Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hassan the wood turner

Hassan the young wood turner works on a street corner near to the Ben Yussef Mosque in Central Marrakech just a few hundred yards from Riad Cinnmaon. His traditional North African lathe is powered by his right hand while his … Continue reading

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Qu’elle est jolie, Jemaa al Fnaa

Qu` elle est jolie is a folk group usually to be found playing in the Jemma al Fnaa square opposite to the landmark Cafe France.  Their best known song of the same name switches between Spanish, Berber, French and the Darija Moroccan dialect. … Continue reading

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Yussef, plaster carver

The Marrakech street ‘traffic’ whizzes by as young plaster carver Yussef works on a piece in his boutique in the Souk Sidi Isshak near to the Ben Yussef Medersa in central Marrakech just around the corner from Riad Cinnamon. Youssef … Continue reading

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Henna Cafe Marrakech

We are proud to have funded and helped organise the start up of Henna Cafe a not for profit project ‘giving back’ to the welcoming Marrakech Community. The Cafe is located not far from Riad Papillon near the Dar El … Continue reading

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Introducing Riad STAR

We are grateful to our guests at our Riad hotels who have been wonderfully supportive recommending us to family and friends. With so few rooms at each Riad we have, more often than we would have liked, had to explain that we … Continue reading

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The Koutoubia Mosque

The Koutoubia mosque was built in the 12th century under the Caliph Yaqub al-Mansur to be the crowning glory of his North African based empire, it is indeed today still the largest mosque to be found in Marrakech today. The … Continue reading

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Sky Bar

The aptly named Sky bar is located on the seventh floor, that is the top floor, of the Renaissance hotel in Guiliez.  Access is from an elevator inside the hotel lobby, the bar is open to non residents. An ideal … Continue reading

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Argan oil

Argan oil can be used in many forms, from massage oils, face creams and peanut butter to bread dipping. Such is the versatility of this oil that it can be used for all myriad of purposes. Any visit to Marrakech … Continue reading

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Ourika Valley – the breath of Marrakech

Nestled away in the middle Atlas Mountains a 45 minute drive from Marrakech lies the enchanting Ourika Valley. When you think of skiing, Marrakech is not one of the countries that first comes to mind, however it does indeed take … Continue reading

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Excursion to Essaouira

Nestled away on the Atlantic Coast a two and a half hour drive away from Marrakech lies the small picturesque Moroccan city of Essouira. It is one of the number one destinations for Marrakchi to take a break from the … Continue reading

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Majorelle gardens

The Majorelle Gardens situated in the heart of Marrakech’s fashionable Gueliz district is a botanical and artistic sight to behold, originally designed and constructed by Jacques Majorelle a French expat in 1924 during the colonial period of Marrakech when the … Continue reading

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Semester at Sea comes to Riad Cinammon and Riad Papillion.

From the 9th to the 12th of august 2011 Morocco received some visitors in the form of a whole cruise ship full of American students. This was thanks to the semester at sea program whereby students embark on a cruise … Continue reading

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Supporting Local people.

Here at Riads Cinnamon and Papillon we buy as much as possible of our food from local suppliers. We shop daily visiting our regular stall and shop owners. Their personal relationships directly back to the farmer mean that we know … Continue reading

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Ramadan in Marrakech

The Islamic calender also has 12 months like the Gregorian, however whereas the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar (i.e. based on the earth’s orbit of the sun) the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar. This means that the calendar does … Continue reading

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