Marrakesh

Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.venere.com, there are lots of big hotels in both the Hivernage and the Palmeraie areas but to really experience the city you should stay in one of the numerous riads in the medina these are split into north of the Jemaa El Fna Square, the heart of the city, and south of the square.

It is very worthwhile doing your homework before you choose a riad, many are owned by Europeans who run them initially then leave the running to local staff, this does not always lead to great service. There are of course many exceptions but part of the reason for staying in a riad is the personal service and facilities that they can offer. Read all the comments before deciding, also after several visits I personally prefer the southern medina it is more relaxed, has good eating places, some easily found bars and cafes and also some of the main sites.

On our most recent visit we stayed at the Riad Houma www.riad-houma.com a French owned and recently opened riad, which has been beautifully designed and has all the Marrakech requirements, excellent service, wonderful design and a wide range of services. Highly recommended and good value for the level of facilities.

I would also recommend checking out www.morocco-gateway.com. This is run by a couple Tim and Nicola who are passionate about all things Moroccan and they have a selection of riads throughout the country on their site plus lots of additional information including some on responsible tourism.

The number of good eating places increases on each visit. There is a wide variety, good traditional Moroccan cooking as well as French, Italian, Thai, even Indian if the tagines become too much. There are many eating places in both the medina and the new part Gueliz, as well as the Hivernage. Nearly all the cheaper places in the old part will not sell alcohol, the more up market ones and those in the new town probably will. There are a number of excellent new discoveries below and at some you can just pop in for a drink.

Restaurants

Medina

Nomad just off  Place Kedina is owned by local restaurateur Kamal Laftini who also owns the Café des Espices in the square itself. Nomad has a small shop on the ground floor then a number of upper levels with terraces overlooking the square. Excellent food, good service and serving wine and beer.

Cafe des Espices is a cafe style place, again with a terrace, and sells soft drinks, great fruit juices and sandwiches. A lovely place to relax and watch the activity in one of the best squares, packed with shopping opportunities.

Le Jardin, 32 Souk El-Jeld is owned by the same person and is in the northern part of the medina. The setting is lovely and the food was good, it is definitely worth a visit and again sells wine and beer.

Ksar Essaaoussan is housed in a sixth century riad and offers a set menu of a pre dinner drink, three courses, wine, and tea and Moroccan pastries for just over £20. The food is good but what makes it truly memorable is the atmosphere, service and surroundings, you also get a chance to explore the building before you sit down to a long, relaxed dinner. You can book on line and they will assist with directions as it is not the easiest to place to find but well worth a visit.

Jemaa El Fna Square at night should be tried at least once, you can eat at one of the dozens of stalls however it is sensible to stick to cooked items such as kebabs and cooked vegetable dishes. Wander round until you find one that you like, you have to walk round at least once to listen to the sales chat from the men on the stalls.

Chez Chegrouni, Place Jemaa El Fna, is a reliable place on the square which has been there for years, you write your order on the piece of paper you are given and at the end it comes back as your bill. The food is good and cheap, a decent choice of tagines and cous-cous, be prepared to share one of the long tables.

Argana, Place Jemaa El Fna, this was a Marrakech institution until the bombing in 2011, it is however being re-built and looks like it will re-open soon. Hopefully the menu will remain as it was and you can try the excellent rabbit tagine, one of many good options.

Le Marrakchi, Place Jemaa El Fna, is more expensive but on the second floor it does have a great view of the square it sells wine but the food is probably not as good as either of the two above.

Le Foundouk, 55 Souk El Fassi, Kaai Ben Nahid, near the Medersa Ben Youssef, is worth seeking out, it is very popular and booking at weekend nights is essential. Go instead for lunch, the menu is Moroccan and French and the building is beautiful. We returned this visit for lunch and while prices have gone up the food was good as was the service. contrary to some reports.

La Tanjia 14 Derb J’Did Mellah, just next to Place des Ferblantiers, Southern Medina, is owned by the same people as Marrakachi. The food was good and reasonably priced when we visited, there is entertainment some evenings and a bar and terrace area. We did not try it this visit but it still gets decent reviews.

Dar Moha, 81 Rue Dar Bacha, in the northern medina it is one of the older restaurants with a reputation for top notch Moroccan food. It was wonderful, the setting, the service and the food. It does not come cheap but worth every penny as you are also entertained by some amazing musicians, the terrace is best if the weather is good.

Restaurant Jama, is attached to the Riad of the same name on Rue Riad Zitoun El Jedid, it is a lovely candle lit courtyard with excellent tagines including a beef and fig one. Wine is available if you ask.

