Marrakesh has been a place I have talked about with my Dad for the past 3-4 years. We always debated back and forth about going there or going to Fez; Marrakesh won out. I went home for Christmas and over New Year’s my family and I took that trip to Marrakech. It is always nice to go on holiday with your family; it reminds me of when I was little. Plus, I get to spend time with my sister who I don’t get to see that much (and my parents – that’s what happens when you live on the other side of the world from them!). Read on to find out more about the Riad Chameleon where we stayed.
We set off bright and early on Boxing Day and there was a hiccup right away. We were supposed to be being picked up and taken to the airport at 5 a.m. but the driver never showed up! Last minute we had to call a local company and see if they had anything available right away. Luckily they did and we were on our way! The flight from London to Marrakech is not too bad, usually anywhere from 4-5 hours. However, as our flight was so early, I slept most of the way. Actually, I think my sister and I were both asleep before we even took off. We didn’t even realize we had been delayed 45 minutes on the runway!
The airport in Marrakesh is very close to the Medina
(definition from Princeton’s wordnet – the ancient quarter of many cities in northern Africa)
so it is just a quick drive. We were staying at Raid Chameleon inside the Medina and since the cars are only allowed on a very few roads in the Medina we got dropped off and were met by hotel staff at the closest gate to the Riad. The staff helped us with our bags back and then the owner showed us to our rooms and around the Riad. I loved this Raid. Let me explain what a Raid is:
(definition from Trip advisor) – it means garden but applies to town houses that are built around a central courtyard.
We booked with this place because my parent’s neighbours in England had just been last year and recommended it. After showing us to our rooms we met with the staff and owner – Tony (and his wife) in courtyard area. Here we had some mint tea and pastries. They showed us places on the map, told us about tours we could take, and gave us a front door key and mobile phone (with their numbers prepopulated) in case we needed anything.
A quick note about the languages they speak in Morocco; there seemed to be three main ones: Arabic, French and Berber. However, a lot of people also spoke English. It gave me a good refresher of French since that was one of the languages I took in school!
The only thing I would say about the Riad Chameleon is that it is a little way from the Souk*
(*Definintion from the Oxford Dictionary – An Arab market, or a Bazaar)
and the heart of things. It is inside the Medina but about a 10-15 minute walk from the Souk and probably 30 minutes or so to the Royal Palace and El Badi Palace. Although if you want to go to the YLS museum (outside the Medina) it isn’t but a 10-15 minute walk. I’ll have more about this in some upcoming posts.
Tony and his wife were English and were actually heading back to England the next day, but the husband offered to walk around with us so we could get our bearings. He also showed us where we could change money. I wanted to get a light fixture so when we got to the Souk he took us to where he bought his lights and helped me know what a fair price would be! He was very helpful and also gave us some tips on what took look out for – for example when you are walking many of the locals will tell you a street is closed so that you have to get directions from them (and pay them) when in fact the street is not closed – you just need to keep on walking!
We explored the city for a few hours before heading back to the Riad to figure out what to do for dinner. If you find yourself in Marrakesh stay tuned because I have a great dinner spot where you can eat in an inside courtyard full of lemon trees! It was so good we ate there twice!
Lots of Love,
Buffy
