Marrakech

Earlier in the year, B and I went for a short break to Marrakech. We got the flights for a bargain price which pushed us to go, although it was on our list of places to visit. As we had been to Egypt together and loved it, we thought that Morocco might be similar in a lot of ways and equally as interesting.

We flew EasyJet which was hassle free and as I mentioned, a real bargain! For anyone who is interested, we stayed in a Riad, which is a traditional Moroccan house with a courtyard typically in the middle. The name of our accommodation was Riad Sidi Ayoub, and I would recommend it to anyone who was going to Marrakech. It only has 7 rooms so is really personal, and has a rooftop overlooking the city where you can eat or have a drink. The price was also very reasonable for somewhere with such a good location to the centre of the city, and although it was within walking distance of the main attractions, it was so peaceful and tranquil inside the riad you felt a million miles away.

The beautiful courtyard of our riad

It was only 5 minutes away from Marrakech's most famous attraction, the Jemaa el Fna, a huge marketplace.

Jemaa el Fnaa

I was hoping we would pick up some bargains at the markets, but things were actually really expensive and I only bought a few scarfs, a traditional Moroccan teapot and a tagine. Was a bit of a letdown though, as I was super excited about buying some sandals, bags and other fun things!

During our stay we also visited the Atlas mountains on a day trip arranged by the Riad staff. The climb was quite difficult and tiring but probably my favourite part of the trip. The views were really beautiful and it was so different from what you would expect to see in Marrakech, with streams everywhere framing the snow capped mountains.

Overall, I was happy we did go to Marrakech as I had really wanted to go. Although, I have to say that I didn't overly enjoy myself. I found most of the people not very nice (and I have been to middle eastern countries before so this wasn't just a cultural thing), the country expensive and not really too much to do. I also had really wanted to eat some delicious tagines and cous cous while I was there, and found the food to be really ordinary and bland. It was one of those places that I wanted to love, but just didn't. Am I glad I went? 100%, it was worth the experience. Would I go again? Unfortunately, unlikely I would return.

Where have you been that you have loved or really disliked? Share your holiday must-go-tos!