visit morocco | Marrakech Riad

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Marrakech Riad Reservations + 44 (0) 207 570 0336 Diplomatic Representation French Consulate +212 05 24 38 82 00 British Consulate +212 05 24 43 60 78 Medical Assistance Poison Control Centre +212 05 37 68 64 64 Radiology Centre South +212 05 24 44 79 99 Clinic IBN Toufail 121 […]

Perfect Venue for Marrakech Yoga Retreats

Riad’s—traditional Moroccan homes—are the perfect destination for yoga groups. The intimate layout, the rooftop terrace, and the relaxing dipping pool of our Riad Star offer a gorgeous backdrop to any yoga retreat. Our in-house chefs are happy to prepare fresh, nourishing food for the body and mind and our live-in staff is always on hand […]

Tangia

Tagine is the dish that most often comes in mind when traveling to Morocco, but all locals in Marrakech recommend foreigners try a Tangia. Tangia a dish that is specific to Marrakech. You can’t find it outside of the city. The Tangia itself is a clay pot that is loaded up with ingredients, taken to […]

Hidden Mosaics

What’s incredible about Morocco (that perhaps people don’t realize) is that the stunning mosaics and expertly carved wall accents you find in many Riads aren’t just reserved for upper-class homes or tourist-y hotels. These incredibly detailed artworks cover the surfaces of everyday homes that people have lived in for millennia. Most homes, which look humble […]

Madonna’s birthday headdress.

The queen of pop celebrated her 60th birthday in Marrakech, and chose a traditional riad as the palatial setting for the party. Madonna, has always embraced all that is bold and powerful. Conical bras and corsets were her trademark look in the 1990’s, so it is no surprise that she chose a powerful and iconic […]

Festival International Des Nomades | M’hamid El Ghizlane

The gate to the Sahara, and the expansive sands that follow, are lit up in a spectrum of colour for a brief and melodic moment. Of festivals in Morocco, The International Festival of Nomads is one to add to the bucket-list. The return of this festival in 2018, sees the 15th edition of the event, […]

Sahara Snowfall A Rare Sight To Behold.

A rare and spectacular sight is occurring in Southern Morocco right now (early February 2018), with snow falling on even the driest, lowland regions. As far south as Zagora (known as the gateway to the Sahara), residents are facing the first recorded snowfall in 50 years. Following decades of hot & dry weather, the region is […]

If The Shoes Fit…

A credit is due to the Marrakchi (local Moroccan) people, for their ability to restore and salvage materials and items which we might usually disregard or replace. There is really no disposable attitude towards possessions. If something is acquired, it is generally worked hard for and therefore treasured. Not only plastic bottles and bags, electrical equipment […]

Moroccan fashion designer Noureddine Amir

Noureddine Amir is a fashion designer from Morocco. Born in Rabat he studied in a French fashion school which was briefly open in Morocco. His studio is called Villa Amir and is in Marrakech. The space is filled with wooden mannequins adorned with raffia and clay. what sets Noureddine apart from many Moroccan fashion designers […]

Josephine Baker falls ill in Morocco 1941

In June 1941 Josephine Baker was at her home in Marrakech when she was struck with crippling abdominal pain. French captain Jacques Abtey borrowed a station wagon so that Josephine could lay down for the long ( 350 mile ) journey on uneven roads to the hospital in Casablanca. The date was June 1941, and […]

Christiano Ronaldo spends New Years Eve in Marrakech

Marrakech is an ever popular destination for celebrities, and as the popularity of this fabled red city grows year on year it is becoming the choice of destination for important celebrations. This year was no exception. Ronaldo was just one of a host of celebrities who chose to see in the New Year in the […]

Josephine Baker in Morocco

Ahmed Belbachir Haskouri (1908–1962) was a powerful member of the royal court of Morocco during the protectorate period. He was a prominent figure in Spanish Moroccan history. He was also a great friend of Josephine Baker. Josephine often stopped to visit him in Tetouan, a small coastal town in the North of Morocco when she […]

Marrakech Marathon 2018

The 29th edition of the Marrakech marathon will take place on the 28 th January 2018. His Majesty King Mohammed VI is the patron of this event, where more than 8000 runners from all around the world will take part in a most prestigious marathon. The stunning circuit in Marrakech is considered to be one […]

Yves St Laurent museum wins architectural accolade

The newly built Yves St Laurent fashion museum in Marrakech has been named by the Architectural Digest as one of the most influential buildings of 2017. The new museum displays fashion pieces created by the iconic fashion designer who loved Marrakech. Designed by the French architecture firm headed by Olivier Marty and Karl Fournier, the […]

Moroccan Dance and Folklore – Guedra

Guedra represents several aspects of a form of dance which is particular to Southern Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria. The primary meaning of Guedra is cooking pot, when this pot is covered with a stretched leather skin to create a drum, the drum is also known as Guedra. When the drummer plays a beat representing a […]

Moroccan Dance and Folklore – Ahwash.

