MARRAKESH
After traveling most of Western Europe, visiting Marrakesh was like experiencing a completely different world. We had never planned on visiting Morocco as a family and were initially a bit apprehensive about the safety of bringing our kids with us, but I’m so glad we didn’t let our fear hold us back from visiting such an incredible country.
SEE
Marrakech Souk: Visiting the souks are the most popular activity to do in Marrakesh. There’s the main souk in the middle of the town but also several small ones that kind of feed into the large souk. The souk is basically a bustling city with shops and food spots, but also schools and residences. Like any big city, you must watch out for your belongings and keep your valuables close to you. A bigger danger, however, are the motorcycles that come zipping through the narrow alleyways of the souk. If you’re visiting with young children, make sure they’re always holding an adults hand and walking on the side closest to the shops.
Camel ride at Palm Grove: Riding camels was at the very top of our list for our trip to Morocco. Most of the camel rides offered are long, several day trips to the Sahara Desert. Since we were short on times and also traveling with young kids, we found a fantastic company that offered short camel ride excursions. If this is something you're interested in, I would *highly* recommend M&A Tours. They were so easy to work with, accommodating of our little ones, great communication, and reasonable rate. The M&A driver picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the Palm Grove, where we were then dressed in authentic Berber clothing and enjoyed sunset views upon camel back. Fantastic tour guide and really special excursion.
SHOP
Ah, shopping tips for Marrakesh. Where do I even start?! Marrakesh is a shoppers paradise, offering unique treasures and trendy decor items that cost a fraction of what you’d pay in the United States. Because Marrakesh is a popular shopping spot for tourists, many of the shops, even the small ones, offer shipping to the US and other countries. Although, don’t underestimate how much you can bring back with you! I purchased a medium size rug which was then folded and packed tightly by the store and easily fit into my luggage. I also brought home 30 gorg, colorful baskets woven by women in the Atlas Mountains.
*If you haven’t yet read my packing tips, check them out here*
Some of my favorite shops in Marrakesh are:
Souk: A visit to Marrakesh is not complete without a trip (or trips!) to the large souk in the Médina, or middle of town. To avoid crowds, head out to the souk in the morning around opening time. The souk comes to life at night with restaurateurs luring tourists to their outdoor pop up tables, snake charmers, merchants with their loot spread out on the ground, etc. Bartering prices is a large part of Moroccan culture. I am personally not a huge fan of bartering and did lots of research on the system and typical prices before my visit to Morocco. When you are contemplating a purchase, decide in your mind the maximum price you would pay for the item. Shopkeepers will initially give you a crazy high price for an item. With a little back and forth negotiating, you can usually bring them down to a reasonable price quite quickly. For example, on our first day in Marrakesh, we had a tour guide lead us to the best shops in the souk (aka shops owned by his friends who would give him a cut from our purchases there 😆). I hadn’t even planned on purchasing a rug, but a few minutes into our tour, we found ourselves in a carpet shop being presented with rug after rug. I initially didn’t love any of the styles they showed us, but when I told them that I liked more of the colorful, bright rugs, they ran around the store throwing down rugs they thought best matched my description. When I saw one I liked, I tried not to seem too interested in it...so much that my husband thought I actually didn’t like it! Ha! Hiding your excitement about an item can sometimes influence the price negotiating process. Here is how our rug price negotiating went down:
Shopkeeper: “€800”
Me: “That’s too much. I actually wasn’t even planning on buying a rug today and this is our first stop”
Shopkeeper: “This is a handmade, unique rug! It’s the only one in our shop, we have nothing else like it.”
Me: “I know, but it’s too much. Would you take €200?”
Shopkeeper: “€200?! This is handmade! That’s not a fair price!”
*notices my kids and says to the staff “flying carpet rides”! then the guys start swinging the kids around on carpets while they squeal with glee.
Shopkeeper: “I love kids. You are my first customer of the day and bring me good luck. €550, I cannot go any lower”
Me: “Hmm that’s still a bit high for me. How about €300?”
Shopkeeper: “This is a quality rug! Handmade and unique, we don’t even have a bigger size in it!”
Me: “I know, but this is my first shop. I still have other things to purchase.”