New Town – Gueliz

Kechmara, Rue de la Liberte, is a very smart modern French restaurant with a great set lunch and a la carte menu. It is very pleasant with a modern feel and good service it is also worth visiting just for a drink at night.

Le Loft, Rue de la Liberte, offers an excellent value lunch with a wide range of choices which remind you of a good Paris bistro. It seems to be very popular with residents and while the tables are rather close togther, again like Paris, it was definitely a find.

Al Fassia 55 Bld M. Zerktouni, Gueliz, is a very well known Moroccan restaurant, run entirely by women, booking is essential, the food is good, as is the service but perhaps not as good as it was.

Rotisserie La Paix, 68 Rue du Yougoslavie, Gueliz, is a great place for grilled meats, it has a lovely garden or a roaring fire if the weather is cold. Very reasonable prices and good service, it was quiet when we checked it out last visit but still gets good reports.

Hivernage

Le Comptoir, Comptoir Darna, Avenue Rechouada, Hivernage, was one of the original trendy places to eat in Marrakech, but do not let that put you off. You should book particularly on a Friday or Saturday and enjoy either a French or Moroccan menu which are good and fairly reasonably priced for a place with such a reputation, there is also the belly dancing entertainment to enjoy.

Bars

It is possible to go for a relaxing beer or wine in the old part of Marrakech but the number of places is limited, it is easier in the new part of the city. The recommended ones in the old part are listed first.

Rock n’Kech, Rue Fatima Zohra not far from the Koutoubia Mosque is a great new addition. A rooftop bar with views of the Koutoubia it has reasonablt priced wine and beer and also serves food including small dishes of Moroccan specialities. The friendly staff make this one of the best places for a relaxing drink.

Le Salama, 60 Rue de Banques, is a restaurant and terrace bar, owned by local entrepreneur Nourredine Fakir. The food seems to be Moroccan tapas style and the bar the night we went was packed with people sipping cocktails. There was also a belly dancing cabaret. Any smart place where you can get a drink close to the Jemaa El Fna is welcome and a long happy hour with two for one beers is a bonus

Kosy Bar, Place Des Ferbantiers, close to the Bahia Palace, is a restaurant with two bars, one on the ground floor and one a roof top terrace. It is a great place to chill out with a beer or a glass of wine. The music choice is excellent and it is open till 12 or 1 am at weekends. The prices have increased and the beers are more expensive than most places but wines are still good value and at weekends the party atmosphere can be great with live music.

La Tanjia, see above, is also an option for a drink and is very close to Kosy Bar

Hotel Gran Tazi, corner of Avenue El Mouahidine and Rue Bab Agnaou is an old fashioned basic hotel which serves a very welcome cold beer or wine if you take a seat on one of the many sofas in the lobby or bar area. Only open till 11pm it is very handy for the Jemaa El Fna and still popular with visitors who are not bothered by the surroundings or some of the customers.

In the Medina near the Souks is Café Arabe, Rue el Mouassine which is a restaurant, café and bar with a lovely terrace.This has expanded since our last visit and is very popular for both meals and drinks.

Nomad is another lovely place where you can enjoy a drink, check out the details in the restaurant section above.

Chesterfield Pub, Hotel Nassim, 115 Ave Mohammed V, Gueliz, is an old-fashioned hotel bar with a terrace by the pool, it is very popular with visitors wishing to chill out with a beer and is open till 1 am.

Kechmara in Gueliz is mentioned above under restaurants but can also be used just for a drink.

Drink

There are not many restaurants of the cheaper variety in the medina area where you can have a beer or wine, it tends to be the more upmarket ones however the new part of the city around Gueliz has more options. In that area there are also quite a few basic bars frequented by local men only. There is a lively nightclub scene in Gueliz and the Hivernage.

Morocco produced a very large amount of wine when it was a Fench colony, but it then declined. Recent joint ventures with French wine growers has seen an increase with some now exported, mainly to France. The majority is red but rose and white are also produced. Cuvee de la President is probably the one most often found and is very drinkable but it is worth keeping an eye out for wines produced near Essaouira at the Val d’Argan. These include Gazelle de Mogador and Orients, the ones we tried were excellent. They are produced by a Frenchman whose family have vineyards in the Chateau Neuf du Pape area of France.

Morocco also produces lager type beer and Flag and Casablance are the two most commonly seen, Casablanca is more expensive but worth the extra money. Prices can vary enormously depending on the type of place and taxes on alcohol are high. Many upmarket bars also offer a range of cocktails. Wine and beer can be bought at Carrefour supermarkets.

