On Location: Marrakech

By Gray Shealy

15 years ago, I made my first trek to Morocco – landing in Casablanca after spending some time in the amber sands of Tunisia, surprised to see this new, Atlantic landscape so very verdant. But aside from the relatively small Medina and the most impressive mosque, Casablanca was a developed, modern city – not quite the Morocco I had dreamed of. For that reason, I have longed for a return to glimpse a bit more of textural Morocco – and by that, I mean Marrakech.

Just last January, we made the hour hop from Portugal for a weekend there, and it was everything I had hoped: textures of the Medina in Marrakech were an intersection of chaotic worlds coming together in a labyrinth of streets, markets, motor scooters, art galleries, languages, food…all surrounded by the chorus of prayer from the mosques that dot every turn. Just 90 minutes south of Lisbon, it was a world away from our ordinary.

We stayed in a 6-room riad in the Medina center, renovated by French expats, and hosted by an Italian woman, it represented the European influence that has been long blanketed over this city. The riad was a maze of details – from our dimly lit but baroque room with its four-poster bed and two-headed, tiled shower, to the checkerboard courtyard with orange trees, the 150 USD we were paying was a far cry from the overly expensive hotels just around the city walls.

Marrakech is a veritable mecca of extraordinary hotels, so naturally as a hotelier, I had to check them out. I had longed to visit La Mamounia, a hotel that has had so much acclaim and praise from the travel media that my high expectations were quickly vanquished (and longtime readers of this publication know exactly how I feel about that hotel). But just across the street was the dazzling Royal Mansour, and the Oberoi on the olive-tree sprinkled outskirts. It’s much harder to pop into other riads in the Medina, however, given that they operate more like a house than public reception.

I also wanted to see YSL’s Jardin Majorelle, home to the designer for many years. But the striking blues of his garden casita were overrun by influencers jockeying for selfies, so much so that it felt distracting from the experience, save for the stunning collection of Berber fashions inside the museum, where said influencers did not flock. 

Evenings in Marrakech are best spent drinking cocktails and dining on the rooftops that create another layer of the city, on top of itself. Essentially there are two cities within the Medina: the one of the labyrinthine paths and shops below; and the disconnected yet terraced gardens and dining rooms above, making this place so very hard to discover in just a single weekend visit. 

STAY: Izza Riad

EAT: Le Terrasse des Èpices

SEE: Musée Berbère at Jardin Majorelle

Photo Credit: Syllogi

Syllogi’s ‘On Location’ is a series of trip reports reflecting on our personal travels, as we research and experience the bounty the world has on offer.