Chefchaouen the perfect place to relax in hectic Morocco

Chefchaouen, Morocco - Visitors to the dusty streets of Morocco's major cities such as Tangier experience a bustle of heat, noise and frantic trading in crowded alleyways where poultry have their throats slit by butchers before your eyes.

The smells from the hundreds of food stalls and spice sellers assault the senses as much as the ubiquitous rubbish while donkeys push by with equal regularity as motorbikes.

The frenetic nature of much of Morocco can become a serious strain after a while but the north-western city of Chefchaouen offers tourists the chance to experience something different as well as recharging their batteries for a couple of days.

Chefchaouen or Chaouen, as it is often called by Moroccans, is situated in the heart of the Rif Mountains, and offers a relaxed alternative with its combination of Arab tradition and Andalusian flair.

The mountain air is clear, the streets and most of the buildings in the walled old city (medina) are painted a brilliant sky-blue and are set against a background of green hillsides dominated by cedars, pine and oak.

The heart of Chefchaouen's medina is the shady, cobbled plaza of Uta el-Hammam, where old men in traditional garb observe the busy cafes and restaurants while waiters serve a spiced meat and vegetable dish known as tajine and named after the special clay pot in which it is cooked.

The clear mountain light makes the red-hued walls of the kasbah and the El Masjid El Aadam Mosque appear even more impressive. The mosque was commissioned by city founder Ali Ben Moussa Ben Rached El Alami in 1471 on his arrival from Andalusia.

The octagonal minaret is especially noticeable while the mountain tops above the town look like the two horns of a goat. The name Chefchaouen derives from the Berber word for horns.

Many of the Muslims driven out of Andalusia at the end of the 15th century made their way to Chefchaouen, which has their influence to thank for its unique architecture. For centuries Chefchaouen was considered a holy city and was barred to non-Muslims until 1920.

The medina is particularly beautiful on the evenings when the muezzin leads the call to prayer and those wanting to stay should have no problems finding a room in the many hotels.

A clean double room with mosaics on the ceilings costs no more than 150 dirham, around 18 dollars. Nearly all hotels have a roof terrace, offering panoramic views of the area and the priceless sight of a star-filled sky. Budget travellers can also sleep here, in summer at least.

A breakfast consisting of fresh mint tea, baguette and marmalade can be bought at one of the cafes at the Uta el-Hammam plaza while afterwards a stroll through the city's steep and narrow streets is well worth the effort.

By travelling north from the medina, visitors find themselves quickly in the mountains. After half an hour on foot, the view opens up, presenting the blue and white walls of Chefchaouen circled by green - a certain cure for stressed holidaymakers.

From : monstersandcritics

Destination romance: Imilchil, Morocco

A mountain village steeped in myth, and its miraculous wedding ceremony, teach Tahir Shah the secret of love.

If Morocco is a land of romance, then its heart is surely the remote Berber village of Imilchil – without doubt the most romantic place I have ever been. Nestled in the Atlas, it lies beyond the Gorge of Ziz, in a wild and unforgiving frontier of narrow passes and sweeping mountain vistas. Once each year, in September, a festival is held in which the young are permitted to choose a spouse for themselves. In a realm usually confined by tribal tradition, the would-be brides and grooms are free to pick whoever they wish to marry. Dressed in roughly woven black robes, jangling silver amulets and amber beads heavy around their necks, the girls stream down from their villages. There's a sense of frivolity, but one tempered with solemn apprehension as they approach the doorway to a new life.

Reaching the village square, they catch first sight of the grooms. All of them are dressed in white woollen robes, their heads bound tight with woven red turbans, their eyes darkened with antimony.

