My name is Hamze Mohamed and I want to share my recent experience in Marrakech with you. Have you ever been to Marrakech? I did and I can’t wait to go back. Of course, not being a professional writer might get the best of me, but I am not doing this to impress the readers of this blog. My only intention is to give you an insight to this vibrant and miraculous city. I want to give you the opportunity to teleport yourself to Marrakech. Every now and then, as you read this article, close your eyes, open your mind and imagine the words.
Loathe at First Sight
As my plane descended and I had the first glimpse of the pink city on the horizon, I was alarmed. I wondered whether I have made the right decision to come to Marrakech. Luckily, I was in for a surprise and what I got was more than what I have bargaining for.
Hotel or no Hotel?
As we all know, accommodation is one of the most important aspects of travel. Imagine being stuck in a terrible hotel for the duration of your holiday. Believe me, this happens more often than we realise. When you are planning for your holiday, before you chose your hotel, beware of two things.
• Don’t fall for the beautiful photos as this can be deceiving. Every hotel will showcase their best parts of their property and remember that what you see might not be what you get.
• Star ratings are flawed. There are no regulators in the hotel industry of hotel star ratings that hold hotels accountable. In many cases, riads and boutique hotels have better services than some 5* hotels. A business run by the owners (if they possess the skills) has better chances of offering quality service than when the business is entrusted with employees. The quality of their service depends on how the owners and their management team value their customers. Don’t be surprised when you see a 5* hotel with a three-star customer review.
Check Reviews
When booking hotels for my customers, I scrutinize reviews and filter through the comments of actual customers. This is a tricky and grey area as you got to use your wisdom and judgement to the best of your ability. To be fair to the hotels you are reading their reviews, you need to differentiate between the fuzzy customer and the frustrated ones.
As a travel agent, I tend to send my customers to hotels and riads that have over 4* of customer reviews not star rating. I also put more value to the latest reviews as there might be a chance that a property that was excellent once is awful now. In this blog, I will name few hotels that I can recommend to my readers;
Villa vs Apartments
Renting villas or apartments is another alternative as well. There are a lot of villas scattered around Marrakech and they don’t come cheap. The advantage of renting a villa is that you have you have more privacy and most villas offer their own chefs and you can benefit a whole pool to yourself. For apartments, they don’t offer the conform of a villa, but they give you a cheaper alternative.
Before you consider renting a villa or an apartment, remember that you are not dealing with an establishment and you got to do a thorough research regarding the property and its owner in order to avoid any nasty surprises. It is worth considering getting a property within the city limits for commuting and safety reasons.
Sites such as Airbnb, Holiday lettings, Villanovo and Marrakech Villas are sites that you can book villas and apartments.
Located in the recently built Carré Eden complex in the central Gueliz district & surrounded by trendy restaurants and a shopping mall, the Radisson Blu is a decent 5* hotel with decent reviews. The 198 rooms and suites at the Radisson Blu Hotel Marrakech Carre Eden, created by acclaimed architects Lotfi Sidi Rahal and Meriem Benkirane, feature a warm, contemporary style and amenities like free high-speed, wireless Internet and LED screens with satellite channels.
Distances
| City centre | 1.5 km |
| Bus/Train station | 5 mts |
| Nearest Bus / Metro Stop | 5 mts |
| Airport | 8 km |
| Golf course | 1 km |
| Entertainment Area | 5 mts |
| Marrakech | 1 km |
| Marrakech Train Station | 100 km |
Tourist Attractions
| Place Djemaa El-Fna | 1.5 km |
| Koutoubia | 1.5 km |
| Majorelle Garden | 500 mts |
| Menara Garden | 1.5 km |
| Shopping Area, Restaurants | 5 mts |
A pleasant and comfortable accommodation right in the centre of the beautiful Red city. Sitting within a short 10-minute walk from the traditional markets in Jamaa-el-Fna Square and a 15-minute one from the former 14th century Islamic college Ben Youssef Madrassa, guests will have the charm of the city right at their doorstep.
Distance
| City centre | 5 mts |
| Bus/Train station | 3 km |
| Nearest Bus / Metro Stop | 100 mts |
| Airport | 7 km |
| Golf course | 9.6 km |
| Marrakech Train Station | 3 km |
Tourist Attractions
| Place Djemaa El-Fna | 1.5 km |
| Koutoubia | 1.5 km |
| Majorelle Garden | 500 mts |
| Menara Garden | 1.5 km |
| Shopping Area, Restaurants | 5 mts |
This lovely Rural hotel is set in Imlil. With a small number of only 6, this establishment is very convenient for a quiet stay. Riad Atlas Prestige is not a pet-friendly establishment. Visitors can make use of the airport transfer service.
