“Is Marrakech already so popular that it’s even more exciting than before? Yes, especially if you take advantage of the many activities on offer, from balloon flights to desert safaris.”
I am in Marrakech for the first time – and also because I feel that “everyone” must have been here up to this moment. But when you’re there, you can understand why. Photographers and artists are enthusiastic about the play of light, colour and motifs as they walk through the scenes. The Djemma el-Fna, that colourful, “cooking-vaporizing” heart of the city with snake charmers, fire-eaters, henna painters and players, fascinates even the most hardened European. And anyway: anyone who wants to succumb to the cliché of African-oriental trade has arrived in Mecca in Marrakech.
It is as it is: the “red city” is a jewel – in Africa, the Orient and all of Morocco. The people of Marrakech city also see it that way and stress that, in contrast to cities like Casablanca and Rabat, everything in Marrakech is much more historical, more well-kept, more orderly and the red colour of the buildings and the low height of the buildings are fixed and formative for the city. In any case, the people here are the most relaxed and friendly in the whole of Morocco.
Whatever the case, it’s a good thing that hospitality is part of Marrakech’s DNA. This is also ensured by the countless riads ( a type of traditional house hotel) that spring up like mushrooms in the medina and its roof terraces. And it comes as no surprise that a good half of the old town is already owned by foreign investors. The much-quoted gentrification and overtourism tendencies are shown here once again in other dimensions.
But outside the Medina walls, just a few minutes away, there are also some luxury hotels that have reinvented themselves in recent years – be it the venerable Hotel La Mamounia or above all the Hotel Mandarin Oriental Marrakesh, which was built in 2015 on a former 20-hectare farm (photos above). The farmers have long since moved on here, the olive groves have remained, and with them a natural landscape rich in trees and flowers was created in the heart of the area, which one wants to discover in a relaxed way using a hotel bike. You will pass the many flat villas constructed of clay, the event villa or the oriental spa world in your own distinctive building.
In the vegetable garden the guests can weed the weeds or harvest the courgettes, eggplants, etc,. with the chef. In the Kidsclub in the form of a Moroccan castle, just a few steps away, and on the mini farm with donkeys and chickens, families can experience quality time without a clichéd luxury attitude.
The absolute highlight of the hotel Mandarin Oriental Marrakech, however, is the 54 pool villas with their own front door behind cosy walls. In the middle of each villa, there is lots of splashing in the pool and whirlpool area. All around the loungers and lounges invite you to lounge endlessly, some even with their own outdoor kitchen and terrace-fireplace lounge. Not too bad if you’re on your own.
In the main building the scene restaurant “Ling Ling by Hakkasan” awaits its fans. Hotel guests and locals alike are thrilled by the international success of the concept, which is a mix of new Cantonese dishes based on the sharing principle and creative cocktails with live DJ rhythms. Reserve in advance!
By balloon, motorcycle and off-road vehicle
Those who want to absorb Marrakech city within two or three days can do so with a high activity factor and plenty of day trips and tours: the shuttle departs from the Mandarin Oriental Marrakech at 5 a.m. through the deep black night and leads to the “balloon harbour” of Ciel d’Afrique. Here, a mega-relaxed team awaits the passengers with tea and a warm blanket. And a short time later I witness a fire-laden construction action, climb into the basket together with about 20 others and float up towards the rising African sun. Peace, red country, absolute grandeur – I breathe this in for about an hour to enjoy a Berber breakfast in the Bedouin tent on the beautiful ground. I will give more information later.
After this experience we can go smoothly through the Medina alleys: The Insider Experience team picks me up with a Boston green sidecar, a vintage motorbike with a passenger seat. My guide Felix chugs with me past donkey carriages and flying dealers and tells me about life and letting live in the Berber old town. “I’ve never had a bad day here,” says the Frenchman, who had lived in lively Shanghai for five years before. “When I ride my motorcycle through the medina, I only meet laughing people,” he says honestly and sympathetically without a marketing grin on his face.
And then there’s the desert. No, not the big sandy Sahara desert. It’s over six hours away. Rather, not far from Marrakech, in the Agafay, you can easily experience an impressive desert feeling. The Mandarin Oriental offers tours with off-road vehicles for this purpose, which anyone can rock over the scree hills if they have their own strong character. At Camp Inara there will finally be a rest with champagne and tajine lunch with a table set under the tent. A luxury that may not be necessary. But you can still relax and enjoy it: The nature and the people remain the star here, and lively Marrakech seems so close and yet light years away.
Sylvie Konzack …
wants to come back to Morocco again, in the certain knowledge that there is more to discover with these activities than she has experienced already during the three days. Especially from Lisbon, Malaga, Barcelona and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Marrakech can be reached very quickly at the moment.
At a glance
Arrival: By car/taxi the Mandarin Oriental Marrakech is about 15 minutes away from Marrakesh Menara Airport.
Hotel: The Mandarin Oriental Marrakech is only 5 km from the main market square and the medina. It has 54 pool villas and seven connectable suites located in the main building on an area of 20 hectares. There is also the restaurant Mes’Lalla with traditional Moroccan cuisine, Ling Ling (by Hakassan), Le Salon Berbére and Pool Garden with Mediterranean cuisine. There is also an event villa, its own spa house, a children’s area, a vegetable garden and a small farm.
Address: Mandarin Oriental Marrakesch, Route Golf Royal, Marrakech 40000, Marokko, +212 5242-98888
Photos: © iStock.com/Florian Fritsch, © iStock.com/Pavliha, Mandarin Oriental Marrakech, Ciel d’Afrique, Conzack
