Marrakech: The Magic And The Madness

Monday, September 5, 2011

Where to Shop In Marrakech:Beldi 9—11 Souikat Laksour; 212-44/441-076. Jean-Paul Gaultier is a regular at Taoufiq Baroudi's boutique, for glamorous caftans, babouches (slippers), silk quilts, and pillows.Ministero del Gusto 22 Derb Azzouz el-Mouassine; 212-44/426-455. This Italian-run gallery with a pool in the middle specializes in contemporary art and furniture.Ryad Tamsna 23 Derb Zanka Deika, off...

Sunday, September 4, 2011

This North African city of medieval souks and winding streets is undergoing a dramatic transformation.Marrakech and I go back almost 40 years, when I was assigned by the Peace Corps to teach English at the Lycée Mohammed V, deep in the medina. At the time, the city was an exotic North African backwater with only a handful of decent places to stay and eat, most of them holdovers from the French-colonial...
Forget chilly lessons in the UK. Where better to beat a childhood phobia of water than on an intensive swimming course in Morocco? It was a warm winter morning in Marrakech and I was staring at a middle-aged man called Steven and urging myself to fall into his arms. "Just let yourself go," he said. "I can't, I just can't," I whimpered. "I'm scared – I have never done this before." "You can," urged...
It'a the kind of place one first hears about in a yoga class, discussed in heated whispers between sun salutations. Or while eavesdropping on two model types with French accents in a cafe. About 10 years ago that place might have been Tulum, Mexico, but these days it's Essaouira, a tiny white-walled port city on Morocco's Atlantic coast. While Marrakech is increasingly attracting stylish travelers...

Saturday, September 3, 2011

IN 1939, George Orwell wrote of Westerners flocking to Marrakech in search of “camels, castles, palm-trees, Foreign Legionnaires, brass trays and bandits.” Ever since, the city has been ravishing visitors with its teeming souks, ornate palaces and sybaritic night life. In recent years, a succession of high-end openings and restorations — most notably, the lavish reopening of the hotel La Mamounia...
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