Hey there! Wow, I didn’t mean to disappear for quite so much time, but just like every week, this was a busy one. Sometimes it’s hard to find an hour or so to sit down and write these posts, but I love going back and reading them, so here we are. Last weekend, Luis and I spent the weekend in Marrakech, Morocco, which has been on my Travel Bucket List for some time now. While Morocco itself is not very expensive, flights to Marrakech are usually pretty pricey. Luis and I found tickets for a reasonable price and jumped on them, and with that, A Weekend in Marrakech was born.
Friday in Marrakech
We landed on Friday afternoon, dropped off our bags, and went exploring.
Mostly we were looking for a place to have lunch, since it was almost 5:00 by the time we got out, but after realizing how large Marrakech is, what we found ended up being dinner. I will say that I am usually ANTI tourist restaurants. You know, the ones that have menus in English and every other language, and present these beuatiful modern dishes. But… in Morocco, I am all for the touristy. Marakech is unlike any European city (obviously, because it’s not in Europe) and I did a bit more pre-reading for this trip than others. Mostly, I read about what to expect, what to be aware of, and how to stay safe. A big thing that kept coming up again and again was that you should be wary of what you eat, where it comes from, and how it was prepared, so the options were to go the very traditional route, or eat at more touristy places, which you see above. On the first night, we tried to eat at Nomad, which is one of the most popular restaurants in Marrakech, but they were full, so we ended up at Terrasse des épices, which you see above (the photo of the food, me in the hat, and the views from the roof).
Saturday in Marrakech
Saturday was a good day. We started with breakfast, which was provided by our ‘Riad’- traditional Moroccan accomodation. 
Then ventured out to see the souk and walk all around Marrakech.
We stopped for lunch eventually, and after lots of going back and forth, we decided on Color Safra Restaurant, since they offered a full menu for just under 10€.
More exploring ensued…
Around 6 pm, we went to a Hammam, which is a traditional Moroccan bath house. Traditionally, men and women are separate, but if you go to the private ones, you can go with your friends, fam, etc. They take you into a small sauna/ room with a bath and throw warm water all over you, cover your body in black soap, leave you for a few minutes, and then come back and scrub the &·”%%”/ out of your skin to get the dead stuff off. Then they put clay all over your body, then rinse it off, wash your hair, and bid you farewell. Afterwards, there is a massage (if you pay for it). We did the hour long massage and it was amazing. We hemmed and hawed over which place to go to, but went to Aux Mains de Fées after stumbling across it during our exploration of Marrakech. The reviews online are mediocre, but…. it was NOT expensive and, HELLO, you get what you pay for. I would go back and I would recommend it. And they gave us tea…
Later that night, we had another crazy experience, which was eating dinner in the Jemaa el-Fnaa sqaure, which is the main square in Marrakech and absolutely INSANE. It’s full of people, people holding monkeys and snakes, people pulling you this way and that way, motorcycles going in all different directions and more. I wanted to give it a try though, so after dealing with some aggressive people trying to convince us to go to their restaurant, we picked a restaurant that was full of Moroccans and sat down…. maybe not at the best spot at the table, depending on who you ask.
We ordered a couple salads and the cous cous and tajine to split and enjoyed the liveliness.
Sunday in Marrakech
On Sunday, we started with breakfast and then headed out for another day of exploring. Our first stop took us to the Synagogue in Marrakech (Slat Al Azama Synagogue), which is located in the ‘Jewish Quarter’. I put that in quotes because while it is still considered the Jewish Quarter, they say only about 10 Jews live there, although the Synagogue is still used (but is also a small musuem).
While the Synagogue was interesting, what I really found unique was the Jewish Quarter itself. It felt like ‘real- life Marrakech’ and what I mean by that was that there weren’t any men trying to convince you to buy their merchandise or eat in their restaurant. There weren’t any motorcycles flying down the alleyways, missing you by a tiny bit. There were just people, living their every day lives- shopping for food, making things, kids running around. The people are very, very poor, but I liked this side of Marrakech considerably more.
From there, we spent the rest of the day exploring Marrakech and briefly stopped for lunch (we got to try the traditional pastille, which is normally made with PIGEON meat, but this was made with chicken…I think.
Then made our way back to grab our bags and head to the airport.
And that brought us to the end of our weekend in Marrakech. Did I LOVE Marrakech? No. Would I go back? No. Did I think it was a good experience? Of course.
Marrakech itself is a city that is not for the faint of heart. It is chaotic with people everywhere, motorcycles flying down small alleys, men trying to talk to you every which way you turn. It can be overwhelming when people physically pull on you, or ask “where are you from, FRIEND?” over and over, and while I know they do this because they are trying to earn a living, it can feel invasive and aggressive at times. You have to be on guard 100% of the time because from the moment you step out of the airport, it feels like someone is trying to screw you over (for lack of a better word). The taxi driver tells you an inflated price, and then as soon as you get out of the taxi, some man is “ready to take you to your hotel” (for a tip) and when you tell him ‘no thanks’, he tells you to go the wrong way. Also, like I said, the only part of Marrakech that we saw that felt authentic was the Jewish quarter. The rest feels like a big show because who is buying all of theose colorful rugs and shoes and plates and bags of spices except tourists? I am glad we experienced the Hammam and got to enjoy multiple tajines, but I think I can safely check Marrakech off of my bucket list.
Recommended Restaurants:
Recommended Hammam:
Hahahaha… that’s a message from Luis when writing the post, BUT in all seriousness, we went to Aux Mains de Fées. which was a great deal for the price. We paid about 75€ for a 30 minute Hammam (that’s the torture he refers to), then an hour long massage each and a manicure for me and a pedicure for Luis. Not too bad!
Things To Be Aware Of:
- Know how much you think the taxi will cost BEFORE you get to Morocco. Ask for that price.
- If anyone tells you something is closed (ie, you are walking down the street and men/ boys will say ‘the plaza is closed’!), keep walking. They are lying and want you to follow them. They will take you somewhere else and ask for a tip.
- Bring a bathing suit for the Hammam. if you want.
- You will read online that it’s not easy to find ATMs…. we saw ATMs everywhere.
- People expect you to pay for everything… the bathroom, talking to someone, asking for directions, etc.