Riad Dar EL Grably

Morocco is a Muslim Country

by deeper_blue

Women in Morocco are supposed to cover up however I saw a few examples of local women showing some skin, so it should be ok to wear Western clothes. I felt quite safe here, just be careful of traffic in busy areas, they literally drive anywhere.

Petit ou Grand ?

by puerto_lover

Taxis in Marrrakech are either little ones or big ones. The Petit little ones are small and by law can only hold 3 people maximum. They are for local jobs and should display a meter but often this is deliberately left off. So the usual haggle ensues if you don't agree a price beforehand. The standard fare for short journies is under Dirhams 10 (say about 90 Euros cents) however when going out to the new city, the fare can be 20 or more. After 8pm the fare is also loaded. So best try to agree on a fare and get an idea of the cost and what you consider sensible or just plain stupid.
The large mercedes cars or Grand taxis are able to seat 6 people and are used for longer distances mainly. So if you are a group of 4 then look for one of these.

Mint Tea -the a la menthe/ Moroccan Whisky!

by suvanki about Local Cuisine

Mint tea is ubiquitous in Morocco!
Whether served in a glass, or from a silver pot, this refreshing drink has to be tried at least once. Mint tea is often offered by shopkeepers during the haggling process.

Chinese green tea, fresh spearmint (nanaa) leaves and sugar are infused in boiling water.
Berber pharmacies sell bags of dried mint and green tea to try at home.

I like my tea black and sweet, but some find it too sweet - just request your tea to be served shwiya sukkar for a less sweetened version.

The tea will often be poured from a height by your waiter to ensure a frothy top! Often the first poured glass is returned to the pot to 'improve' the brew.

Although not traditionally drank with meals, it is considered a digestive.

I had no problems with my stomach during my week, which might have been thanks to the copious amounts of mint tea I drank! I got quite addicted to Mint tea, while in Marrakesh! I'll be growing lots of mint in my garden this year so I can enjoy this refreshing drink. Although I drank it hot in Marrakesh, I think I'll be making iced versions for summer.

Prices varied, Apart from many free glasses I was offered, I think the cheapest I paid was 7dh, the most expensive was 40dh at La Mamounia!

Les Bains de Marrakech

by Donna_in_India

Les Bains de Marrakech is supposed to be the best Hamman in Marrakech. This one was different then our other Hamman experience – geared more for foreigners I guess since we both stayed together throughout this one. Same set up only side by side – wash, scrub, very short massage, steam. We showered together (okay that part we enjoyed), then had some mint tea before dressing. We didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as our other one – kind of felt “assembly line” and rushed. (Our other Hamman experience was at Hammam Ziani - wonderful!)

In case you're a little (or a lot modest) when doing a couples wash/scrub/massage, there is a female working on the female guest and a male working on the male guest in the same room at the same time. (They did ask beforehand if we were comfortable with that.)

Marrakesh in August!!!

by Jawnuta

" ....our piece of Africa.... "

The Africa melted our harts, with its aromas, colors, people and its life.
We know we saw only little glimpse of this continent but we feel like we saw more than that looking deep into its people's dark eyes.

" Landing on African soil. "

The lights of Marrakesh in darkness from the airplane window during landing looked no different than the lights of most cities we went during our travels.
The moment our crew opened an orange EasyJet door we could feel we were on continent different from any continent we ever been to.
We could feel desert air. We could feel never ending heat delivered by sun during the day and preserved by mystery of African night.
Our magical journey has began.
We were picked from the airport by one of the friendliest taxi driver in his "navy blue no A/C curtains in all windows on the back seat Mercedes Benz Diesel". We were guided from the Medina gate to our Riad by a young man wearing Dolce-Gabanna cologne and Arabian Nights trousers. We were totally astound by the beauty of our Riad and the taste of freshly squeezed orange juice. Just like in a dream in no time we wondered to the El Fna square for some fantastic seafood/street food served on wiped plates and eaten with wiped silverware, since there is no running water, nor dishwasher in street vendor cart.

" Marrakesh - best map of the medina. "

There is no such thing like map of medina! We found few "situation plans" however there were more confusing then just finding your north and south by looking at the sun and your watch :-) We used sun, watch and Google Earth print out of Marrakesh and it proved to be the best way not to get lost. And boy we were trying really hard to get ourselves lost!!!! We were going farther and farther each day, reaching the parts of medina were not only there were no tourist at all but the local people were insisting to help us for free to get back to our hotel :-)