The betrothal festival owes its existence to a legend, itself a blend of love and tragedy – a kind of Moroccan Romeo and Juliet. The story goes that, forbidden to marry, a couple who hailed from feuding tribes drowned themselves in a pair of crystal-clear lakes called Isli and Tislit. (One version of the tale says the lakes in which they drowned were made from their tears.) So horrified were the local people at the loss that they commenced the annual festival. No one is quite sure when the tradition began, but everyone will tell you that the marriages which follow betrothal there are blessed in an almost magical way.

The first time I visited Imilchil, almost 20 years ago, I met a young couple, Hicham and Hasna. They had met, fallen in love and been betrothed all on the same morning. They were glowing, their cheeks flushed with expectation and new love. Last year, when I visited Imilchil again, I tracked down the pair. They look a little older now. Hicham's hair has thinned and his face is lined from a life outdoors tending his goats; and Hasna looks fatigued. But then she has given birth to six children, four of them boys. As we sat in the darkness of their home, a wooden shack clinging like a limpet to the mountainside, I asked them how the years had been.

Hicham looked across at Hasna, and smiled. "On that day all those years ago," he said, "I became the happiest man in all the world. And each day since has been conjured from sheer joy." He glanced at the floor. "Do you want to know our secret?" he asked me bashfully. I nodded. Hicham touched a hand to his heart. "To always remember the love of the first moment, the tingling feeling, the first time it touches you, and the first moment your hands touched."

A few days after leaving Hicham and Hasna at their home in Imilchil, I reached my own home overlooking the Atlantic, in Casablanca. As I stepped in the door, my two little children, Ariane and Timur, ran up and threw their arms around my neck. They asked where I'd been. I told them about the winding mountain roads, the Berber villages, and the Gorge of Ziz. "And what did you bring?" they asked both at once, straining to look sheepishly at the ground. "I brought you a secret," I said. "What is it, Baba?" "Always to remember the feeling of tingling love," I said.

From : guardian.

Be among the first to visit the new La Mamounia hotel in Marrakech

This legendary hotel in Marrakech, closed for three years for refurbishment, has finally re-opened its doors to the public to reveal the marvels within.

After three long years of work and a whopping 120 million euros invested in returning its splendour to the iconic hotel in Marrakech, La Mamounia reopened its doors at the end of September 2009. The only things that remain almost unchanged are the pink building itself and its almost twenty acres of garden, hedged by the Almoravid walls that surround the old sector of the "red city". Inside this oasis, which lies just a stone's throw from the bustling activity of the Jemaa el Fna square, not the smallest corner of a single room has been left untouched.

The art-deco style, brought in with the 1986 refurbishment, is history; everything, from the furniture to the paintings to the magnificent old chinaware, was put under the hammer last June in an unprecedented "everything-must-go" auction. Today, La Mamounia, has returned to its origins as an authentic Arab-Andalusian palace where the elegance of real Moroccan tradition is combined with the audacious touch of the star decorator Jacques Garcia, whose previous work includes such heralded reforms as the Costes and Beaux-Arts Hotels in Paris and the Chateau du Champ de Bataille. Now, Garcia has returned its true essence to this great hotel built in the Twenties and set in the grounds that, in the eighteenth century, the Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah presented as a wedding gift to his son Mamoun.

Around one and a half thousand craftsmen have used all their various skills in the remodelling and refurbishment of this "great lady" of the hotel world, which, since its original opening, has been the gateway through which celebrities of all sorts have passed to explore the mysteries of Marrakech. Today, the new La Mamounia radiates all the mystery and sensuality of the East. Recognising its role as showcase of the best of Morocco, no expense has been spared, no detail overlooked, to envelop guests in a living evocation of the Thousand and One Nights, brought, as if by some magic genie, into the twenty-first century with confidence and decisiveness but without unnecessary fanfare or fussy ostentation. A scenario designed to seduce, not overwhelm.

La Mamounia is on track to become one of the five best hotels in the whole world, but at the same time not to seem like a hotel, rather a private residence. You should forget about conventional hotel elements such as room signs and arrows pointing to the reception desk; although these may appear discreetly, they will rarely be necessary as there are a score of people on hand whose sole mission is to attend to the needs of guests.

