Mediterranean Itinerary – Marrakech

Hello everyone,

I am finally sharing my Mediterranean itinerary with you all! A step by step of our full itinerary, from where we went to and where we ate, to how we travelled between cities and countries. I am breaking it down for you all and giving you tips we learned along the way. Things we would have done differently, so that you can avoid the same mistakes we did. If I share all four countries with you all in one post you guys may be reading for four days, so I have decided to break it down by country. In this post I will be sharing all about Marrakech!

Let me start off by saying that this was one of my favorite vacations with my husband and such an amazing way to ring in 31! We went to four countries in 16 days! Our trip started off in Marrakech. Now given Morocco is in Africa, the summer months were insanely hot which is a given. The first thing upon arrival we noticed that my husband’s bag was missing, which was a huge inconvenience and we ended up spending hours at the airport trying to find it. We flew Lufthansa and not going to lie, they weren’t much help. After not being able to locate his bag, we left the airport because we had someone waiting for us to take us to our hotel. The thing with Morocco is that there are tons of people trying to get your attention at the airport to take you to your destination. I would not trust this option. You should definitely arrange for a ride ahead of time. We used the service, Gettransfer.com.

The private car picked us up right outside of the airport and took us to Jemaa El Fna Boutique Hotel. This riad is located in the Medina itself, so the car couldn’t take us to the actual hotel. It dropped us to the entrance to the Medina, and we had to walk about 10 minutes through the hustle and bustle. After 4pm the streets are closed off because the Medina gets very busy and there are tons of shops, restaurants, and street vendors set up. It turns into a full marketplace where you can buy literally anything and everything. It’s a great place to explore and it was the first thing on our list. Once we checked into our hotel at the Riad Jemaa El Fna & Spa, we explored the Medina for the remainder of the evening. There was so much to see and do, you can easily spend all day there.

There are over 1500 riads in Marrakech, and to choose which one to stay at was very difficult. There are the well-known riads that I am sure you all have heard of, like La Mamounia and Riad Yasmine (which is my mom’s name!), but the smaller riads are just as beautiful and give you more of that authentic Moroccan feel. We were so happy with our pick; Riad Jemaa El Fna  was stunning, with a swimming pool right in the center of the property. It was 5 floors and each floor had the most beautiful balcony view of the pool. It is centrally located and a great spot to stay. Every morning they served breakfast on their rooftop that consisted of traditional and western offerings!

Some places to visit are The Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Madrasa. Both were closed when we were in Marrakech, but if these places are open, they are definitely worth the visit. We went for tea at La Mamounia, and it is such a gorgeous hotel and definitely worth a visit. Be sure to visit the Koutoubia Mosque, especially during sunset. It is breathtaking and golden hour is always great for photos. Visit the museum of Yves Saint Laurent and the Jardin Marjoelle, also. Of course while walking through the medina you visit all of the souks that contain carpets, spices, and all types of goodies.

For dinner we tried to mix it up from eating at restaurants and spending time inside the Medina, but Nomad is a GREAT spot for a sunset dinner. We got the Nomad couscous with braised beef and the lamb chops and they were both delicious. Ask the locals where to dine and they will be sure to share some recommendations. Just know you may have to tip them.

Malick and I always love doing something adventurous where ever we go, so on the third day we decided to go on an ATV tour through the Moroccan desert and it was epic! Such a cool way to explore the desert and see a different part of town. We even stopped in a small little village with no more than 50 people living there and had authentic Moroccan tea and bread with honey. It was honestly one of my favorite experiences. The desert is obviously very dusty so bring sunglasses and a scarf to cover your nose and mouth. Even though they give you helmets that cover your face, you will want the extra protection. We chose the half day tour, so we were done by noon. There were also other options for day tours, and if you have more time then you should definitely look into doing the Atlas Mountains to the Moroccan city of Ait Ben Haddou. If we had more time, we would have definitely done that.

After the tour we freshened up and went to Musée de Marrakech. There is unbeatable tile work and so much culture and heritage there. We also had time to visit the Heritage Museum, which was also great to see, but to be honest one is more than enough. We went to lunch at Atay Cafe and it is so cute and Instagrammable! On the rooftop you have a view of Ben Youssef Madrasa and all of the rust colored buildings in Marrakech; almost makes you feel like you’re in Agraba.

On our last night we went to dinner at Le Salama restaurant, which was steps away from our hotel and in the heart of the Medina. The ambiance was chic and modern and the decor made it very, very photogenic. The food and drinks were great too and I wish we would have tried it sooner because I would have returned to this restaurant in a heartbeat.

Check out some unseen photos from the trip below! Also, linking all the looks I wore in Marrakech!

That’s all for the Marrakech tour. Stay tuned for the details from Turkey, next!

Xoxo,

Farh