Ahwash dancing is from the areas around Ouarzazatte and the High Atlas mountains. Women in colourful dress stand motionless around a group of men who are in turn sitting around a fire. The men each have “bendir’s (simple wood and skin frame drums) A piercing cry breaks the silence, and the performance begins. The men […]

Morocco is officially the Spa capital of Africa

Morocco won the award for the best spa destination in Africa for the second consecutive year, at a ceremony recently held in Vietnam. The kingdom has won the “Africa’s Best Spa Destination 2017” Award, due to its spas, thermal centres, and modern luxury facilities, which offer a wide range of body treatments and massages. The […]

Ait Ben Haddou is top of UNESCO sites within Africa.

African media outlet site Afrika News has ranked the Moroccan Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou in Ouarzazate as one of the top four most distinguished UNESCO heritage sites across Africa. The famous Kasbah made it to the top of the list ahead of Victoria Falls , Kenya’s lake system, and the Namib Sand Sea. The report stated that “Morocco is one […]

Josephine Baker and La Revue Nègre

In 1927 he lithographer Paul Colin was commissioned to create a portfolio of work representing La Revue Nègre in Paris. He created Le Tumulte Noir, a potrtfolio of 45 coloured lithographs. The lithographs celebrated Josephine Baker and the cast of the show, showcasing the energy that the black performers generated in jazz age Paris. The […]

Early film footage of Josephine Baker in Paris

Josephine Baker strutting her stuff. The lady really could dance…………Wild moves from our favourite entertainer. This clip is from La Revue Des Revues. Paris in 1927. (Not the original sound.) Riad Star the former home of Josephine Baker in Marrakech, and now a luxurious boutique guesthouse. With suites dedicated to the star herself. Come and […]

Josephine Baker reported as safe in the New York Times on the 6th December 1942

There was much speculation regarding the fate of Josephine Baker, some feared and reported the worst. The New York Times ran an article on December 6 th 1942 declaring that Josephine was safe and living in Marrakech. “JOSEPHINE IS SAFE” “Negro dancer reported dead is living in Morocco. Casablanca Morocco Dec 5th Josephine Baker, the […]

Embrace the wonders of exploring Marrakech

There are those of us who love to explore the world, who seek places where our senses can be filled with wonder. Places where we can delight in the richness and differences of cultures and cities. Those of us who yearn to widen our life experiences of the world. If you are this person we […]

Josephine Baker honored in new publication : Their Morocco by Mehdi Graincourt

We love this new book by Mehdi de Graincourt. It’s a wonderfully researched and beautifully presented book in which Mehdi presents the Kingdom of Morocco through the eyes of those visitors through history who found a deep connection and passion for the country. Over several centuries, Morocco has attracted Western writers, painters,composers, singers and artists. […]

Josephine Baker in Marrakech

The first time that Josephine heard a news report of her own death, she was lying on a chaise relaxing whilst enjoying the scent of the fragranced trees upon the rooftop gardens of Mohamed Menebhi’s palace. The very same complex of buildings are today Riad Star in Marrakech. Josephine’s response, as reported by Ollie Stewart, […]

Gabriel Veyre in Morocco

Gabriel Veyre was born in France in 1871 and was an early filmmaker and photographer. Veyre travelled to the Americas and to Japan and China where he created many films and photographs, some of these were shown in 1900 in an exposition in Paris. In 1901 Veyre travelled to Morocco where he was contracted to […]

Wine in Morocco

Wine may not be our first association when we think of Morocco, yet there superb wines and beautiful vineyards. Charles de Melia a renowned wine maker from the Chateauneuf du Pape region in France makes a selection of fabulous wines at his Moroccan vineyard. This is the most southerly vineyard in North Africa and also has […]

Alfred Dehodencq in Morocco

Alfred Dehodencq (born 23 April 1822 – 2 January 1882) was a mid-19th-century French Orientalist painter born in Paris. He was known for his vivid oil paintings, especially of Andalusian and North African scenes. He was a student in Paris at the Beaux-Arts. Following a tour of Spain Alfred visited Morocco where he remained for 9 years, where he found […]