Wandering Publicist

Hi everyone! Welcome to the first of what will be many blog posts. Traveling is one of my greatest passions. I love exploring the off-the-beaten path, and I hope to inspire you to visit the places I have explored and provide ideas of what to do, where to stay, what to eat, etc.

This past December, I spent a week in Marrakech, Morocco with my best friend Amanda. The idea to visit Morocco was all mine and thank god she was on board because it was one of the most magical trips we have ever been on. There are many countries that have a reputation of being “unsafe” especially for female travelers. However, it has been my experience that in reality most places are not as bad as people tell you. Our parents were still a little concerned (even when we returned home Amanda’s dad still stuck to his belief :p) and many friends skeptically asked “Why Morocco?” Now, I can confidently say “Because it is freaking amazing, that’s why!!” Let me show you how to navigate the hustle and bustle of Marrakech.

We stayed in a magnificent riad (Morocco’s version of a bed and breakfast plus a plunge pool in the center, all the tea you can drink and a roof top terrace,) in the heart of the medina. We were enchanted the second we walked into Riad Papilon and met Zoohair (who we would become so close with,) the riad host. He greeted us with tea served in what look like large shot glasses and gave us a much needed introduction to Marrkaech. He was the first one who told us that we are in a very safe city regardless the time of day. Yes, you get heckled in the souks but that is all part of the experience, no one is out to harm you. However, some of the men in the souks play a game of trying to get tourists lost and then asking for money to help them find their way. With this knowledge we were able to confidently ignore the few times we heard someone shout “It’s closed” or “Come this way” knowing what they were trying to do.

But enough about that, lets get to the fun part.

The medina is a burst of energy that hits all your senses. The street food aromas, the vivid colors, the various talents performing to make a few dihrams, awakens the traveler spirit as you try to take it all in. A maze of alley roads leading to the unknown. You can spend days wandering around, never getting bored.

Shopping:

The majority of the medina area consists of souks where you can find anything your heart desires. The colors, fabrics and patterns are awe-inspiring. I was mostly interested in scarves (I pick one up in every country I visit!), shoes, face creams (I love trying different skin care products,) and bags.

I love buying scarves. They capture the unique design aesthetic of that place, plus they are super easy to pack! The ones in the medina were so gorgeous, I came home with 3 of them!!

We found an incredible holistic healing and skin care shop right outside of Ben Yousef Madrasa (the oldest university in Morocco, also a must see!) where I purchased a luxurious rose infused facial moisturizer and Amanda bought argon oil. We both received argon oil soaps and natural lipstick as a gift from the gracious shopkeeper. This beautiful potpourri outside the shop is what initially  caught our attention!

The abundance of bags with pom-poms and tassels on them immediately caught my eye! I picked up two (one for me and my bestie!) Each cost about 20 bucks! Crazy prices for such beautiful work. Go to Ma Creation and check it out for yourself!

All of the shopkeepers we met were incredibly kind and helpful regardless if we bought anything or not. We stumbled into a father and son shop where they made all different things from wood. The son showed us how he made things and gave us cute necklaces as a gift. We went back 3 times just to say “hi” and of course wedid buy a few gorgeous things. The father let us decide the price we were willing to pay. You know when you can tell someone is a kind soul just by looking at them? This man exuded love, it was a beautiful interaction. I wish we had gotten a picture with them!!

Cafe’s/Rooftop Terraces: 

Right away we noticed people hanging out on rooftops of cafes and restaurants and once we went to one we realized why; the terraces are somehow insanely quiet even though they are above the hustle and bustle of the markets. The terraces are also a great place to soak up the sun. Our choice of drink was always the spiced coffee, a yummy treat that varied in each place!

