The Beginners Guide to Marrakech

Monday, December 19th, 2011

To start your Moroccan experience, you must first find a place to stay. There is a huge variety of accommodation in Marrakech and with such a large choice from large luxury hotels down to four to eight roomed riads and modern apartments, finding the right place can be hit and miss.

Our suggestion would be to go for the best of both worlds, i.e. the last word in modern comforts but with plenty of authentic local character added. Les Borjs de la Kasbah is one such, a 5 star luxury boutique hotel in Marrakech, well placed within comfortable walking distance of the centre yet far enough away from its hurly burly to be remarkably peaceful by comparison.

Having found your place to stay you’ll need some suggestions for things to see and do so here’s a short beginner’s guide to visiting Marrakech.

Visit the ancient medina and admire the 13th century walls that surround it. The souk, one of the largest in Morocco, is a tourist’s dream, such is the variety of artefacts and souvenirs you’ll find there. Take an official guide to show you round, with visits to a couple of palaces and museums included.

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Four of the best Golf Courses in Marrakech

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Little more than 3 hours by air from most Western European cities, Marrakech is the perfect location for a winter golf holiday. It’s also nice to escape the hurly-burly of Marrakech for a quiet round during a short break amid beautiful, rural surroundings against the backdrop of the snow-capped Atlas mountains.

The climate is perfect, typically 18-23 degrees from November through March, with minimal interruptions from rain, quite a contrast with the European winter!

Here we take a brief look at four of our favourite Marrakech golf courses from the current total of six – and there are more on the drawing board!

Amelkis Golf Club – situated a stone’s throw from the old Royal Club (currently closed for refurbishment) and dating from 1995, this is a 27 hole course (with a final 9 under construction), renowned for its many, often fearsome bunkers and large picturesque water features.  Although short on shade, the course is punctuated by palm trees and flowering shrubs and bordered, in part, by some extravagantly stylish villas. There is a driving range and practice area and an evocative, kabash-style clubhouse with bar and restaurant terrace overlooking the 18th.

Palmeraie Golf Club – another 27 hole course, designed Robert Trent Jones, this one is situated in the fashionable Palmeraie district 10km north of Marrakech. With its numerous bunkers and lakes, the latter attracting egrets and other water fowl, the 6200 m course is a serious golfing challenge in a scenic location. Run by the former Director of golf at Deauville, the Palmeraie club, with its practice ground and terracing overlooking the 9th and 18th, has an excellent restaurant and lounge bar.

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Events in Marrakech: December 2011 through February 2012

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

Marrakech Events December 2011

International Marrakech Film Festival 2011 – firmly established in the local calendar, this is the main event for December in Marrakech.  Attracting ‘A list’ stars, it is an important occasion for Morocco’s successful film industry, based in Ouarzazate, where the Atlas Studios have played host to countless films from Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator.

Olive Festival 2011 – another major event, this charming festival takes place in the middle of the month in Rafai, in the Fez province. You can enjoy the traditional olive-picking ceremony, numerous ‘Diffa’ feasts and folklore events performed in a vast area of olive groves.

Marrakech Events January 2012

Marrakech International Marathon 2012 – more than 5000 international runners take part in the annual Marrakech International Marathon and Half Marathon for which the Pink City offers an exceptional setting for this gruelling athletic event putting it among the most attractive of all marathon circuits.

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The Marrakech International Film Festival 2011

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Culturally significant as the biggest event in the calendar of Morocco’s highly successful film industry, the Marrakech International Film festival brings together writers, actors and directors from many nations. Last year’s Marrakech Film Festival saw a number of Hollywood big hitters including Francis Ford Coppola, Harvey Keitel, Keanu Reeves and Martin Scorsese.

This year’s 11th annual Marrakech International Film Festival takes place between 2nd and 10th December.

With attendees from around the world, including several hundred from the media, the film festival is testament to the importance of the Moroccan film industry, based at the Atlas Studios outside the desert town of Ouarzate, which goes back as far as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and beyond. More recent productions have been ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and ‘Gladiator’ by Ridley Scott, a regular visitor, ‘Black Hawk Down’ and ‘Babel’.

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Some basic tips for tourists in Marrakech

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

A veritable hub of entertainment, the main square of Marrakech never fails to leave an impression but many other aspects of this historic city have changed little since medieval times. The sights, sounds and even smells of the place are likely to stay with you forever.

