For most countries, Morocco does not require a tourist visa.
We stayed for four days in Marrakech. Had a day tour with Medina Guided Tours, our tour guide was very good. It seemed as though our bad luck in Casablanca hopped on in the train with us to Marrakech because the first class seats we got was first taken, we had to talk to the people sitting in our seats to get off, and after about fifteen minutes the airconditioning stopped working and Morocco’s weather is cooler than Dubai’s but it’s still hot!
Lesson: Don’t take the first class in the train from Casablanca to Marrakech (vice versa), there’s hardly any difference and the price difference isn’t worth it.
Tip: Just like in Casablanca, in Marrakech there are big and petit taxis. If you’re in the centre going to Eden Andalou which is not in the centre you will have to take the big taxi. We paid 100 MAD while other taxis are charging us 200 MAD.
I have no plans of going to Morocco, it’s not in the bucket list, not one of places I have to visit before I die. But we saw this deal on Groupon for Eden Andalou so we thought, why not?! And I thought the 5 stars they had in the lobby was just decoration, well they’re indeed a 5 star hotel, not in my opinion though.
The good things about the hotel
- The welcome cold towel and Moroccan mint tea
- The lunch and dinner buffet is worth it
- The rooms are spacious and I like their sheets and pillows
- The hotel is very near the airport.
- They have free internet at the lobby
The not-so-good things
- Their massage is horrible. The masseuse’s hands and touch is so soft and light, it’s as if their just applying oil to your body.
- We had skin rashes (we’re attributing it to the water), I was the first one to get them but my friend had it worse than me. But then again, we’re not sure if we got this from the water at the hotel.
- Those in the front desk knows English, but the rest of the staff don’t.
- They charge for room WiFi (that’s always a bad point for me, no matter how many stars you have).
Bahia Palace
Built in the late 19th century by Si Moussa, grand vizier of the sultan. Bahia is the name of one of Si Moussa’s wives, it means “brilliance”.
The palace is filled with gardens (which should have hinted me that gardens does not necessarily mean there will be flowers) and Islamic and Moroccan style architecture and interior.
As I’ve said our tour guide Abdul is very good, unfortunately my memory isn’t so I miss all the good stuff I forgot to jot down.
The carvings are all done by hand and those paintings are from vegetables.
This is the garden where the Grand vizier of the Sultan supposedly chooses who he wants to sleep with among his many wives.
Tip: Get a recorder and record what your tour guide have to say, use your mobile’s voice recorder.
Back courtyard of the Bahia Palace, indented for the concubines.
Koutoubia Mosque
The largest mosque in Marrakech. According to legend, the globes were originally made of pure gold, and there were once supposed to have been only three globes. The fourth globe was donated by the wife of Yaqub el-Mansur. She had her jewelry melted when he ate three grapes during the month of Ramadan.
Mellah
A Jewish neighborhood, Mellah means salt. They used to trade salt with gold.
Around the market, a man selling flowers gave me this rose. He refused to take a picture with me.
It’s a good thing I thought of a sign in finding the right one while I was in Spain because it would have meant I was to marry that man (more about this on my Madrid post).
There are a lot of storks around the the old medina.
Fatima’s Hand
A way of warding off the evil eye is to show Fatima’s hand. Fatima was the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed. You’ll see most doors protected by it.
Saadian tombs
The mausoleum comprises the corpses of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty. Mainly decorated with worked cedar wood and stucco. The monuments are made of Italian Carrara marble. Outside the building is a garden and the graves of soldiers and servants.
Parts of it are being restored.
Artisinal Cooperative is a place where you can get handcraft, carpets and souvenirs.
The ladies working there taught me how to make a carpet and tied this thread on me.
Tip: Always have small denominations of Moroccan dirhams. It’s customary to tip.
Real Moroccan food, finally!
I forgot the name of the place (again), it’s somewhere near the Jamaa El Fna Square.
Pigeon! I liked it.
Pastilla de pollo, a bit too sweet but still nice.
Sweets
Fresh fruits! My favorite, watermelons!
Moroccan mint tea.
Jacques Majorelle moved to Marrakech in 1919 and created Majorelle garden. He died 1962 and in 1980 Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent purchased the garden and restored it.
Marrakech is beautiful. The weather is nice, a few hours from the city, towards the Atlas mountain you get snow. The art and crafts is amazing.
More pictures can be found on my Marrakech Flickr set, here.
