If you can put up with an incredibly early start, the 0625 EasyJet service from London Gatwick to Marrakech will set you up perfectly for a short break to Marrakech and/or the Atlas Mountains. After the direct 3.5 hour flight, you will arrive into Marrakech at 1005, with the whole day ahead of you. The transfer time from the airport into the city centre is just 10 minutes so together with no time difference (UK summer), this really is a very easy journey, meaning you can be at your accommodation and settled in all before lunchtime on day one.
There is a wide choice of hotels in Marrakech from a traditional Riad to international well known favourites including Four Seasons & Movenpick, as well as boutique, unique and very extraordinary luxury properties but more about that later.
Our sightseeing began outside the Koutoubia Mosque – one of the most iconic sights in Marrakech. This is a great point of reference where the taxi rank and horse and carriages are also located. We met our guide for the morning and enjoyed an escorted walking tour of the old city including the great square – Jemaa el-Fnaa with its markets, snake charmers, monkeys and general craziness, followed by the walled medina for the souks. The medina is a maze. Without a guide you will get lost and probably end up paying for directions to get out! Everyone slowly got more confident bartering and then we shopped until we dropped. Well, ran out of time! A total must see – this place is a MUST for any trip to Marrakech and at night, the place comes alive tenfold! For the ultimate experience, visit during the evening but keep your wits about you for pickpockets, barter hard, eat a sheep’s head if you’re feeling brave (not actually recomended for our sensitive British bellies), and do not look the snake charmers in the eye unless you’d be happy to have a cobra around your neck! This place is hardcore but amazing! Jugglers, magicians, fortune tellers, all types of entertainers in amongst the various food and market stalls and it gets busier as the day goes on.
We enjoyed had a whistle-stop orientation at a selection of traditional riads, inside the medina walls. Note, cars cannot go into the medina as the streets and passageways are too narrow (watch out for mopeds, carts, donkeys and bicycles) so transfer vehicles will drop you close by.
Amongst other hotels we were fortunate enough to visit the 5* Selman Marrakech. What a place! Wow! This property really is very special. It’s a family owned hotel, modern contemporary design with Moroccan heritage.The really special thing about it is the on site Arabian horse stud and stables. These are beautiful horses, each worth a fortune, properly pampered, living a life of luxury! The stables are open for guests to wander through and you’re more than likely to see them with their trainers in the paddock practicing their dressage.The spa here is also out of this world – looks amazing with the widest array of treatments and facilities I’ve ever seen (won Best Spa in the Middle East and Africa 2019).
The Chez Ali Dinner & Show would suit those looking for a family friendly evening excursion. The majority of the evening is spent enjoying a traditional Moroccan meal (soup, sharing platter slow cooked meat, couscous and vegetables, not fine dining) in large Berber style tents, then the night finishes with a horse show.
No trip to Marrakech is complete without a visit to The Atlas Mountains, approximately a 90 minute drive from Marrakech through the Moroccan countryside will find you at your destination, to fully explore a mule ride is one way of venturing into the local Berber Villages, however if you are not too adventurous Richard Bransons’ property Kasbah Tamadot offers a luxury version of a berber experience and you can enjoy a stay in a Berber tent ( no ordinary tent! ) at the foot of The Atlas Mountains with amazing views! Marrakech makes a wonderful short break destination. Three nights is just right for a stand alone break, or to twin with the Atlas Mountains maybe tag on an extra night or split the stay two nights in Marrakech followed by two nights in the mountains after to relax after all the hustle and bustle!
It’s a brilliant destination for couples or groups of friends. I personally wouldn’t take children, especially younger children, unless I was going to stay in one of the resort style hotels where the onsite facilities for families are actually very good. You will see beggars and poverty in the old town, there are lots of steps and narrow passageways in Marrakech, and The Medina truly is an assault on the senses.
Marrakech is a city of two halves – the raw cultural/ historic old town and the modern, westernised newer developments. I don’t think you could say you’ve really been to the city without a trip to the walled medina (old town) though. It’s an eye opener! Marrakech on the whole is extremely well kept and clean. The streets reminded me of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt.
In my opinion everyone should visit Marrakech at least ‘Once in a Lifetime’.
