Memorable Marrakech

In order to attend the wedding of my brother’s son, Andy, I traveled to Marrakech, Morocco, with my sister, Nancy (another ITN subscriber), and her husband, Bob Gatland, along with their son, Kevin, and his wife, Julie, during the last week of October 2016.

We spent three nights at the pleasant Palais Sebban (43 Derb My Abdellah Ben Hssein, Rue el Ksour, Marrakech 40000; phone +212 5244 40226, www.riad-palais-sebban.com).

This is a small but traditional hotel with intricately designed marble walls, columns and floors and wooden doors with multicolored inlay in the common areas plus a beautifully carved overhang between two of the rooms.

In my opinion, experiencing the Palais Sebban evokes far more vivid memories than what you’d get during a stay in a more modern hotel.

I paid about $140 per night, which included a very good buffet breakfast. The hotel operated a transfer service by van at about $20 per person.

On our first night in Marrakech, a large group of us walked to a restaurant that featured entertainment. Among the female performers were a belly dancer and one who balanced lit candles on her head. A fellow wearing a cap twirled its tassels in circles by moving his head.

The next day, we walked through the streets of Marrakech to Jemaa el-Fna, an extremely large square containing food stalls, snake charmers, monkey handlers and water vendors in traditional dress. I wasn’t venturesome enough to try any of the street food. 

I enjoyed a number of Moroccan specialties at Andy’s wedding celebration, held on the roof of the hotel, and at meals on our own. Tagine (savory stew prepared in earthenware with a lid) is served with the meat of your choice along with a medley of vegetables, although my favorite dish was couscous (made from semolina) cooked with chicken.

On our last day in Marrakech, the five of us took a private tour of the city with Kharroubi Youssef (y.kharroubi@yahoo.com), an excellent guide. We paid a total of €150 (near $161), which included a car and driver but not entry fees to sites (Feb. ’17, pg. 28).

Youssef shared some insights about Islam with us. He also told us that the current king, Mohammed VI, has introduced female imams into the clergy, making Morocco more progressive than the Catholic church.

I joined in the first phase of the city tour, which was by van and included the Majorelle Garden, the Yves Saint Laurent memorial, a view of the Koutoubia Mosque (Marrakech’s largest and oldest mosque), exploration of the Casbah and, finally, the Bahia Palace, which is now owned by the city. As a very slow walker, I skipped the second portion, a stroll through the Medina.

The Majorelle Garden, containing several species of cactus, was located in a tranquil setting, punctuated only by the chirping of birds. There was also a museum on the grounds. No photography was permitted inside the museum, which contained an assortment of jewelry, artifacts, examples of traditional Moroccan dress and a couple of extra-large antique rifles.

Entry into the Majorelle Garden, the Casbah and the Bahia Palace was not included in the cost of the tour, but I believe the additional cost of admission to these sites was worth every dirham we spent.

ROBERT A. SIEBERT

Jamaica, NY