Distance
| Airport | 65 km |
| Marrakech | 65 km |
| Marrakech Train Station | 65 km |
At the foot of the Atlas Mountains, away from the hustle of the medina, what seemed like only a mirage has become a reality: Selman Marrakech, a palace of distinct, sublime and alluring charm.
Distance
| City centre | 5 km |
| Bus/Train station | 5 km |
| Airport | 3 km |
| Golf course | 2 km |
| Marrakech | 5 km |
| Marrakech Train Station | 5 km |
Tourist Attractions
| Medina | 5 km |
| Place Jamaaa El Fna | 6 km |
| Saadien Tombs | 6.5 km |
| Koutoubia mosque | 5 km |
| Jardins Majorelle Yves Saint Laurent | 8 km |
The Luxury Hotel Design Les 5 Djellabas was recently built and designed by Thierry Isnardon around a modern design decorated with traditional Moroccan handicrafts. Spread over one hectare of garden, ten African EcoLodge are available for accommodation in two categories, Classic Suite and Luxury Suite.
Tours
During your in Marrakech, you can do a lot of activities for an affordable price. In Marrakech, there are two prices. Local price and touristique price. When buying something, never settle for the first price. Haggling is a common practice in Marrakech. Best haggling technique is to walk away once negotiations are stuck and you will eventually end up getting a good deal.
The most common tour activities are;
Half-Day Desert Quad & Dromedary Tour £36.65pp
Duration 4 hours
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
Instant confirmation
Instructor
English, French, Arabic
Pick-up service
Pickup at your hotel
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity starts
Ouzoud Waterfalls Full-Day Tour from Marrakech £22.90pp
Duration 1 day
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
Instant confirmation
Live tour guide
Spanish, English, French
Pick-up service
Hotels: Pick up from all hotels in Marrakech city. Riads in Medina: Meeting point is the nearest accessible point to the riad
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity starts
Marrakech Food Tour £51.26pp
Duration 4 hours
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
Instant confirmation
Live tour guide
Spanish, English, French
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity starts
From Marrakech: Day Tour to Essaouira £21.72pp
Duration 1 day
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
Instant confirmation
Driver
Spanish, English, French, Arabic
Pick-up service
Your hotel, riad, or any other accommodation in Marrakech centre. If your location is not accessible by car, a meeting point will be provided instead.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity starts
Marrakech to Merzouga 3-Day Desert Safari £100.78pp
Duration 3 days
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
Instant confirmation
Live tour guide
English, French
Pick-up service
Pick-up from your hotel or riad in Marrakech
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity starts
From Marrakech: Day Trip to Ouarzazate and Ait Benhaddou £34.75pp
Duration 1 day
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
Instant confirmation
Driver
Spanish, English, French
Pick-up service
Meet the driver in front of your accommodation. If your accommodation is not accessible by car you will be provided with a meeting point which is near to your accommodation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before activity starts
*Price are different depending on where you book the tour from and all tours are subject to price and availability of course.
Final Thoughts
I definitely believe that Marrakech is the miracle of Morroco and I can’t wait to go back to it. Marrakech is a beautiful place with beautiful people, and I assure you, you won’t be disappointed once you embark your journey to visit the pink city. Stay in Geuliz area as that is the best part of Marrakech. Don’t leave without paying a visit to Jemaa el Fna. According to locals, this is was the execution centre during the old bad days when Morocco was occupied by the France. A place of death is now the most vibrant and busiest area of Marrakech and a visit to Jemaa el Fna must be on your agenda. Booking flights to Marrakech is not that difficult as the city is well connected to the different parts of the world.
Laundry Issues
When I arrived in Marrakech, I struggled with laundry as our hotel didn’t offer this service. Using pressing shops (dry cleaners) is not economical for large families and it took me quite some time to find a self-service launderette. If you intend to come to Marrakech, there is 24/7 self-service launderette in Oilibya Service Station. The address is Angle Avenue Abdelkrim l Khatabi et Prince Moulay Abdelah، N9, Marrakesh, Morocco.
I wrote this blog with the best intentions and to the best of my ability. I hope it will be worthy of your time and if not, forgive the pen and the brain that collaborated to write a rubbish post.
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