Showing posts with label Marrakech City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marrakech City. Show all posts
Thursday 4 September 2014
Thursday 14 August 2014
20 great things to do in Marrakech
The ultimate checklist for things to do in Marrakech – follow our insider tips for stunning mosques, fascinating crafts and luxury living:
Sunday 20 July 2014
Insider’s Guide to Marrakech Morocco
For many travelers, the ancient, bustling city of Marrakech (Marrakesh) is the first stop on a journey through Morocco and a “must see” destination. Marrakesh is a metropolitan oasis pieced together with ancients souks combined with an endless array of shops, cafes, and museum. Even the scooters and motorcycles weaving past pedestrians and donkeys is a sight to behold. Unlike much of the rest of the country, tourism is nothing new in Morocco (or in Marrakech for that matter). For centuries, Moroccans, foreigners and traders from around the world have been coming here for business, pleasure and a taste of the exotic.
Like most cities in Morocco, Marrakech is divided into two parts: the ancient medina (“old city”) and the new city (“ville nouvelle” – often referred to as “Gueliz” after the name of one of the more popular neighborhoods). In the last few decades, the city has become a tourist hotspot and a top destination for many Europeans; many who have purchased vacation and retirement homes here. Even the famous designer Yves Saint-Laurent spent the latter half of his life in Marrakech. And, recently, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy purchased a home here. In Marrakech, expats wander alongside the locals through the medina streets of the famed “Red City.”
Saturday 7 June 2014
Sparkling kaftans hit the catwalk in Marrakech
Wearing dazzling traditional kaftans, models took to the Marrakech catwalk this week to showcase the latest local and international designs at the 18th edition of the most prestigious traditional fashion show in Morocco.
The two-hour long event was held this year under the theme of 'Splendours of Empires.'
Fourteen established fashion designers and two newcomers presented their creations at the show, taking their inspiration from the world's great empires.
Thursday 22 May 2014
The storyteller of Marrakech
Storytelling in Marrakech is a practice with ancient roots, thought to date back to the 11th Century. But has it been superseded by modern life?
The Cafe de France in Marrakech is something of an institution. It is the oldest and most famous of the slightly louche establishments that surround the main square, the Jemaa el Fna. Dating back to the days of the French protectorate, it sometimes feels as if its decor and staff haven't changed since then either.
Saturday 7 September 2013
Where To Stay In Marrakech
Anyone who’s been back to Marrakech after a several year absence would have difficulty recognizing the place. The winding alleyways of the medina are still there, with atmospheric riads hidden behind nondescript doors and stall after stall of silks, slippers, brass on sale. And in the center of it all, Jemaa el Fna, the main square inhabited by snake charmers, acrobats, sizzling kebab grills, boulevarding locals and mobs of tourists.
What’s changed, however, is the hotel scene; it’s a veritable explosion with more coming on line all the time: Rocco Forte’s Assoufid, a Baglioni, a Mandarin Oriental, a W, a Park Hyatt, the Jawhar from Monaco’s Societie des Bains de Mer are all set to open over the next year.
Marrakech, the hard way
It’s easy to fly to Morocco. Alternatively, one can get there by car, rail and sea
Children saluting beside flags
Saluting Gibraltar from the Upper Rock
There is an obvious way for those living in the UK to take a family holiday in Marrakech: drive to Gatwick, hop on an easyJet flight and a few hours later you will be drinking mint tea in the Red City. Alternatively, you could put your three children in the back of the car, catch an overnight ferry to Santander, drive across Spain, dump the car on a clifftop road overlooking the Mediterranean, transfer your stuff into rucksacks, catch a boat to Tangiers and then the night train to Marrakech. We did the latter.
Sunday 26 February 2012
Morocco's bright lights: Romance, riads and arresting exoticism in the Red City
The Red City yanks you from the 21st century immediately. So much so, it seems impossible that my day began in gloomy London. I stand paralysed, ink from the map clutched in my hand imprinted on my fingers and the bedlam of Marrakech ringing in my ears.
The Chic Of Marrakech
Its voluptuous exoticism and easy accessibility have always drawn a certain traveler to this Arab oasis. Now, thanks to an influx of new money and smart new places to stay, the rest of the world is checking in as well.
Frederick Vreeland, the former U.S. ambassador to Morocco and son of Diana, the legendaryVogue editor, has just flown in from Rome to host a lunch party at his Marrakech home, Orchard of the Shooting Star.
Sunday 19 February 2012
Marrakech Best Spa´s
When its time to put your feet up and relax after long days out-and-about and late night partying, head straight to one of Marrakech’s relaxing hammams and day spas for an indulgent spa treatment.