After being met at the airport and taken to the hotel in a Jaguar, as guests cross the threshold, it's as if the dazzling Marrakech light had been switched off; newcomers are greeted in a dim and peaceful room and welcomed with dates and almond milk, in the tradition of true desert hospitality. The delicate scent of cedar wood, a fragrance created exclusively for La Mamounia by the prestigious 'nose' Olivia Giacobetti, pervades this central space, which is dotted with intimate couches and from which unobtrusive lifts, upholstered in tooled leather lead to the rooms.

Teams of up to fifty craftsmen have worked on the decor of each of the bedrooms. Everything, from the stucco of the walls and the painted wood of doors and ceilings, to the mosaics that combine with marble and carpets to cover the floors, each last detail has been carefully fashioned by hand. The 27,000 square metres of zelij - the traditional tile work with which the whole building has been faced - is the main "culprit" for the three years it has taken to complete this extraordinary refurbishment project in which nothing has been left to chance.

Picquot Didier, former manager of hotels including the Ritz in Paris and the Pierre in New York, has been brought in to orchestrate the whole affair. In the kitchen there are consultants of the calibre of Jean-Pierre Vigato, from the Apicius restaurant in Paris, and Don Alfonso, of the eponymous temple of gastronomy on the Amalfi Coast. Both chefs, with two Michelin stars, have designed the menu. Respectively, they are responsible for the French and Italian restaurants at La Mamounia. There is also an exquisitely decorated Moroccan restaurant, as well as the Pool Pavilion, where the lunch buffet - complete to the last detail - is set to become, as it was in the past, the usual rendezvous for the creme de la creme of Marrakech.

A glass gymnasium, tucked in among the palms, olives and orange trees in the ancient gardens, and an exclusive spa that pays homage to the traditional hammam, complete the facilities of this hotel with more than 200 rooms and suites. There are even three independent riads for those who can afford the luxury of staying in their own private palace within La Mamounia.

But even ordinary mortals can experience the new-look La Mamounia. Non-guests in the hotel can book a table at one of the restaurants, or, as long as a certain dress code is maintained, you can visit the fabulous gardens, savour the delights of the tea room or the bakery alongside the pool. Come the evening, you can enjoy a drink at the Italian bar, while a fine jazz trio performs live, or at the famous Churchill Bar. The latter is the only part of the hotel that has barely changed since the British statesman drank there and Josephine Baker, Edith Piaf, Orson Welles and the whole army of incomparables added their grains of sand over the decades to make La Mamounia the myth it is today.

From hellomagazine.com.

Morocco's most exotic city beguiles

In the light of the setting sun, everything is pink: the buildings, the soil and in the distance, a backdrop of the Atlas mountains, which carry a mantle of snow.

Marrakesh is a city of a million people where donkey carts vie with Mercedes and BMWs. The ancient medina with its dimly lit souks - winding passages enclosed by sun- baked mud walls - is the great drawcard for the tourists.

The Jemaa el Fna is an enormous central square housing the Koutoubia Mosque, its minaret a landmark for Muslim and tourist alike. The Jemaa el Fna attracts visitors by the thousands. They come to see its snake charmers, fortune tellers and veiled, kohl-eyed women selling bangles to ward off the evil eye. There is food, hot and cold, to suit all tastes, and while the atmosphere may be intoxicating, the beverages are not, Morocco being a Muslim country.

Evening is the most exciting time. Stalls are set up, lamps glow around the square, the heady scent of herbs and spices permeates the warm air as smoke from the barbecues rises in clouds. Food in great variety and at reasonable prices is often served by a singing waiter, adding to the carnival atmosphere. Young men race through crowds on motorbikes, missing the dazed-looking visitors by inches, while pickpockets operate among the masses, so I'm told.

