Recently we celebrated our fifth anniversary in Marrakesh. This trip marked our visiting five continents in five years. But even with all this globe-trotting, we had yet to hit up any of the 22 nations that make up the Arab League.
Having never been, we had lots of pre-conceived notions of what to expect from an Arab country. We were eager to get on the ground in Marrakesh and decipher fact from fiction for ourselves. Somewhat to our surprise, we found that a handful of reputed characteristics of the Arab world actually rang quite true in Morocco.
Alcohol-Free Cocktail Menus
Much to our disappointment, alcohol is very hard to come by in this neck of the woods. Before our trip, Jeff couldn’t fathom inaccessibility to booze. But sure enough, many restaurants do not offer alcohol at all. Those that do generally have a meager and overpriced selection.
But if we’ve learned anything from prohibition, when drinking is involved, where there is a will there is a way. Here are a handful of recommended watering holes and restaurants that we found to wet our whistles.
La Malmounia – Le Churchill Bar: The price tags at this swanky grand hotel bar will make you intend to stay for one, but the lush velvet armchairs and fab people watching will convince you to stay for many more.
El Fenn: The rooftop restaurant at this stunning boutique hotel offers a menu that is the perfect respite when you’ve fully maxed out on tagine (even if the aperitif arrives with dessert).
Grand Café de La Post: The 1920’s vibe at this historic restaurant and bar will have you feeling like you’ve been transported to colonial times. I stuck with bottled beer here (having been burned by sub-par cocktails already), but relished in the easy-breezy scene.
Al Fassia: Come here for the food as the drinks list is predictable and the service is slow even for Moroccan standards. The menu may look like it’s the same-same (tagine, cous cous, tagine, tagine, tagine), but don’t be fooled. The food really is a step above the rest.
Nomad & Le Jardin: These sister restaurants are alcohol-free. Tragic,I know. But if you can manage a sober lunch or two, they’re ideal retreats from the medina madness.
Psychedelic Souks
The Marrakesh souks are epic and feel fantastical on several dimensions – the scale, the mayhem, and the drool-worthyness of the wares on offer. Brass lanterns, kilim rugs, vibrant ceramics, and leather poufs beckoned me. But it was impossible to know what was the real deal and what were alleged Chinese imposters.
And the thing that is most mind blowing about these marketplaces is the haggling that goes on in order to land on a price. Bargaining feels like an Olympic sport. It was made clear quickly that I am a novice and the vendors could win gold. Bargaining makes me so uncomfortable that I generally cave to about 2% off of the vendors’ asking price just to make the whole experience end.
Thankfully, we teamed up with a local guide, Ouidad, to help navigate the souks, sniff out the fakes, and do the bargaining for us. She took us to two diamonds in the rough that had me at hello.
Miloud Art Gallery / El Jouli: All that glitters is really gold in this place, or brass for that matter. There’s not a knock-off in sight amidst this treasure trove of lanterns and in-laid bone furniture.
Chateaux des Souks: There are carpets as far as the eye can see and service with a smile at this rug co-op featuring the weavings from multiple tribes. You’re treated like a queen as carpets are laid out for you to mandate in Arabic, ‘leave!’ or ‘stay!’
At these spots Ouidad’s most-often used haggling tactic was, ‘But they have a baaaaaaabeeeeeee. Give them a good price,’ which made me chuckle as we were generally bargaining for completely unnecessary homewares that will likely get ruined by said baby anyway. Should you find yourself stumbling around the Marrakesh souks, Ouidad will help you land a ‘very special price’.
Signature Design
We found they haven’t veered too far from the Islamic architectural play book in Marrakesh. They design around a courtyard, show only a wall with no windows to the street, and focus on water. But the interiors that they overlay create a signature Moroccan look that makes me swoon.
Our seven-room ryad, Ryad Dyor, comes highly recommended and is a shining example of a traditionally Islamic structure draped with Moroccan flavor. I was desperate to snatch an ikat pillow or two for my living room. Really, do you think they’d miss them amidst all of this?
Call to Prayer
Not surprisingly, the call to prayer happens like clockwork five times a day in the Arab world. Having experienced it in other Muslim countries in Asia, I find the call to prayer to be calming and atmospheric even if you aren’t actually taking part.
Nonetheless, the first call to prayer of the day happening at dawn always comes as quite a shock – especially when you’re desperate for a lie in. Having left our one-year old (who has a daily 6:00 a.m. ‘call to play’) in London, the early-morning call to prayer is one custom we were happy to leave behind.
Our first foray into the Arab world gave us a taste of yet another new culture. And generally as that goes, some of our pre-existing expectations were met, but more importantly we uncovered some welcomed surprises. I can’t say I expected rooftop breakfasts with views of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains. Nor could I have imagined what my first traditional hammam spa experience would be like. Picture paper panties, lots of steam, and a little lady who can scrub like heck. And who knew my fancy argan facial oil that is about £3 a drop is crushed right in the Marrakesh medinas?
For me, it’s these unpredictable moments that make experiencing a new place or culture so intoxicating. And even if it’s hard to catch a real buzz in the Arab world, my first hit of this culture has me hooked and I’m looking for more. Oman anybody?
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