Moroccan Honeymoon

On our second day as husband and wife we set off on our honeymoon
to exotic Morocco. The flight from London Gatwick to Marrakesh
only took three hours and as we got closer all we could see was desert. We were collected by my university friend Alex and her now husband and taken to his hotel Riad Farnachi. On our way to the hotel we drove through the old city wall and were immediately transformed back in time to the old traditional life of donkeys and mules pulling carts and street stalls. On our way there was a car accident and a crowd of people suddenly emerged and broke out in a heated discussion around who was responsible for the crash. We were told by our friends that this was normal and it could quite often take hours to travel around town. The Riad was an oasis amongst the crazy chaos of
daily life outside. The Riad had two courtyards, one with a plunge
pool and another with a grove of orange trees. There was a traditional
Haman, small restaurant, reading room with fireplace and numerous
alcoves to sit and soak in the atmosphere. We were given a delicious welcome drink and taken up to our room. Our room was the size of an apartment with bedroom, living room, a huge bathroom with sunken bath and separate shower and a balcony overlooking the courtyard with plunge pool. Our room was in the traditional Moroccan style and oozed opulence and luxury. We had dinner on the rooftop whilst listening to the evening prayers and soaked in the atmosphere of the city.
The following day, after a delicious breakfast in the courtyard we left
the Riad to explore the streets of Marrakesh. As we left the Riad we
were quickly immersed into the chaos of the souk, a maze of stalls

selling everything under the sun. We walked along the main alleyway
of the souk marvelling at the array of products being sold in the stalls
from leather bags, spices, silk scarves, wood carved cheese boards,
rugs, lanterns, jewellery and leather shoes. At the end of the alleyway
we entered into the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, where we saw
acrobats flying past us, monkeys in nappies, snake charmers and fruit
stalls. We didn't stop to buy anything but instead made our way up to one of the roof top restaurants to have a drink and enjoy the show
below us. In the evening we went to Dar Yacout a former private
residence which had been turned into a lavish restaurant. We were
led up to the roof top bar and had a aperitif while listening to a band
play traditional music. We then went down to the courtyard where
tables lined with white table cloths and lit by candlelight surrounded
the pool. We ate a feast of traditional humus, lamb, couscous and sweet pastries.
The next day we set off into the souk again. This time we walked
straight through the main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, and after a bit of a
detour (thanks to a local who tried to lead us astray) we arrived at the
Bahia Palace. The Bahia Palace was beautiful with an large courtyard
decorated in intricate carvings and design. Next to the Bahia Palace
was the walled palace named el Badi palace, which was a fortress with
high walls and hundreds of large birds living in nests on top.
On our last day in Marrakesh we walked to the main square and
negotiated with one of the many horse and cart owners to take us to
the Yves Saint Laurent gardens which were found just outside of the
old city walls. We were driven by horse and cart through the old city
walls, past the new modern area of the city where all the larger hotels
could be found, to the gardens. The Yves Saint Laurent gardens were
a green oasis amongst the dust of the city. The gardens were filled
with tropical palm trees and plants in striking Lazarus blue pots.
Within the gardens was a French cafe and history museum. The
museum showcased a variety of costumes and jewellery from

traditional Berber villages around the surrounding areas. Next to the
museum was an art gallery hanging Yves Saint Laurent posters from the past 50 years.
The next day we set off for Essaouira, a smaller city located on the Atlantic coast. The drive was long and tedious. We passed through several market towns and stopped at a argon oil farm where I was
shown by a couple of local ladies how to break open the shell and
grind the seed. Predictably we ended up buying some traditional
argon oil moisturizer and soap. We arrived at our hotel in Essaoira
late afternoon. Our hotel was called Villa de'Lo and was located just
outside the old city walls. The hotel reminded me of a film set from
Indiana Jones. There was an internal courtyard with old fashioned
wicker chairs and bird cages and it felt like we had stepped back in
time to the colonial era. Our bedroom was on the second floor and was in the same explorer style with a canvas tent over our bed. The
hotel had a fantastic rooftop terrace where you looked out over the
beach and old city rooftops. We had an aperitif on the rooftop terrace
before heading into town for dinner. We had seen the French restaurant called La Table by Madada on TripAdvisor and decided to
check it out. The restaurant was located under the stone arches of an
ancient carob warehouse at the entrance of the Essaouira medina.
The food was delicious and the ambiance was relaxed with
contemporary decor. The restaurant also offered cooking lessons.
The next day we ventured out into the old city. The medina was much
smaller than Marrakesh and far more relaxed. We walked around the old city, weaving through the winding alleyways past countless local stalls and art galleries. We walked down the main street which was less touristy and lined with everyday shops such as butchers which
hung huge pieces of meat to sell and whole pigs head on spikes. We
ended our walk at the old sea defence wall where the cannons were still lined up pointing out to sea. After all our walking we were hungry so we went to a hotel rooftop restaurant overlooking the sea