Oukameden Ski Resort
Given the soaring heat of Marrakech, its incredible that within only one hour’s drive you can be in the dramatic snow capped peaks of the Atlas Mountains.
Tuesday 24 January 2012
New in Marrakech
Big things are happening in Marrakech. Or rather, small things, as aging Moorish mansions and palaces are being transformed into guesthouses, and chic hotels are springing up like oases in the desert
Although it's just steps from Marrakech's teeming souks, Riad Maji—one of the many new guesthouses deep within the ancient walled medina—is the epitome of tranquillity. Breakfast is served on the tented roof, an enchanting aerie with a view of the Atlas Mountains.
Although it's just steps from Marrakech's teeming souks, Riad Maji—one of the many new guesthouses deep within the ancient walled medina—is the epitome of tranquillity. Breakfast is served on the tented roof, an enchanting aerie with a view of the Atlas Mountains.
Tuesday 27 December 2011
20 great things to do in Marrakech
1. Circle the Koutoubia Mosque
The minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque, Marrakech’s most famous symbol – built in a traditional Almohad style and topped with four copper globes – is visible from near and far. It is not really that high (77 metres), but thanks to local topography and a local ordinance that forbids any other building in the Medina to be higher than a palm tree, it towers majestically over its surroundings. Still an active place of worship, non-Muslims may not enter. But it’s possible to get a good view of the exterior by walking around either side.
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Marrakech brings An Ode to Sahara 2
From
Marrakech, the 70-km climb to the Tiz n Tichka Pass in the High Atlas Mountains
is a clutch-grinding series of switchbacks offering fantastic views. The first
stop is a wind-blasted pass poised somewhere between the two worlds of the High
Atlas Mountains and the sub-Sahara. We head towards the Dades, Draa and Ziz
Valleys, blessed in this arid land with life-giving rivers. They are
indescribably beautiful, lined with palmeraies, ancient kasbahs (defensive
forts constructed of red baked clay) and towns that have changed little in
centuries. Historically, tribal feuding and banditry were a way of life for the
Berbers of the region, and as a result, hundreds of kasbahs were built
throughout these valleys.
Monday 12 December 2011
Marrakech Brings An Ode To Sahara
A journey
to and beyond the exotic town of Marrakech leads to a love affair with the
desert sun, ancient kasbahs, rippling sands and mouthwatering food.
IT'S LATE
AFTERNOON in the centre of exotic Marrakech, with its Andalusia-inspired
arches, ochre ramparts, souk marketplaces and distinctive skyline of mosques
set against the majestic snow-capped High Atlas Mountains. I find myself
thoroughly lost in the medina, where narrow passageways seethe with human
activity. Covered bazaars are crammed with spice stalls and workshops of every
kind, with artisans at work fashioning slippers, weaving rugs, dyeing textiles
and hammering metals.
Wednesday 7 December 2011
Marrakech Wallops The Senses Part 2
GRILLED MEATS GALORE
Once a popular hole-in-the-wall, (7) Plats Haj Boujema (65 Mohamed ElBeqal; 212-524/421-862; lunch for two MAD163) retains its cheap prices and populist spirit despite the (almost) spiffy new digs in Gucliz. Beauties with kohl-rimmed eyes tend to order panini and pizza, but you should opt for the smoky carnivorous offerings. Succulent minced lamb kofte precede perfect beef brochettes, then flash-charred lamb chops and, for the adventurous, skewers of plush liver or brains. No tasting, please, without the taktuka, a zesty, garlicky tomato-and-grccn-pcppcr relish.
ULTIMATE COUSCOUS
Few restaurants in town bother with the proper raking, swelling and multiple steamings of Morocco's signature semolina grains. (8) Dar Moha (81 Rue Dar el Bacha, Medina; 212-524/386-264; MAD1J00) bills itself as nouvelle marocaine, but its charismatic celebrity chef-owner MohaFedal happily takes an ancien approach to couscous. Start with a mosaic of Moroccan salads at your candlelit poolside table on the patio of French designer Pierre Balmain's former riad. Midway through the degustation menu, a duo of couscous dishes invites you to compare earthier Berber-style barley pellets with the more familiar durum wheat, here as light and fluffy as snowflakes. And near the end of your meal don't forget, the dessert pastilla, made with apples and saffron, dcliciously contrasts cream and crunch. »
Once a popular hole-in-the-wall, (7) Plats Haj Boujema (65 Mohamed ElBeqal; 212-524/421-862; lunch for two MAD163) retains its cheap prices and populist spirit despite the (almost) spiffy new digs in Gucliz. Beauties with kohl-rimmed eyes tend to order panini and pizza, but you should opt for the smoky carnivorous offerings. Succulent minced lamb kofte precede perfect beef brochettes, then flash-charred lamb chops and, for the adventurous, skewers of plush liver or brains. No tasting, please, without the taktuka, a zesty, garlicky tomato-and-grccn-pcppcr relish.