Shopkeeper: “okay okay okay I give to you €350.”
Let me say again...I *hate* bartering! It’s just not in my skill set. But unfortunately if you don’t barter, you will end up spending a fortune or not purchasing anything at all. Download the Currency Converter app on your phone so you know the exact conversion when bartering. You can often get a lower price when you purchase more than one item. For example, if you want baskets that are normally priced at 150 Dirham each, the shopkeeper may offer them at 100 Dirham each if you purchase multiple.
Another tip for the souk: If you see something you absolutely love, just get it. The souk is so large and sprawling that you may not be able to find that stall again. I only regret the purchases I missed and didn’t make. I always tell myself that if I find something I like better, I can always give the other item as a present or sell it on eBay for much more than I paid for it.
Mustapha Blaoui: If you’re looking for quality home decor pieces, don’t miss Mustapha’s! This place basically has the same type of treasures you’ll find in the Souk...rugs, baskets, poufs, linens, etc, but it’s well organized and the prices are fair. If you visit Mustapha’s early in the day and don’t want to walk around town carrying your purchases, ask them to deliver your bags to your riad. For larger furniture items, Mustapha’s will ship for a reasonable charge.
Original Marrakesh: Unique and quality craftsmanship at its best! Official Marrakesh is known for their beautiful, personalized baskets, usually with colorful pompoms hanging from the handles. Email your order request before your trip and pick it up in person to save on shipping and customs charges.
STAY
There are lots of cool riads located near the center of Marrakesh. Many of them are built in the traditional style with all the rooms facing a center court with a pool. If you don’t mind the city sounds and would like to stay close to the souk, definitely consider staying at a riad.
Since we visited Marrakesh with our three young children, we opted to stay at The Fairmont Royal Palm, a resort about 15 minutes outside of Marrakesh. We loved the idea of staying in a more serene place and thought it would be a safer option. Imagine our surprise when we drove up to the resort and realized we booked the bougiest place in all of Marrakesh!
The Fairmont is an incredible resort with delicious restaurants, a huge kids club, and most importantly, the kindest staff you will ever meet. We stayed in a family suite which was perfect for our family of five. Every evening we would return to our suite to find little cakes and beautiful sweets that were left for our kids, along with water bottles on each of their pillows.
We loved ordering room service here, as many of the resort restaurants did not open until later in the evening. The staff would set up our outdoor patio table as if we were dining in the restaurant...white linens, centerpiece, the whole thing. The best part about it was that we didn’t need to stress about the kids behaving since we were eating in our own private patio and then the staff would come clean it all up while we were getting the kids ready for bed. I’m usually weary about splurging on room service, but with kids and limited dining options, I definitely recommend doing so here.
The Fairmont offers many activities and excursions, but what we found most impressive was the private cooking class and farm visit with the head chef of the resort. A staff member drove us to the edge of the resort where we found the sweetest little oasis awaiting us, including gardens, farm animals, and an outdoor kitchen. Beautiful rugs and poufs were set up for us to relax on, as well as a gorgeous table spread. The head chef, Serge Jost, kindly showed us how to make traditional Moroccan cuisine. The food was delicious and we loved learning how to prepare it. As the chicken and eggplant cooked in the hot tagine, the staff brought baby animals from the farm for our kids to play with. The weather was perfect and it all felt like a dream. When we ate our meal, our kids requested orange juice. A few minutes later, we saw a few staff members emerge from the garden with a bucket of freshly picked oranges, which they then proceeded to juice for our kids. We were touched at their kindness and the opportunity our family had to visit this social farm was priceless.
The Fairmont is a gorgeous resort, but it’s their incredible and attentive staff that really makes this place shine.
SAVOR
Libzar: Incredible food but an even more impressive owner and staff. We had a delicious meal here, but due to miscommunication, ended up having to wait for an hour for our driver to bring us back to the hotel. The kind waiter in the restaurant invited us back into the restaurant from the sidewalk, sat us down on comfortable poufs, and brought our family some of their delicious Moroccan mint tea. When our driver finally arrived, the waiter yelled at him from the door saying we had been waiting for a long time (I mean, they weren't speaking in English but that's what I think he said 😉). Fantastic hospitality and a truly authentic experience.