Adventures in Marrakech

Keen to discover more about the magic of Morocco? Join Chris our Assistant Reservations Manager as he escapes the British winter chill for an adventure in Marrakech

This month I set off for a long weekend to Marrakech to escape the snow back in the UK. Just a 3 hour flight from Gatwick we left behind minus temperatures and arrived to beautiful blue skies and highs of approximately 20 degrees. We were very much looking forward to spending three nights at Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech.

We were met by our driver outside the new terminal and taken on the 20 minute transfer to the hotel. Upon arrival we were driven up to the hotel reception and met with a fabulous view through the double height windows over the top of the swimming pool, golf course and out towards the snow capped Atlas Mountains.

After a quick check-in we were taken to our accommodation, a Junior Suite with Garden View. The room is a very spacious 86 square metres and appointed in plush carpets and furniture. The bed itself was huge and my other half couldn’t wait to leap up onto it and create snow angels with the linen! Behind the bed is a partition with a desk, coffee machine, tea and coffee. We then headed into the bathroom where our robes and slippers were waiting along with a large dressing area, safe, double basins and vanity area. To top it off there was a welcoming free standing bath and separate rose head shower. Outside on our terrace we had a table and sofa along with a pair of sun loungers set in the sun which were to become a popular part of our afternoon’s.

That afternoon we went for an exploratory walk to the Golf Clubhouse/Country Club where they have possibly the largest changing rooms/chillout area you could hope to find, additional cardio room and outdoor pool set in the lawn. The bar looked quite appealing as did the terrace outside that was serving lunch, but that said we had just arrived and wanted to relax around the hotels main swimming pool so headed back to our room.

We spent that afternoon sat on a comfy lounger each reading, dozing and just enjoying the birdsong and beautiful views out to the mountains. We were tempted by the enormous heated swimming pool, but instead decided to use the indoor heated pool in the spa as it was getting late and the sun was starting to come down. Once again in the spa there were robes and slippers and the pool itself was not being used by other guests so we could just chill out and pretend to do a bit of exercise.

For our first evening we chose to dine in the hotels international restaurant “Le Caravane”, while there was plenty of choice we decided to take our waiters advice and ordered the special of the day, rotisserie chicken which was cooked nicely and washed down with a bottle of Moroccan white wine. Having finished our evening meal we walked along to the hotels main bar and picked a couple of seats around one of the log fires and had another glass before heading back for some sleep.

The next morning we had pre-booked independently a half day trip out into the desert on buggies. Kitted out in coveralls to protect from the early morning wind and dust we set off behind our guide with one other couple and enjoyed fabulous views, winding through some small settlements and eventually stopping on the top of a hill to take some beautiful pictures. From here we zoomed down the hill and towards a friendly families home where they had prepared some local flat breads and honey plus mint tea before driving back to drop off the buggy. This was brilliant fun!!

That evening we took the hotels complimentary shuttle bus into the old medina of Marrakech. The shuttle bus was very comfortable and took just 20 minutes to arrive in the city. It ran every two hours so was quite convenient. Having been to Marrakech in the past we didn’t explore the maze of souks, but instead sought out a roof top restaurant overlooking Jemaa el Fna (The famous main square in the medina where snake charmers and merchants ply their trade). We went informal and had a pizza each with some mint tea and hot chocolate then got comfy and watched the sunset behind the famous Koutoubia Mosque as the call to prayer played out. For £10.00 each this was a truly memorable way to spend a couple of hours.

For our final day we decided to take it easy around the hotel, lounging in the welcome sunshine reading and wandering around the grounds. For our final evening meal we ate in the upstairs Moroccan “Al Ain” restaurant. We chose tagines and yet another bottle of Moroccan white. This restaurant is truly beautifully designed and with the duo playing traditional Moroccan music it was the perfect way to finish off our weekend.

Would you like to experience the magical of the Fairmont Royal Palm in Marrakech? Give our Reservations team a call to book a Moroccan adventure of your very own!