Where to Eat:

The cuisine in Morocco is great for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Every menu had vegetarian couscous and tagine. A great place for music at nights and good food is Kui-Zin (they also have a great terrace!) Being Jews, we had to check out the one kosher restaurant in Marrakech, Dar Ima, which is in the new city area. On our last night we went to Café Arabe, which is loved by locals and tourists alike. There are 3 floors to eat from which all have different décor vibes. We went to the top to dine on, what else, the terrace. After our dinner we headed to Comptoir Darna, a French inspired restaurant which features belly dancers at night. They put on a great show and we enjoyed drinks and Hookah (or as they call it, Shisha)

Jemaa el-Fnaa:

Jemaa el-Fnaa is the main square in the medina where you can find all sorts of locals performing to make a quick dihram, snake charmers, street food and anything else you can image. This is the ultimate sensory overload. When were were there, we saw a young boy doing crazy acrobatics and a man who created his own juke box. He was mesmerizing. Its a super fun place but you need to be ready to handle a lot of people trying to get your attention.

Nightlife:

We were under the impression that finding alcohol in the medina is nearly impossible which caused us to frantically spend way to much money that I would like to say buying tiny bottles of Smirnoff at the Casablanca airport (please don’t ask us why we didn’t get at JFK, we have no idea what the hell was wrong with us.) When we landed in Marrakech and saw the Duty Free store selling huge bottles for a fraction of what we just spent, we were cringing so hard. So my takeaway for you. GET ALCOHOL AT YOUR AIRPORT or in duty free at Marrakech. Also, our riad host told us there were plenty of stores selling alcohol nearby so don’t fall trap to this myth.

Coming from NYC, we have pretty high expectations of nightlife.  Most places can’t compare to what we are used to. Needless to say, Marrakech’s scene was very different from what we were used to. There are a bunch of clubs in the new city of Marrakech  (where you will see Starbucks and Zara’s lining the streets.) On Saturday night, our first stop was at SO Lounge which is part of the Sofitel and was recommended by our riad host. It is a gorgeous place and that night there was a live  performance which was fun, but for a club it wasn’t doing it for us. Everyone was just sitting, but perhaps we were there on an off night or it was just too early. (I love this photo of us though!) Our next stop was Theatro. At first, we were turned off by the $30 cover charge and tried going to other places, but there were all dead so we returned to Theatro and ended up having a great night! One of the main differences here versus a NYC club was that the guys are not going up to girls offering them drinks and trying to get you to come to their table. If you go up to them and strike up a convo they will gladly chat and drink with you but it was so weird for us at first. We did end up getting called over to a table of Moroccans who have lived in Montreal for the past 8 years so they knew the protocol of inviting Americans over. Theatro was super fun, filled with dancing Pandas and go-go girls! I highly recommend for a fun night out.

Henna:

I am obsessed with henna, I get them anytime I am some place that is known for them (Israel, Thailand.) We got our hennas done at the famous Henna Café. They are known for using top quality henna that is not harmful to your skin. You will find many people offering very cheap hennas in the main square Jemaa el-Fnaa but don’t be temped. Henna Café also serves great food!

The Gardens:

The most famous “jardin” in Marrakech is hands down Yves Saint Laurent’s. The bold and bright colors are breathtaking and make for great photos. It cost about 8 dollars to get in so definitely worth doing and only takes a few hours out of your day at most. The café is also really cute, we both ate the eggs with avocados (they give you an ENTIRE avocado!) We also went to a more quiet, less touristy garden called “Le Jardin Secret” right in middle of the medina! We came here on our last day and it was so peaceful we were able to just sit and really appreciate the amazing trip we just had.

Hammam Spa Experience:

A must-do in Morocco is going to a Hammam which is their version of a spa. The traditional ones are very inexpensive and are usually in group settings where you strip down and an attendant scrubs you down with exfoliates and oils. Amanda and I decided to go a higher end one – the Hammam De La Rose – where it would just be the two of us getting the treatments. We each got a 30 minute classic hammam and then a 30 minute body massage. We did this on our last day. Best way to relax before going back home.

I hope you found this breakdown of Marrakech and the medina useful and can understand why I am so in love with this place! Please let me know if you are planning a trip and would like any advice or more information on anything.

Next Morocco post will be about our day trip to Ourika Valley! Stay tuned!

XO,

Sarah