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3, derb El Farrane _ Sidi Ghalem, Zaouia El Abbassia, Marrakech, Morocco
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Hi
I am visiting Marrakesh this September
I am gay
I would appreciate suggestions on where to stay in a gay friendly place (my budget is around 50 euros a night)
In general I am a bit concerned by postings on the net that Marrakesh is not that safe for a gay person (risk of exploitation for casual sex etc)
Any advice?
Plenty of gay guys there and young Moroccan guys who take money for that sort of thing but it is all very quiet and discreet of course - it is illegal! - so when you say it is not that safe for a gay person it depends what you are expecting to do or how open you are expecting to be.
Walk down one of the alleyways and you will probably get offers by locals if thats what you want but I think whether its straight or gay its sad that locals get used in such a way and see it as a way of making money. With the plan for growth in tourism what sort of communities do we end up seeing in Marrakech.
Marrakesh Express was a song brought out by Crosby, Stills and Nash in the late 60’s and which appealed to the Hippie generation. The song was based on a train trip that Graham Nash took from Casablanca during the mid 60’s and all the sounds and sights he experienced during the train trip especially when he decided to go to the local end of the train amongst the livestock.
It is quite fascinating to watch Djemaa el Fna change over the day: while it is empty early in the morning, it is crowded and vibrant with artists, acrobats, drummers, musicians, story tellers and the like during the day.
In the evening you will see the food stalls opening up and a whole different atmosphere is being created! Instead of sound it is smell, instead of hectic action it is calm enjoyment! You just gotta love it! If you go to Djemaa el Fna in the evenings - and if you do it like we did in February - be sure to bring warm clothes!!! It really cools down considerably at night (or even just after sunset!)!
The restaurant is a old riad with a inner court... charming with a lot of decoration everywhere, maybe a bit too much... nice tables with candles ...very romantic. The food was very good (couscous and tajine)... The waiters were in costume but did not seem to enjoy their job very much...
You have to see it even if you don't want to eat in it. And if you want to eat, it is better when it is warm, not when it is raining because the tables are in the court.
Jacques Majorelle was a French painter who lived in Morocco most of his life until the 1960's. I haven't seen his paintings but if they're as good as his garden design then the guy must have been a genius! In a small plot of land right in the middle of the new city, behind the high walls lies a garden that's like coming across an oasis in the middle of the Sahara.
It's so well designed that I really wasn't surprised to find that the gardens are now owned by another famous Frenchman - the designer Yves Saint Laurent. With Marrakech being the 'Red City' the bright blue and yellow villa in the middle makes a stunning contrast. (The villa also serves as the Museum of Islamic Art, well worth a look in its own right.) Streams and fish-filled pools flow through the garden, which contains plants from as far away as cacti from North America and tall bamboo trees and pink bougainvillaea.
This was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my time in Marrakech and I went back a couple of times. The gardens are beautiful and incredibly peaceful but not particularly big and you'll need to go early or it'll be filled with coachloads of tourists. Have a look at my travelogue for some more photos of the gardens.
Gueliz is the newtown area of Marrakech. The area was designed and built early this century by the French with wide streets and boulevards. Today it is a modern business district about as remote in looks from the old part of they city as you can get. There are numerous bars and clubs both in hotels and on Mohammed V Ave. The name Gueliz comes from a nearby small mountain.
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Address: 3, derb El Farrane _ Sidi Ghalem, Zaouia El Abbassia, Marrakech, Morocco
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