Marrakech Day 5: Sunset at the Main Square

We watched the sun go down at the Place Djemaa el Fna from the rooftop of Cafe de France

Dinner at Pepe Nero. Follow the signs off the main square to find this little gem set in an old riad, offering Italian-Moroccan fusion food. 

Marrakech Day 4: Pergola, peace and plenty of thé a la menthe

Private pool in our suite

Palm trees in La Palmaraie

Lunch at the pergola restaurant

Peaceful meals spent by the pool on the pergola at Les Deux Tours

Marrakech Day 3: The Atlas Mountains, Thunderstorms and Terrific Views

On our third day we trekked up to the mountains in a grand taxi from the centre of Marrakech. We were sad to leave the lovely Les Jardins de la Medina, but excited to see what Richard Branson's Kasbah Tamadot was like. 

First impressions were great. We were invited to have a drink in the relaxed garden surroundings and then taken up to our room (which was covered in tiny  mosaic mirrors). 

This was the view from our gorgeous room.

The decor was resplendent and very indulgent. 

The general decor of the Kasbah was beautiful and well-kept, with touches of Moroccan mixed with a very European feel. 

Little areas for sitting and relaxing everywhere. 

Cocktails were held in this lovely seating area by a decorative pool at 7'o clock every evening.

Flowers in the pool were a romantic touch and looked beautiful against the blue.

What an incredible view of the Atlas mountains

There was a sophisticated library also at the Kasbah with impressive views, an extensive range of books and a great DVD/widescreen set up.

Then at night you could have cocktails by the decorative pool with fires going.

In the evening there was a thunderstorm, but this only served to make the Kasbah even more atmospheric, with lightning bolts piercing the backdrop of the Atlas Mountains. 

Kasbah Tamadot, Richard Branson's Moroccan Retreat

BP 67, Asni 042150, Morocco

Marrakech Day 2: Gardens, Guéliz and Guardian Lantern Carriers...

A morning spent walking the Jardin Majorelle, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's garden. 

Then onto Guéliz for lunch - here there are a variety of European shops, cafes and bars, including Le Grand Café de la Poste. 

Then back to the peaceful haven of our riad hotel, Les Jardins de la Medina where we indulged on mint tea and delicious cocktails...

Then we spent the evening at Le Foundouk, where lantern carriers meet you to take you to the secluded restaurant, with three floors. 


Make sure you get a taxi to the meeting point (taxi driver will know where this is) and then a guide in a fez with a lantern will come to guide you to the restaurant as the neighbourhood is a bit dodgy.

The restaurant is on threee levels - definitely go for the outdoor roof terrace if you can, it is very atmospheric at night. 

Reasonably priced and good food. The experience has been cleverly mastered; the waiters give you scrolls (menus) to open up and look at. The restaurant caters for all tastes with a variety of Moroccan and French dishes, so something for everyone.

Marrakech Day 1: Souks, Soaking in the Djemaa el Fna and Sunny Terraces

We spent our first day by heading straight for the Djemaa el Fna [main square] in Marrakech and heading north eastwards into the souks. There are different souks for every trade - leather, metal [where you find the beautiful lanterns in the pictures below], spices, you name it...

We stopped off for an ornate glass of mint tea [you are offered this everywhere] to rest a little after the initial chaos of the souks. There is a wealth of amazing items on offer in the souks, from beautiful intricate lanterns to butter soft leather slippers and mountains of olives and heaps of multi-coloured spices that are difficult to find elsewhere. 

There is, it must be added, also a load of tat, so be wary of this and be sure to barter! There are some little diamonds to be found in the rough and, we found, it takes a great deal of searching these out. 

After a morning spent in the dark souks we went back to the main square and found a roof top bar or 'terrasse' [pretty much all the locals in Marrakech speak French] for a drink looking over the wide expanse of the Djemaa el Fna. 

It was quite bright up there, so excuse my squinting! These little terrasse cafes [also Cafe de France among others] are a great way to see the Djemaa el Fna from above away from the hustle and bustle. The square gets much busier at night time. [See Day 5.]

We then went on a very long-winded search to find Terrasse des Epices , which I had read about on Liberty London Girl and persuaded my boyfriend we simply must go to! We were [thankfully!] not disappointed. 

Though difficult to find in the heart of Souk Cherifia, Terrasse des Epices is a welcome break from the madness down below. With a very relaxed European vibe and appealing menu, the terrace restaurant caters for weary souk-hagglers and celebrities alike. 

We particularly liked the spray mists [you can see these in the picture] which cooled you down on a hot day - it was 32 degrees in the heat that day!

We ate tomato and mozzarella salad and a delicious fillet steak.

Terrasse des Epices - 15 Souk Cherifia Sidi Abdellaziz, Marrakech, Morocco. [They also own Cafe des Epices off the Djemaa el Fna.]

Terrasse des Epices is located just above a gorgeous little gallery of shops 

Must sees include Lalla - From Marrakesh with Love xxx. 

Souk Cherifia - 1st floor. Sidi Abdelazziz Dar El Bacha souk entrance. Marrakesh Medina +212.661.47.72.28

Lalla's store offers beautiful crafted butter soft leather handbags, forward-thinking towelling clutch bags and cloth and diamante statement necklaces.

After a wander around the souks, we headed back to our gorgeous lush riad hotel Les Jardins de la Medina [more about that in the next post] for a bit of relaxation before an evening out at Grand Café de la Poste in Guéliz. Here we ate mediterranean pasta and a delicious lamb dish and went up to the lounge area for delicious mojitos. 

Grand Café de la Poste - Corner of bd. El Mansour Eddahbi and av. Imam Malik | (behind the main Guéliz post office), Ville Nouvelle, Marrakech 40000, Morocco

4 more days to follow! Keep reading...