We will have no choice but to go back and back and back... To Marrakech
Marrakesh has a tricky entrance (chaos, haggling, souk-crazed bikes) and if we stick to the top layer, we might not understand where is the fascination and magic that about which so many speak and write.
If we follow the right clues, we will find that Marrakech that we have been looking for, the one that smells of orange blossoms and dates, that of symmetrical architecture, kaftans, gardens and riads with a soundtrack of water and songs. And when we find it we will have no choice but to go back and back and back.
A museum designed to learn about the history and preparation of dishes and ingredients of Moroccan cuisine
These are some ideas for those who already know a basic Marrakech. They are for those who have already been to the Jardin Majorelle and the Madraza, for those who have already drunk orange juice in the square and who have dined in Le Foundouk Y The Cafe des Epices , for those who have spent half an hour buying ceramics and argan cream and who have taken many photos of the souk's heaps of spices.
VISIT RECENT MUSEUMS (OR ALMOST)
The last to open has been Musée de l'Art Culinaire Marocain . It is in a beautiful 17th century building next to the Bahia Palace. The museum allows Learn about the history and preparation of dishes and ingredients of Moroccan cuisine such as pastilles, tagines and couscous, in which Jewish, Berber, European and Mediterranean influences are present. Anyone who has time can take cooking classes. It is simple and interesting, like the whole area in which it is.
The Museum of the Femme is another recent museum. It is in the Medina and goes unnoticed, like so many places in that labyrinth of streets. It is small and important because giving women a voice in a Muslim country and doing it in the most visited area of the city is.
Another relatively recent museum is the Yves Saint Laurent Museum . In fact, it is one of the hits in the city in which there are daily queues, which should not deter you because they are fast. It is better not to reveal the content to someone who has not visited it to protect the surprise effect. Yes you can reveal that you have a delicious coffee and a shop from which it is impossible to leave empty handed.
SLEEP IN A CONTEMPORARY HOTEL
We have already stayed in riads, in hotels in the Hivernage and in some of the Palmeral. Now let's do it in the first contemporary hotel in the Medina, La Brillante . This rarity just opened this February and offers the best of both worlds: the charm and influence of the riad, in which life is inside and takes place around the patio, and the comforts of a hotel today.
La Brillante (pronounced French) has a taste of Miami, with its three long palm trees and white walls; its four rooms and two suites overlook a swimming pool; also has a restaurant and a terrace where you can watch the sunsets. Here there is no usual reception and there is a team of people eager to please.
It belongs to a collection called Une histoire particulière which hopes to open more hotels in the Medina throughout the year. It is very close to the Musée de l'Art Culinaire and the Bahia Palace, in an area full of shops and small restaurants that give a contemporary veneer to the more traditional area. And this allows us to link to the next point.
THE NEW MEDINA
Who goes to Marrakech spends time in the Medina, sometimes a long time. That person knows that, among that unfathomable tangle of alleys and stalls, there is a series of shops and restaurants that respond to new projects and that alter (for the better) the urban landscape. Like all, they require a map and willingness to find them.
Here is the great 'concept-store' of the city
The best known store today is Max&Jan , the great concept-store of the city. In this huge store, located in what was the house of a mayor, there are clothes, crafts and accessories from local designers and a terrace restaurant very photogenic and visited.
In the Medina there are more and more shops with this spirit: local creatives who review traditional culture. We found places like Laly , with informal Moroccan garments or chibi chic , where we can buy cosmetics, household items and jewelry.
To eat and drink (little alcohol, many juices and teas) the options are many and unique. Le Jardin is a beautiful café-restaurant that everyone knows; invites you to a stop, a tea and a salad among plants and stylish people. Another popular place is La Famille, an open-air restaurant with vegetarian food and great cakes, where you should make a reservation.
The last to arrive is L'Mida , who has in the kitchen chef Narjisse Benkabbou, a fact that confirms how timidly Moroccan women are leading business projects. It is a two-storey space with a terrace decorated in green designed to calmly enjoy the sunsets, which in this city are lysergic.
