lovely stop off at the Cafe Arabe which feels very exclusive, with its rooftop terrace and water sprays which felt like heaven in such warm weather.

During the second day in Marrakesh, I had booked us a day tour into the Atlas Mountains through Viator which was by far the best experience of our holiday. The tour guide was informative and interesting, and during the drive through the mountains, we stopped off to view four different valleys each of which was impressive in their own way, and it was really interesting to see the differences between the different Berber villages. 

The tour also included a hike up to a waterfall in the Ourika valley, during which we were able to see some Barbary Macaque monkeys in the wild. At lunchtime, we ate a traditional cooked meal at a Berber family home, whilst overlooking an amazing mountainous landscape. If that wasn't good enough, the food itself was absolutely incredible and by far the best tagine we ate during our whole trip!

One of the most impressive restaurants we ate dinner at was called the Dar Essalam which is a well priced set menu including entertainment, which was traditional Berber music and dancing and a separate belly dancing performance. The ambience of the restaurant was amazing and the room of the restaurant itself was beautiful, although the food wasn't the best – portions were so big it was actually off-putting and it wasn't the best-tasting meal we had, but it overall it was well worth the experience.

During the rest of our stay, we explored the rest of Marrakesh and managed to fit in a visit to the Majorelle Gardens, which to me were actually a little bit of a letdown, as they weren't anywhere near as grand as I imagined. They were very touristy and I'd probably recommend giving the 'secret gardens' a visit instead if you had the option between the two.

We strolled around the Jamaa El Fna which is the main square of Marrakesh both at night time and during the day to experience the two different sides to it. At night the square is full of live music and storytelling which is great to walk around, but during the day the square is very different, filled with snake charmers and even a few people with monkeys chained up for pictures. It's interesting to see the square in two different lights and again during the day, it can feel a little overwhelming as people are asking you for money and to pose for photos etc.

Last but not least we did a camel ride through the Palmery at sunset which was an amusing experience, to say the least – the area itself was very peaceful and green which was a nice way to wind down at the end of the holiday.

In all, Marrakesh is an experience you need to make for yourself as there are some beautiful things to see, but make sure you read up on the area first so you know what to expect otherwise it may take away from your opinion of the area. There are many different areas of Marrakesh so I believe people could go and experience a completely different holiday to someone else, for example, we only saw a small part of the New Town as we ate dinner there on the last night but it is a completely different vibe compared to the busy center of Marrakesh old town – The best way forward is to tailor your stay to the kind of holiday you like so you can get the best out of Morocco.