I started with three nights and two full days in Marrakesh. And while in some respects, you can’t skip Marrakesh . . . in other respects, skip Marrakesh! It’s insanely busy, insanely loud, and the Medina is selling things you’re gonna find somewhere else – and probably sold by the people who made it, or in a much smaller and more relaxed environment.

That said, I did have a fantastic hammam experience at Le Bain Bleu, which was quite luxurious and gave me an experience of the Moroccan mystery, the way things are hidden and unfold in somewhat unintuitive ways. Walking down a winding alley to a dead end where a beautiful bathhouse emerges was an experience unto itself, and to find profound peace amidst the chaos was also an experience.

Chillax after my massage and hammam at Le Bain Bleu

I would say the same was true of my riad experience (Riad Lumiere), where it was down in alleyway and super quiet and calm . . . with a two-minute walk emerging to utter chaos.  And for this combo, I’d definitely stay there again.  

My room at Riad Lumiere

I really loved dinner at Le Ferme and ate there 2 of my 3 nights!  You’ll notice a theme, but I love peaceful places and the garden ambiance was fantastic.  And the food stellar.  I also wandered into Dar Marjana after I’d eaten dinner and enjoyed their music and belly dancing performance over a dessert.  I’d defintiely go for the whole dinner next time and 10/10 recommend.  The courtyard is stunningly beautiful, and the overall experience really awesome. I think I might’ve gotten lucky to be allowed to go for just the dessert.

El Farabi cosmetic was ironically the highlight of the city tour I took. While we saw the palace and the tombs,  stopping by this place for herbs and medicines included a fantastic talk, and he shared some pretty amazing products, including samples, history, etc.   I purchased some of the creams and medicinal products and it’s on my short list of reasons to go back to Marrakesh to buy more.  Otherwise, the city tour was fine, but nothing special. The palace is interesting, but I think you can see similar architecture in some of the other places around the country. Same with the tombs. Although I suppose it is interesting to get a little bit of the political history through the lens of Marrakesh.  The big square was also interesting, and I kind of wish I had seen it at night. I saw them starting to set up the evening food booth, and that was enough to see that it would be really cool.

Wonder no longer the origin of things like lipsick!

I wandered the medina and the Big Square and enjoyed a fresh fruit smoothie and time with snake charmers.

Gotta admit it’s kinda cool to see a king cobra, and responsive to music.

this doesn’t get old 🙂