This cafe invites you to stop, have tea and a salad among plants and stylish people
Another newcomer to the Medina is Les Jardins du Lotus : this restaurant serves organic food in the courtyard of a 19th century riad . It is popular at brunch . no need to go without get lost in the interiors or spend a few minutes praising the pool.
KNOW NEW HOTELS
Marrakech is perfect for hotel addicts: the hotel level in Marrakech is very high and everything here is focused on the enjoyment of the senses. The city is experiencing a sweet moment reminiscent of the one that, in the 70s, brought Yves Saint Laurent here, his entourage and other worldly characters. The city, in recent years, has become even more sophisticated (it is also more expensive) and welcomes travelers who are not satisfied with just any place to sleep. There is always something new to taste.
December 1 opened The Oberoi . The Indian brand arrives in the country with an ambitious project. A track: the central courtyard is a replica of the one in the Madraza and it has taken two years to build it. Of its 84 rooms, 76 are private villas.
It is worth approaching (it is 20 minutes by taxi from the Koutubia) to have a drink at the pool bar, during the day, and inside, with a colonial aftertaste, at night. It has a channel 200 meters long and a spa with an Ayurvedic approach built in the middle of a pond and surrounded by orchids. These excesses are only found here.
Wellness treatments at the Palais Aziza&Spa
VENTURE TO THE PALMERAL
El Palmeral is another place to go when you already know Marrakech. It is also reached in a short taxi ride and allows get to know another side of the city, calmer and just as suggestive. Among the 100,000 palm trees of the enclosure we find the Palais Aziza&Spa.
There we can make a wellness treatment, A must on any visit to the city. If we have traveled to Marrakech several times, we already know what a traditional hammam is; now we can indulge in a massage. In the spa of this newly renovated place, They make them with the British brand Ila whose aromas and textures are quite unforgettable. Soon they will organize beauty retreats.
Their private villas are also new. They have been decorated by Willem Smith , known among lovers of decoration for being the interior designer (and director) of the riad El Fenn. The villas are as theatrical as is expected of him.
MAKE HAPPY FEW LIFE
Marrakech is the right place to access the life of those few who live in a parallel galaxy (and more pleasant than the rest). In the Royal Mansour we can do it easily. we just have to sit in the restaurant located on the edge of the pool and feel like the protagonists of a movie about love, luxury and, perhaps, spies. There you are and you eat very well.
If we dare we can rent one of the pavilions that give access to the pool...
if we dare we can rent one of the pavilions that give access to the pool. The rate includes a swimming pool, the enjoyment of the space and a meal: also the illusion of living two steps above the ground. As a gift to yourself or someone else, it is unbeatable. This palatial hotel also offers the possibility visit the private residence of perfumer Serge Lutens . Peeking into the lives of others (and what others) is a privilege.
STROLL THROUGH GUELIZ
More democratic is to walk around Gueliz. Locals and expats frequent this french colonial quarter ; neophyte travelers miss out. At most, on a first trip, you eat in the Post Grand Cafe. We have already done that many times. Gueliz is more than this beautiful colonial cafe. The one that is already a popular place in the area has just opened: The Kilim . This cafe restaurant is unmistakably Moroccan and, at the same time, very modern. You should not leave without trying the hummus.
It is worth wandering around this area, with its art deco buildings and its mestizo air. It is dotted with interesting places, such as the Gallery 127: This place is not at street level, but on the second floor of a building on Mohammed VI avenue and is the only one in North Africa dedicated to photography.
Another space dedicated to art in the neighborhood is Comptoir des Mines. Located in a 1932 building exhibits African art and is also a residence for artists. Just going up its staircase, looking at its lamps and stepping on its terrazzo floor is worth a visit.
VISIT THE MAMOUNIA BEFORE CLOSING
Don't panic: this hotel-national monument doesn't close forever. It will do so from May 25 to September 1 to renew its gastronomy, who will now be in charge of Jean-Georges Vongerichten and make reforms. Those who already know Marrakech should always go to pay their respects to the great lady. Goodbye Mamounia, hello Mamounia.
**Goodbye Marrakech, hello Marrakech. **
Visit La Mamounia before it closes (temporarily)