Magical Marrakech

Winston Churchill believed that “Marrakesh is simply the nicest place on Earth to spend an afternoon”

For our 10th Wedding Anniversary we decided to celebrate with a bit of Winter sunshine and when a new flight was announced between Belfast and Marrakech we decided that was the place to visit as we had always thought about visiting here (especially as I had some clients visiting earlier in the year).

The direct flight takes around 3½ hours so after an early start we arrived at our all-inclusive hotel - Iberostar Club Palmeraie Marrakech just before lunch. As our room was not ready for arrival we popped into the restaurant for some lunch and our first experience of Moroccan cuisine, and this is wonderful, Tajine, chickpeas and some saffron potatoes – amazing flavours!

After lunch, we were shown to our Atlas View Double room, which was super. The sun was out so we quickly headed down to catch some ‘rays’ at the adult only Zen pool. Weather wise during our stay we encountered a real mixture, it was cool in the mornings and evening (a sweater was essential) during the day when the sun was not behind a cloud it was lovely and warm and ideal for sunbathing, but when cloudy it was a lot cooler. Fortunately, in a place like Marrakech there is so much to do and see you do not have to rely on sunshine all the time.

I liked the location of our hotel which was about half an hour away from the hustle and bustle that is downtown Marrakech. It was easy to visit though as the hotel operates a free bus service through the day or just jump in a cab (it costs under £8 during the day or under £12 in the evening each way). The Medina and its Souks are well worth a visit though and be prepared to haggle as the price they first ask for is never the one you should settle for.

Having checked the weather we knew that Monday was going to be wet so we arranged had already planned a Tajine Cookery Class. This was great fun as our group met and then shopped in the markets for all our ingredients and then headed to a nearby Riad to prepare and cook our wonderful Tajine meal. This gives a real insight into life in Marrakech. Most of our trip we spent relaxing at our hotel where we were really looked after by the wonderful staff there. I was surprised at how many golfers were staying at the hotel and who all left every morning to one of the nearby courses.

For our last day we had booked an excursion to take us into the Atlas Mountains in a 4X4 vehicle. The scenery is amazing and on this trip, there were loads of opportunities to stop and admire the beautiful snow-capped mountains. We had the opportunity to take tea with a Berber family in their home and be given a real insight into their way of life followed by a lovely Tajine lunch in the beautiful Ourika Valley. The areas that we visited would be inaccessible without a 4X4 as some of the roads were just dirt tracks. We were lucky to be able to do this before Winter really set in and the passes become impassable.

Early the next morning we were collected by our transfer back to the airport for our return to Belfast. I thoroughly enjoyed our week in Marrakech and want to return as there is still loads to see and do in this amazing place.