ULTIMATE COUSCOUS
Few restaurants in town bother with the proper raking, swelling and multiple steamings of Morocco's signature semolina grains. (8) Dar Moha (81 Rue Dar el Bacha, Medina; 212-524/386-264; MAD1J00) bills itself as nouvelle marocaine, but its charismatic celebrity chef-owner MohaFedal happily takes an ancien approach to couscous. Start with a mosaic of Moroccan salads at your candlelit poolside table on the patio of French designer Pierre Balmain's former riad. Midway through the degustation menu, a duo of couscous dishes invites you to compare earthier Berber-style barley pellets with the more familiar durum wheat, here as light and fluffy as snowflakes. And near the end of your meal don't forget, the dessert pastilla, made with apples and saffron, dcliciously contrasts cream and crunch. »
Sunday 4 December 2011
Marrakech wallops the senses
FEW PLACES ON THE PLANET OFFER SUCH A DIZZYING
MOST FRAGRANT COUSCOUS, THE ULTIMATE TAGINE AND
OTHER SPICY SECRETS OF MOROCCO'S CULINARY CAPITAL.
MARRAKECH WALLOPS THE SENSES.
A riot of colors (mosaic tiles; woven textiles), sounds (the drone
of drums from the central square. Jamaa El Fna), and, of course, tastes. Whether in the souks of
the walled Medina or the hourgeois district of Gueliz, there is no hettcr place to savor the
diversity of North African cuisine—lamb, couscous, eggplant all redolent of cumin, saffron and
the crimson pepper sauce harissa—than this ancient crossroads.
Saturday 5 November 2011
Mamounia Marrakech in 10 words
One of the world’s great old hotels, since opening in 1923 the Mamounia has been welcoming the rich and famous to Marrakech; Winston Churchill was one of the most celebrated guests to have frequented this hotel.
It was originally built in the 19th century as the palace of the crown prince of Morocco but under French rule the building was annexed for use as a hotel. Since independence the property passed into royal hands and is now owned by the king.
It was originally built in the 19th century as the palace of the crown prince of Morocco but under French rule the building was annexed for use as a hotel. Since independence the property passed into royal hands and is now owned by the king.
Monday 31 October 2011
Marrakech Books & Internet
Marrakech
Known as the "Red City" Marrakech is the capital of the south. The atmosphere is distinctly more African than that of the other Imperial cities, Fez, Rabat and Meknes. The setting of the city is stunning with ochre stucco buildings surrounded by the snow−peaked Atlas mountains. If you have the time, Marrakech is definitely worth a stay of several days.
The Jma−l−Fna is an unbelievable experience. It is a market scene straight out of the movies with snake charmers, musicians, dancing bears, acrobats and storytellers. Around the square there are numbered stalls that sell very cheap freshly−squeezed orange juice in the morning and afternoon. At night there are tables set up that you can eat at for a very reasonable price. Other sights include the impressive Koutoubia minaret and the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Saadian Dynasty tombs, the ruined 16th−century El Badi Palace the Dar Si.
Known as the "Red City" Marrakech is the capital of the south. The atmosphere is distinctly more African than that of the other Imperial cities, Fez, Rabat and Meknes. The setting of the city is stunning with ochre stucco buildings surrounded by the snow−peaked Atlas mountains. If you have the time, Marrakech is definitely worth a stay of several days.
The Jma−l−Fna is an unbelievable experience. It is a market scene straight out of the movies with snake charmers, musicians, dancing bears, acrobats and storytellers. Around the square there are numbered stalls that sell very cheap freshly−squeezed orange juice in the morning and afternoon. At night there are tables set up that you can eat at for a very reasonable price. Other sights include the impressive Koutoubia minaret and the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Saadian Dynasty tombs, the ruined 16th−century El Badi Palace the Dar Si.
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Ten must see marrakech jardins
French artist Jacques
Majorelle (1886–1962)
came to Marrakech in
1919 to recuperate from
his heart problems and
immediately saw the
painterly potential of
southern Morocco.
Louis Majorelle
Louis Majorelle was the
painter’s equally famous
father. A French decorator
and furniture designer, he
was one of the leading
exponents of the Art
Nouveau style. His work
is displayed in celebrated
museums, such as the
Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
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