Search restaurants
Snail seller, Mostafa Elbahja
Mostafa Elbahja is the self appointed NUMBER ONE Babbouch (snails) vendor in the Jemma al Fnaa square, in this film he explains in comical fashion the health benefits of eating his snails marinaded in spices like the cinnamon, ginger, cumin, rosemary and aniseed. Orange juice sellers provide the backdrop as Mostafa tells us how his snails are good […]
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 left hand and feet control his tools, this is in contrast to a European pole […]
Souvenirs produced locally in Central Marrakech
Most of the souvenirs on offer in the Marrakech Souks are produced locally, often just a short walk from the shops where they are sold. Don’t be shy about asking for a special size or design, they can usually be produced to order amazingly quickly. Marrakchi artisan Azdine supports his young family by making ‘treasure […]
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. The group was established in the early 1980s, and today usually comprises four or five […]
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 is a 17 years old, since he left school he has been learning this craft […]
Hanout, designer clothes shop
We are delighted to have discovered ‘Hanout’ a newly opened ladies designer clothes shop in the Marrakech souks. It is modestly named, literally hanout means ‘the shop’ in Darija Moroccan arabic, but the designer clothing on offer is world class. Collections include Indian inspired pieces from Anaya in London and other select designer clothes, hand […]
Secure online payments Gateway
Arranging payment for your Marrakech break just became even easier with our new online payments gateway. Contact our reservations team to secure accommodation and we will email an easy to follow link. You can use the link to pay at your convenience using most commonly accepted credit cards. Best of all we are making NO PROCESSING […]
Arts in Marrakech Biennale 2012
The fourth Marrakech Biennale will take place between 29th February and 4th March 2012. Visual Arts Exhibitions will remain open until 3rd June. The main Exhibition entitled ‘Higher Atlas’ will be located in the sixteenth century Al Badi Palace. The full programme of events including Film, Literature and Music will be announced nearer the time. […]
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 Bashash taxi rank. It serves an inexpensive range of drinks and snacks with a menu […]
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 were fully booked for returning guests preferred dates. It seems our Marrakech Riads are not […]
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 structure stands 69 metres tall towering over the surrounding city, an impressive structure by any […]
Marrakech Moon
The wonderful quality of light in Marrakech is famous, but don’t overlook the pleasure of sitting out under the Marrakech Moon. The image here is the first moon after the holy month of ramadan 2011. Our Riads in Marrakech provide the perfect base for your holiday adventure.
The ‘Berber look’
One thing that it is impossible to fail to notice whilst meandering round Marrakech’s old town (the medina) is that there are a fair number of people who are quite interested in getting you to spend your money in their shops/stalls. Luckily since the introduction of the Tourist police a few years ago this merely […]
Moroccan sweets: Shebakia
During Ramadan there is a particular Moroccan sweet or cookie that is particularly popular, this dish is called Shebakia and it closely represents a pretzel to the western eye-view however it is disimilar to a pretzel in that it is sweet and is fried as opposed to bake. The dish is relatively easy to bake […]
Fishing for bottles
In the midst of Jemaa el Fna square every evening you can catch a group of locals in a circle doing something which at first looks rather peculiar, and on closer inspection still looks fairly peculiar, if perhaps somewhat more logical than previously. Most British people will be familiar with the fairground game of a […]
Patisserie des Princes
There are few things that are more satisfying whilst out on a swelteringly hot day than a cool and tasty ice cream. If you find yourself in Marrakech on a particularly hot day then that is exactly where Patisserie des Princes steps in. Situated just off the square Jemaa el Fna Patisserie des Princes is […]
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 heat of the inland areas, and rightly so as the city is a wonder to […]
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 or any of the other southern regions one is highly likely to encounter a large […]