Evan and I booked our trip to Marrakesh for the Easter bank holiday a few months in advance. We started with the hotel as we had a good rate through our chase credit card. Our fatal flaw was that we booked our flights too late and had to choose between Ryan Air and British. Ryan had the worst flight times but of course that was the one my husband chose based on price! The tickets had gotten super expensive so learn from our mistake. The experience too Marrakesh on Ryan Air was great but the return home was a new experience. Not sure if this was just our flight but the check in counter did not have a computer. They gave us hand written boarding passes & we’re checking us in via a piece of paper. Because of this we nearly missed our flight. Never have I ever had to go through so many security check points upon entry into Marrakesh and upon exit. But despite this everything was smooth sailing once we excited customs. Our hotel had someone greet us and drive us to the hotel (this was of course an extra charge). The airport was way more modern than I expected. This was my first time in Morocco and Africa in general so I had no idea what to expect. Our hotel was out of this world. Stunning. The smells were on point the design was on point. Lots of restaurant and bars and it was definitely the place to be. (Our hotel even had a casino on the property).

The first night we had dinner at the property at the Moroccan restaurant. We grabbed drinks before at the Churchill bar also at the hotel, super intimate bar. Very slow service, good service just slow which I learned is normal for Marrakech. There seemed to never be much of a rush anywhere we went. Which made everything calm but also added a lot of time.

Now for the food, I had been told by a few of my pals that had visited Marrakech that they were not huge fans of the food. I had told my husband we should probably set expectations that the food will be good not great. My husband despite my warning went in with super high expectations for the Moroccan restaurant at La Mamounia. Our reservation was at 10 pm. They seemed to be a bit backed up so we waited for around thirty minutes with some curious cats that lived on the property. I did forget to mention the walk to this restaurant is gorgeous through all of the grounds of the hotel- the gardens are truly incredible! The restaurant was in a riad which made for a cool restaurant design. There were rooms” off the center with banquette seating that could sit one large party or two parties. There were multiple levels as well and the center area had live music with singer and drummer. Evan and I took a peak at the wine list and to our surprise the alcohol was so expensive. We learned later which seems obvious now that the tax on alcohol is so high sense it is an Islamic country. Makes a ton of sense. For the dinner, we could choose between the tasting menu or a la carte. We went with the tasting menu to try to get all the flavors. They were clear that they could accommodate gluten allergies which they did well. Delicious food, we had a meat dish with lots of dried fruits, the highlight was the meat & I loved the dessert that the pastry chef on site made.

Day 2 started with a trip to the gym. The gym equipment was a bit out dated but still was a nice gym and big. Post gym I got coffee, which was goofy because you could not just get a coffee to go the only way was to order room service but I digress. We had a camel and lunch reservation organized through our hotel. The hotel arranged for a driver to pick us up. Total travel time was roughly an hour a tad over. Our driver kept trying to stop on the side of the road but I was anxious about this given that one I had no idea where we were & two I did not want to get charged extra. This post is making me sound skeptical haha, this is just how my brain works in a new place! We arrived at the camp and it was gorgeous, it is actually a hotel. We were greeted, checked in and then directed to a tent. A chic tent I should add. Evan and I had the traditional mint tea. Before we headed out on the camels- a little hooky (and soo windy this day, which made for more theatrics) but a cool experience. If we had more time I would have wanted to go deep in the dessert to ride camels! After camels, they served us lunch which Evan says may have been his favorite meal on the whole trip. We spent the rest of the day at the pool before our dinner at Comptoir Darna, which we made a reservation for 10:30, wild! It was packed, multiple levels, dj up top, belly dancing. I was expecting the food to be not great. We were pleasantly surprised and loved everything we had here. 

Day 3 was the day in the markets. We coordinated with the hotel a guide. We were on a carpet mission. This blog post deserves a whole other write up on haggling for rugs. Evan impressed me with his haggling skills. We went to three- four places before pulling the trigger. Not because we did not like what we saw but due to pricing. Also, be prepared the options are endless! Know what you are looking for and dont back down on what you want to pay. Post an exhausting day at the markets, we came home with 2 rugs and some other trinkets. We headed to the YSL museum and jardin- make sure to book these tickets in advance. It sells out and seems to be always packed. We spent the rest of our last evening at El Fenn- a dream. We had drinks on the roof and listened to the call to prayer while watching the sunset- great vibes & aperol spritz. We had dinner here as well which I thought was a great meal- lots of tajine which I learned to love because who doesn't love protein and vegetables! 
I am already looking forward to our return. I feel like we learned a lot and only scratched the service of this beautiful city. 


Where to Stay:
La Mamounia
Royal Mansour
El Fenn
​Aman 
Inara Camp

Where to Eat:
Comptoir Darna
Folk
Le Jardin
Bacha Coffee
La Trattoria

What to do:
Camels or Quads at Inara Camp
Souk Guided Tour of the Medina
Hammam at a Spa or Riad
Jardin Majorelle
YSL Museum 
Take a trip to the mountains for Argan Oil