Edith Wharton said, “To visit Morocco is still like turning the pages of some illuminated Persian manuscript all embroidered with bright shapes and subtle lines.” A cold country with a hot sun, Morocco has witnessed a changing of the guards during the past thirteen years as King Mohammed VI has moved the country and its people forward. As a tourist destination Morocco once held its visitors captive with compelling stories which let them to travel North of Fes to Tangier and to Marrakesh. The Beatniks and hippies made their way to Morocco enchanted by what they read and heard about Paul Bowles, Mohammed Chokri, Allen Ginsberg and Yves Saint Laurent. The Morocco files began and this majestic and soulful country became the hidden jewel of North Africa.
Month: August 2011
a Mamounia is a legendary property in Marrarkech, Morocco that radiates with class, tradition and beauty. It is said that stepping into Le Mamounia is akin to a setting of 1001 Arabian Nights. La Mamounia Hotel is a Marrakech institution of Luxury and Flair. Originally the Marrakech palace of a crown prince of Morocco it was converted by the French administration into a hotel in 1923. Named for its 200-year old gardens, which were given as an 18th century wedding gift to Prince Moulay Mamoun by his father, the gardens cover nearly 20 acres and display an incredible variety of flowers and trees.
abat is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Bou Regreg River. On the facing shore of the river lies Sale, Rabat’s bedroom comunity. Tourism and the presence of all foreign embassies in Morocco serve to make Rabat the second most important city in the country after the larger and more economically significant Casablanca. There are a variety of historic tourist attractions in Rabat such as kasbahs, beautiful domes, minarets, wide avenues and green spaces which make for a fascinating half-day or full day Rabat tour.
Casablanca is Morocco’s largest city as well as the its chief port. As the biggest city in Morocco, Casablanca is the primary place where cruise ships dock. A Casablanca site seeing tour is the best way to spend the day ashore when arriving on a cruise. Many Holland America Cruises and Oceania Cruises dock in Casablanca overnight or for the day. With 24 hours in Casablanca there’s a lot to see and do. A site seeing excursion that offers a little taste of Morocco is the perfect way to get to know this fascinating city who made its name in the 1940’s film “Casablanca.”
With only 24 hours in Essaouira there is much to see and do in this simply spectacular seaside artist colony. Essaouira offers a wide array of sites and sounds that can fill the pallet of any Moroccan traveler regardless of age. The small coastal town of Essaouira is popular with surfers and has a hippy, laid-back feel – perfect for those who want to spend more time relaxing than bartering. In the ’60s and ’70s, Essaouira was a pitstop on the hippie trek from Marrakesh. Jimi Hendrix made the pilgrimage, as did Bob Marley and Cat Stevens. Essaouira boasts lovely white-washed and blue-shuttered houses, colonnades, thuya wood workshops, art galleries and mouthwatering seafood.