The Medina of Marrakech – a chaotic maze of ancient architectural treasures, delicious food and drink, and exciting shopping. It’s an opportunity to dive right into Moroccan culture. It’s also pretty hot during the mid-day sun and in the winding souks. These are our favorite Marrakech retreats for when you need a rest. Drop in for a few hours of pampering or just a chance to refresh while enjoying the views.
Traveling to Marrakech was a dream come true! It’s an exciting vacation for lovers of color, architecture, food, shopping, and a bit of chaos. You could easily get lost and lose track of time, spending your whole time in the city navigating the souks, but you don’t want to miss the Medina’s historic sites. If you are only in Marrakech for a short time, here are the 4 Must Visit Sites in the Historic Marrakech Medina.
We recently returned from Morocco, and while we loved the excitement of Marrakech, we can’t get the tranquility of the Atlas Mountains off our mind. Less than 2 hours from Marrakech, the Imlil Valley is home to the most unique lodge we have ever had the opportunity to visit. We stayed only 2 nights at the Kasbah du Toubkal, but now we’re dreaming of going back for more.
The Kasbah du Toubkal is truly a special place. After all, it has been chosen as a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World. Its uniqueness is evident as soon as you arrive in Imlil. At the small office in town, you are met by your host and a mule that will carry your luggage up the path to the Kasbah. It’s a rambling fortress of a lodge perched on a hilltop overlooking the Imlil Valley while Jbel Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, rises behind it at 13,671 feet.
If the view and the hike don’t take your breath away, the story of the Kasbah will! The land and a kasbah in ruin were purchased in 1989 by Discover Ltd, a family affair, and after years of traditional methods of construction by local laborers with local materials, the Kasbah du Toubkal opened in 1995. Since then, it has impacted the Imlil Valley through sustainable and responsible tourism.
A view of the gardens and lodging from the rooftop where we spent our afternoons lounging under Jbel Toubkal to the sound of birds and the waterfall.
Devotees of HBO’s Game of Thrones know that the show is truly an international production. Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Morocco, and Malta, to name a few, have all portrayed locations in Westeros and Essos. Stephanie, Meagan, and their friend Audrey have all added Game of Thrones filming locations to their recent vacations. Now we’re sharing our GOT stories from Morocco, Northern Ireland and Iceland! The locations we visited include Yunkai (Aït Ben Haddou, Morocco), the Kingsroad north of King’s Landing (Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland), Winterfell (Castle Ward, Northern Ireland), Jon Snow and Ygritte’s “cave” (Grjótagjá near Lake Myvatn, Iceland), and Beyond the Wall (Skaftafell National Park, Iceland).
Despite this Berber village’s obvious resemblance to Yunkai, Meagan, excited to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, added it to her itinerary based purely on its history and beauty. Once she realized that it had been transformed into the Slaver’s Bay city of Yunkai, her excitement doubled! Continue reading
Story behind this photo: While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, I went on an incredible walking safari in Mole National Park in the Northern Region. It was a surreal experience trekking through the grassland savannah to see elephants, warthogs, and monkeys up close with our knowledgeable guide Osman and his young son. Elephants are one of my favorite animals and seeing them in their natural environment was a dream come true for me. -Stephanie