In the modern part of Marrakesh, wide tree-lined boulevards lead to modern hotels; there are rose beds and flower gardens. Shopping offers the full array of exotic labels but mostly tourists find it more exciting to wander through the souks where even the latest fashions seem to find their way into the labyrinth of dingy passages.

The vendors expect the buyer to bargain and most people enjoy the friendly banter, often coming away with something they consider a cheap buy. However, it is unusual for the stallholders to lose out, so after the tiny cups of mint tea and the sweet talk, just check the number of noughts on your credit-card slip.

Sitting at a streetside cafe, watching the world go by, you will be surprised when the waiter offers you only tea, coffee or soft drinks. Locally brewed beer and wine can be bought at supermarkets and hotels and high-class restaurants serve alcohol. Local cafes can be basic with no written menus - the owner will tell you what to eat.

Arabic and French are widely spoken, though most taxi drivers, shopkeepers and people dealing with tourists speak English. The main race in Morocco is Berber and the word "Inshallah" ("God willing") will be heard many times.

While the country is full of photo opportunities, the local people will not always want to be your subject. Some will be offended, particularly in the countryside, while others, especially children, will expect money for their "services".

Occasionally touts will attach themselves to you as self-appointed guides. They are usually very persistent and if you do accept the offer of assistance you will find they guide you to the shops or cafes where they get a handout from the owner. Marrakesh, being in the desert area, has a comfortable dry heat, although the temperatures in the northern summer can become oppressive. The best time to visit is during their autumn when the temperature of 32 degrees celsius feels more like 27C.

Morocco beyond Marrakesh is as various and beguiling. Essaouira, a Portugese settlement formerly known as Mogador, is on the Atlantic Barbary coast and has ideal windsurfing conditions. The houses here are painted white and blue, giving it a light airy feel and a restful atmosphere which has attracted European painters and musicians. Essaouira has a thriving fishing port with a large fleet of sardine boats. The quayside is often a hive of industry with boats unloading their catch, nets laid out for repair and seafood cooking on open grills.

We took a taxi for the 350- kilometre return journey, an air- conditioned Mercedes. The driver took us to see the argan trees (Argania spinosa), unique to Morocco. Its fruit is similar to the olive and is pressed for its oil, a labour- intensive process. Goats climb the stumpy argan trees to nibble at the leaves. That, together with the young women endlessly cracking the argan nuts between two stones, was quite an amazing sight.

The city has a range of accommodation, from budget to "top end". The current exchange rate for the kiwi is about six dirhams, so mid-range hotels offer a double bed and breakfast for about $125.

In Marrakesh a seven-day holiday will disappear in a flash, leaving you with a vow to return - Inshallah.

By MAX PUDNEY stuff

Exotic Larache, Morocco

Looking for a truly exotic vacation? Larache, Morocco provides an authentic cultural experience in a seaside town, where locals and visitors alike enjoy their leisure time. To Westerners Morocco represents intrigue, mystery and the exotic. With a warm Mediterranean climate and located on the Atlantic Ocean this is a perfect destination.

To visit Morocco was a dream for many years. Paired with a trip to Spain, Morocco is the perfect side-trip. Extreme temperatures during many months of the year made the choice of where to go an easy one, a beach town. Since surfers always know of the best undiscovered beaches, Larache seemed a good choice. Close enough to Tangiers to take the high-speed ferry but ninety minutes from the big city to be relaxing and experience local culture. Larache possesses a checkerboard history of occupation by Portuguese, French, Spanish, and Moors leaving a beautiful town full of historic architecture, sumptuous food and a rich cultural heritage.

Larache is a city over 6,000 years old. As a port city it has played an important role in trade and rule in this part of the world as a gateway between Africa and Europe, East and West. This dichotomy makes Larache an intriguing city. Much of the architecture is very old and imbues a sense of history. This blend of historic architecture from many cultures creates a mélange of beautiful buildings to explore.