and ate gazpacho with olive oil and bread and I had fish. Unfortunately I don't think the fish was cooked properly so I walked away with a sore stomach.
The following day we organized to do a quad bike tour and ventured
out of the city to explore the surrounding countryside. The quad bike shop was located away from the city centre and we met our guide in
the shop and put on our overalls, goggles and helmets. I sat on the
back of Rich's quad bike and we headed off into the countryside,
across farmland until we reached the sea. We drove along the coast,
north of Essaouira, until we could no longer see the city. Our guide
took us across beaches, up and down sand dunes, rocky cliff
pathways, farmland and villages until we reached a Berber tent where
a traditional lunch was waiting for us. We ate our couscous and
tagine and looked out over the surrounding hills towards the sea.
When we finally reached the quad bike shop again we were covered in

dust and had a air pump blown on us to try and remove some of the
dust from our skin. That evening we walked into the main square and
had another delicious meal in a small French restaurant.
After three days in Essaouira we made our way back towards
Marrakesh but this time we headed off into the Atlas mountains to
our final destination, the Kasbah Bab Ourika. On our way we stopped
to see a pack of goats who had climbed up onto an argon tree and
were perched on the branches grazing. As we drove further and
further into the Ourika valley we could see the former private house
perched up on the hill. The hotel had the grandeur of a former palace
but an air of ease and relaxation as we were welcomed at the front
gate but a team of eager staff. We were led to our bedroom which was
located off the main courtyard with a large private balcony looking
down onto the neighbouring Berber villages. Once settled in our room
we decided to explore the grounds. We walked through the hotel past
two open courtyards that were lined with art and old tapestries. In the

middle of the courtyard were hundreds of lanterns which would be lit once the sun went down. We walked past the dining room and out onto the open terrace. The terrace and garden were on a raised
plateau and from here you had a fantastic view of the surrounding
countryside. To one side there was a raised terrace where breakfast,
lunch and dinner was served. If you continued walking down into the
garden you found the swimming pool and vegetable garden where all
the vegetables were grown and used in the kitchen. The garden was
beautiful and the grounds were the perfect setting to relax and
unwind after the hustle of the medina. After the long drive we were delighted to find ourselves in this beautiful hotel and celebrated with a gin and tonic on the terrace.
The next day we relaxed and enjoyed the hotel grounds. The weather was warm and fresh and the perfect temperature for sunbathing by
the pool. We had a massage out in the open garden and enjoyed the
food and wine.
On our last day we arranged to go on a trek through the surrounding
countryside and Berber villages. We were collected from the hotel by
our guide, donkey and helper and set off down the hill and into the
neighbouring village. We walked down through the winding roads of
the village and met local children and men who tried to sell us rocks
with crystallized centres. The donkey was surprisingly strong and
could climb up any surface. We made our way through the
countryside past the salt farms, where our guide showed us how the
local farmers cultivated salt for selling. After a couple of hours of
walking we were invited into a local Berber house for tea. The house
was also a working farm and the animals were free to wander in the
courtyard. The family gave us a tour of the house and showed us their
bathroom, which was a small Haman only big enough to stand, where the family would take it in turns to stand in the hot steamy room and
scrub themselves clean. The largest room in the house was the storage
room which had cows, goats and chickens resting at one end and
huge pile of hay the other. The house had one main bedroom for the parents and then another room for the children which also acted as a games room with a TV. The kitchen was basic and outside hanging
from the roof was a barrel full of butter which was offered to us to try
but I kindly refused. We sat in the main living room and the mother
of the family gave us tea and bread with argon oil. All I could notice
were the flies buzzing around our heads. Afterwards we made our way
back towards our hotel but not before stopping for a picnic on top of a hill. The donkey who had obediently followed us all the way and carried our food had its load lightened as we sat under a tree and
ate our delicious picnic. On the way back to the hotel we were asked if
we wanted to try riding the donkey and of course Rich had a go.
On our final night the hotel kindly gave us a bottle of champagne to
celebrate our honeymoon and we ate outside on the terrace under a
blanket of stars. It was the perfect end to our honeymoon.