Moroccans are famous for their hospitality and most will delight in helping tourists on their way but here are some basic tips:

* Learn a little Arabic. A little effort goes a long way (and will certainly boost your bartering skills). ‘Es salaam alaykum’ – hello or, literally, ‘peace be upon you’. ‘Afak’ – please (if you’re talking to a woman it’s ‘Afik’, to a group, ‘Afakum’). Finally, ‘Shukran bezzef’ – thank you very much.

* Carry some loose change. Tipping is an integral part of Moroccan culture and certainly helps in all sorts of situations. Tipping between 5% and 10% of a restaurant bill is the norm. Also tip taxis, guides and small boys (5 or 10 dirhams) who offer their services for helping you find your way out of the complex maze of streets in the old parts of town.

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7 Unusual Activities around Marrakech

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Marrakech is justly renowned for the colourful animation of its feudal main square, Jemaa el Fna, and never ending labyrinth of its souks. But there’s plenty more to the city and its surroundings to attract the tourist visitor. So here are our suggestions for the top 7 alternative attractions in and around Marrakech.

* Get high in Marrakech. African Sky has been operating for 21 years now and its hot air balloons are perhaps the best way to admire the city and High Atlas landscapes. One can book direct on +212 524 43 28 43 or via Les Borjs de la Kasbah.

* For the ‘kids’. Ludiparc is a recreational haven for youngsters with a series of indoor and outdoor water features. Over 55 species of birds can also be found here, some flying free. Pedal boats and playgrounds make this a ‘must visit’ if you have children with you. The best bit? Adults go free!

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Moroccan Cuisine

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

One of the most sensual in the world, Moroccan food attracts our senses of smell, sight and taste in a way that few other cuisines can better, due largely to the use of characteristic Moroccan spices.

But while spices characterise the essence of Moroccan cuisine its diversity is explained largely by the disparate nature of Berber, Arab, Mediterranean and Moorish influences.

Spices are used extensively in Moroccan food. Although spices have been imported to Morocco for thousands of years, many ingredients, like saffron from Tiliouine, mint and olives from Meknes and oranges and lemons from Fez, are home-grown.

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Marrakech shopping….much more than souks and bazaars!

Monday, September 19th, 2011

Although the Marrakech souks offer the best in affordable, handcrafted gifts we thought we’d highlight some higher end retail outlets in Marrakech so as to provide a fuller picture of the Marrakech shopping experience.

Akkal – the young Belgian artist, Charlotte Barkowski, produces contemporary Marrakech pottery based on traditional techniques at her Akkal workshop in Marrakech. Along with lamps, vases and tea/coffee sets, you’ll also find some lovely fabrics by the renowned Valérie Barkowski. (Mon – Sat 322 zone industrielle, Sidi Ghanem, Route de Safi)

Intensité Nomade – looking for an haute couture Marrakech kaftan? Here, in the commercial centre, Guéliz, Frédérique Birkemeyer displays some upbeat versions of the kaftan, one of them even styled as army camouflage! Silk-screened pop art T-shirts are also for sale. (On the corner of Av Avenue Mohammed V and Rue de la Liberté)

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Marrakech Events in October

Monday, September 5th, 2011

With temperatures pleasantly warm at 27° / 28°, Marrakech provides the perfect atmosphere for exploring and sampling the ambience of this captivating city.

To underline this, a number of sporting and cultural events in Marrakech take place in October, of which these are just a few:

Marrakech Art Fair – we mentioned this in our ‘Marrakech events in September’ piece but repeat it now because the fair runs through to 3rd October. The Marrakech Art Fair exhibits contemporary collections from Europe and the Arab world.

To give you an idea of its importance, last year’s Art Fair contained works by Karel Appel, Arman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Eduardo Chillida, Robert Doisneau and Andy Warhol.

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Easy and Authentic Recipe for Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

This simple tagine recipe for the classic Moroccan lamb dish is so straightforward that one is virtually guaranteed a perfect result every time. Indeed, the hardest part of this whole recipe is probably getting all the ingredients together!


There are just six simple steps to tagine heaven!

Ingredients

1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp ground black pepper, 1½ tbsp paprika, 1½ tbsp. ground ginger, 1 tbsp turmeric, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 x shoulder of lamb, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in chunks (about 1.1kg/2½lb meat in total), 2 large grated onions, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp argan oil, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 570ml/1 pint tomato juice, 2 400g tinned chopped tomatoes, 115g/4oz dried apricots cut in half, 55g/2oz dates cut in half, 55g/2oz sultanas or raisins, 85g/3oz flaked almonds, 1 tsp saffron stamens soaked in cold water, 600ml/1 pint stock (preferably lamb), 1 tbsp clear honey, 2 tbsp coriander (roughly chopped), 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped).

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