Five times daily “The Call to Prayer” reminds the faithful to pray and the visitor’s that they are in a foreign culture. While Larache is a vacation spot for Moroccans and Spanish the dress is conservative for Western women. Keeping shoulders and knees covered saves harassment. A female traveling with a male companion will feel most at ease. This is a Muslim country so avoid public displays of affection. Save those for back in your room.

Larache while a tourist destination in Morocco,doesn’t have a lot of Western Tourists. This makes the experience feel more real. You won’t be hassled here as in many tourist destinations and will feel safe. Languages spoken include English, Arabic, French and Spanish. Many people visit Larache for its beach, located on the Atlantic, which is accessed via a water taxi.

For the most genuine Moroccan experience stay in the old medina where the central market is held daily, in La Maison Haute (meaning tall Moroccan house), complete with rich colors, handcrafted furniture and two amazing roof decks overlooking the town. It is tucked away inside the market which makes locating it a challenge. But once there a wonderful experience awaits you. You may not want to leave.

A new resort, Port Lixus, planned in the nearby town of Lixus, scheduled to open in 2010, will be a fun day trip.

Enjoy the evening “paseo” as the river of people walking through town carries you along without jostling or touching. To be part of the flow is an unusual and peaceful experience. Being buoyed along with all of the other people in town is quite exhilarating. Enjoy the colorful mix of dress, some colorful clothing, some western clothing contrasting with the traditional Moroccan djellaba and Arabic robes.

Staying above the old medina is a colorful experience as the market stays open late, vendors cook their food and the aromas of charcoal and cooking meat blend with the cacophony of sounds of many types of music played on boom-boxes. The town stays up late and so do you - it is impossible to sleep with all of the noise and activity. The roof deck becomes a perfect location from which to spy on the goings on of the locals down below and to live vicariously.

The food is a mixture of traditional Moroccan, Mediterranean cuisine and sea food. And you can find pizza with little effort. At the outdoor pizza restaurant located near a park, patrons were openly smoking all manner of cigarettes. Groups of friends were meeting to eat and hang-out together. Traditional Moroccan cuisine of tagines (stews) served over couscous with vegetables and rich flavors and spices colored with saffron are delicious. Moroccan style mint tea with fresh mint brewed in the cup is found in all of the cafes along with Arabic coffee. Fish is fresh and plentiful. Olives are incredible. The market had 20+ varieties of local olives cured in a variety of ways. Most restaurants provide olives as tapas or garnish with meals. If only the variety of Moroccan olives was available in the States.

In the souk you can find leather shoes and traditional slippers but it can be rather challenging if you have large feet. Clothing is colorful, cool and has Arabic design elements. Djellebas come in many styles and fabrics, a practical form of dress in Morocco but probably not the States.

Traditional Moroccan “poufs”, leather ottomans are everywhere and without the stuffing are relatively easy to bring home as a souvenir. Jewelry is intricate and beautiful and in the souk you are allowed to bargain. The retail stores aren’t as flexible in their prices.

Local music includes Arabic and Indian pop music, Arabic fusion, Bollywood and Western Music. Some vendors may let you listen to the music before you buy. This makes excellent souvenirs to enjoy long after you return.

The experience of Morocco will linger in your memory forever. Morocco is like a complex puzzle; in order to understand it you must immerse yourself in its art, cuisine, culture and traditions.

Practicalities:

Dress: Women will feel more comfortable and less conspicuous in conservative dress, long skirts or pants, no tight fighting or low necklines, keep collar bone covered and men should not wear shorts and tennis shoes unless you are confined to a resort.

Get used to being stared at: Regardless of how you are dressed you will be stared at in Larache.

Public displays of affection are frowned upon, including holding hands and kissing.

Many languages are spoken in Larache: Arabic, French, and Spanish. Some menus can be found in English.

Currency is the Moroccan dirham. In larger stores credit cards are accepted. ATM’s are available.

By Karla Erovick examiner.