In the Southern Medina visit the Bahia Palace, the Badil Palace and the Saadian Tombs as well as couple of interesting museums. The northern medina contains the Ben Youssef Medersa and the Museum of Photography, a fairly recent addition.

Shopping in the souks is a must, go once to get the layout, the second time to start pricing things and the third time to bargain and buy. Although people will obviously try and get you into their shops the only real hassle is near the dyers souk and the tanneries, which are not a particularly pleasant place to visit.

Visit the Majorelle Gardens in Gueliz these were owned by Yves Saint Laurent and are beautiful with amazing colours, they are also very busy.

There are lots more things to see, just go and soak up the atmosphere. There is a tourist bus that does two circuits of the city to give you an overview.

Essaouira is on the Atlantic coast about three hours from Marrakech by bus or taxi, Supratours who are owned by Moroccan railways run the most reliable service with the best drivers, the depot is next to the Railway Station. Tickets should be booked in advance, this can be done through Marrakech Tickets www.marrakechtickets.co.uk who will buy them on your behalf and deliver them to your hotel. There is a charge, part of which goes to charity but it is well worth it. Before you board the bus you have to register your baggage and pay a small supplement. When you arrive outside the city walls porters meet the buses and offer to transport your baggage to your riad.

The town is a beautiful blue and white vision with amazing ramparts, a huge fishing port and a lovely beach. It is very laid back and has loads of restaurants and cafes, places for a drink are harder to find but worth seeking out.

Check out the usual hotel sites and riad specialist sites, last time we stayed at Ryad Watier, 16 Rue Ceuta, www.ryad-watier-maroc.com it is a beautifully converted school building, owned by a charming Frenchman called Jean Gabriel. The whole place, its rooms, terraces and staff are all wonderful.

On our most recent visit we stayed at the Riad Chems Bleuw ww.chems-bleu.com which is a lovely riad with very good staff and convenient to the Supratours terminal.

La Licorne, 25 Rue du Skala, serves mainly Moroccan dishes in a lovely setting, with friendly service and very reasonable prices.

Restaurant Chez Sam is on the waters edge, it looks like a boat, go for lunch and sit on the terrace and have a freshly caught fish lunch, good quality and very reasonable prices.

The fish stalls at Place Moulay Hassan are an attraction but comments from locals indicate over charging and disappointing quality and they longer use them. The best recommendation is to buy your fish at the fish souk then take it to Chez Karim for them to cook, check the exact location with your riad.

Elizir, 1 Rue Agadir, is owned by a charming Moroccan guy who spend a long time in Italy and this shows in the cooking, it is top notch, service is good and prices amazing for the quality. He collect retro plastic furniture and other objects which make the place quirky and the music choice is also excellent. We returned on our most recent visit and it was every bit as good as previously. Booking recommended at weekends.

Restaurant Legnaoui, Rue de la Skala, is a very small place with a lovely owner and good food, no alcohol is served but this is well worth a visit for the quality and prices. Try the local fish tagine.

Caravane Cafe, 2 Bis Rue Cadi, we only went for a drink but the food gets good reviews so well worth checking out.

Taros Café, Place Moulay Hassan, is a restaurant, gallery and bar with a roof top terrace and good cocktails, lunch on the terrace is very pleasant and a cocktail under the stars with great music is wonderful. The terrace may be shut in winter depending on the weather.

For totally the other end of the scale, if you are brave enough, is Le Trou, Rue Mohammed El Ayachi. Stand with your back to the clock tower facing Hotel Sahara and go down the alley turn left and it is the last door. It is a Moroccan male drinking den where they do not seem to mind the odd visitor who pops in for a beer and mixed groups are fine. It has been smartened up and the hot chickpeas served free with drinks are very good.

Next to the Hotel Sahara on the left through the garden and restaurant is another small bar frequented by locals.

About an hour and a quarter from Marrakech up in the Atlas is the small town of Ouirgane which has a couple of places to stay but before you come to Ouirgane is La Bergerie, Km 59 Marigha Route de Taroudant,

It is a great place for a couple of days with lovely perfectly acceptable rooms, some of which are in self contained buildings with terraces and wood burning stoves, a must in the winter, the main building near the pool contains the bar and restaurant.

Accommodation is on a half board dinner basis and the menu is varied and good, they can arrange walking tours and also horse riding. The views are fantastic and you could quite happily chill out for a couple of days round the pool.

Recent reports say that the place has seen better days and could do with some refurbishment but there are other options in the area.