Mystical Morocco

Natalie Poat on 24 February 2013
In need of a break after a busy couple of months, Tim and I decided to jet off to Morocco for a few nights of winter sun and we were not disappointed.

Instead of the regular city break to Marrakech or a beach stay in Marrakech we opted to split our four night stay equally between Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains as neither of us are really what I would call "city people" and this was a great combination for us.

We flew from Gatwick with Easyjet to Marrakech Airport and it was a short ride in to the city. We had booked into a Riad (a traditional house with an interior courtyard) called the Darhani in the heart of the Medina. We were dropped off by our driver at the end of a cobbled street and walked to the Darhani down narrow passage ways in places almost tunnel like as the houses spanned the walkway over our heads. Being over six foot tall Tim had to duck on numerous occasions. Our walk brought us to an unprepossessing entrance but this opened into a delightful courtyard complete with small heated swimming pool. The Darhani has four rooms on two floors, lounge areas, a dining room and a roof top terrace where we had breakfast in the sunshine overlooking the city.

It was just a short walk to the Jemaa el Fna square which during the day is home to snake charmers, travelling dentists (these were a little gruesome for me), henna tattoo artists, acrobats, storytellers, magicians and orange juice sellers and the like. At night it is transformed by the arrival of dozens of food stalls. The narrow streets leading from the square take you into the souk selling everything from carpets, silver jewellery and leather goods, to exotic spices, fish meat and live animals. It was great to wander through the streets window shopping and bargaining with the shopkeepers for the best price, just watch out for the locals on their mopeds and small motorbikes as they whiz through the streets amongst the shoppers.

We also took time to walk to the Jardin Majorelle created by Louis Majorelle and latterly owned by Yves St Laurent whose ashes were scatted in the gardens. We caught a horse and carriage to the Jardin de la Koutoubia and the commanding Mosque which dominates the area.

I also managed to fit in visits to the Riad Zohar, Riad Kniza and the boutique hotel La Maison Arabe all of which were delightful - I would be happy to stay in any of them.

Leaving Marrakech we headed in to the Atlas Mountains and the Kasbah Samra in the village of Tamartet overlooking the Toubkal National Park. The approach to the traditional guesthouse is interesting as the Berber villages do not have the sort of pavements we are used to in the UK and our final approach was by mule which was great fun! The Kasbah Samra has only a few rooms all uniquely decorated and as we were staying early in the year and close to the snow line, heated by open fires which the staff lit at night whilst we were at dinner and thoughtfully added hot water bottles to our beds too. Meals were taken communally and were a great way of getting to know your fellow guests with their tales of where they were coming from and heading to and the days walking experiences.

We had a day’s guided walk to a frozen waterfall with our guide Hussain being perfectly happy to walk at our slow pace and to answer all my questions about the area and his life. He prepared a delicious meal before we headed back down to his village and tea in his house, passing the highest football pitch in Morocco if not the one with the smoothest pitch, on the way.

The food at the Kasbah was delicious and all the local people we met were very friendly. Tim was pleased to see several types of birds he had not seen before and I enjoyed the stunning scenery. All in all - a great holiday to be recommended.