Marrakech in French style
We flew with Easyjet from Manchester and we were met by Club Med on our arrival. We then took a 30min transfer to our hotel Club Med La Palmeraie.
My first impressions of the hotel were that it was very large; it has immense gardens and lovely waterways running in a criss-cross pattern around the hotel. My room was a ground floor room, tiled floors, a massive bed, a shower room, separate toilet and a terrace. My room was a little dark because of the trees outside the room, but this meant the room kept cool when the air-conditioning wasn't on.
The restaurant had outdoor and indoor seating. It is very large with buffet style dining options; I was very impressed with the choice of food. It was all inclusive, but even so, the choice was amazing. There was a mixture of European and Moroccan cuisine - it was lovely and hot!
The next day we had a tour of the hotel. We were shown the spa, all the different sports activities that are available including the gym and also the speciality restaurant. We also visited the other Club Med Hotel - Le Riad, which is at the other end of the grounds. This hotel is a five trident, the Club Med star rating equivalent to five star and I would describe it as more adult orientated. Families would stay in the Club Med La Palmeraie hotel as there is a lot more to keep children entertained. The rooms in the Riad are suites and each has their own gardens with sunbeds. The whole hotel had a very relaxing feel about it.
That evening we enjoyed a very Moroccan meal at the El Kebir restaurant. I enjoyed the lamb tagine but found it just a bit too sweet for my tastes. The next day we took the free shuttle bus into the Medina, which was fifteen minutes away and visited the Club Med Medina hotel. This hotel is within the walls of Marrakech Medina and is perfectly positioned for visiting the old city. The rooms are Moroccan in style and are really pretty; I loved the style and the colours but they were quite small. As this is a city hotel there are no balconies. We had lunch at the L'Oliveraie restaurant in the hotel. The choice is not as extensive as at La Palmeraie, but it was still good and the main course is served to you rather than from the buffet which I prefer. There is mostly indoor seating but there were some areas to sit outside. There’s a beautiful swimming pool at this hotel and so quiet!
That afternoon we had a tour of the Marrakech Medina. We were given a ride in a horse drawn carriage around the city and we visited some of the workshops in Marrakech. We watched workers embroidering and dyeing leather, making the traditional slippers you see in all the souks, other workers making the beautiful chandeliers and the intricate work that goes into the lanterns that Morocco is so famous for. The guide also showed us a tannery; we were offered a bunch of mint because the smell was appalling!
We were then let loose in the souks! You do not pay the first price, you have to barter. Its fun and you should expect to pay no more than 30% of the original asking price. The atmosphere was electric and the sellers were cheerful and friendly.
We returned the next evening and discovered that the main square comes alive at night. I didn't see any snake charmers, I am sure they were there but we headed for more shopping at the souks. I liked Marrakech but once inside the city walls there is nothing beautiful about it. You never see flowers or pretty balconies like you see in Greece but it has its charm and I found the more I saw of it the more I liked it. Outside the Medina walls, there are wide boulevards with pretty verges and beautiful street lamps so it is quite different. Three of us arranged a visit to true Riad, Riad 58 BLU; it was beautiful and would give you a totally different experience of Marrakech. We only ate in the hotels but I understand the cost of food and drink is comparable to the UK but drinks in the night clubs are extremely expensive so stag weekends be aware!