TRAVEL
© CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
© CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
orocco’s second city is the absolute perfect location for anyone in need of a total
refreshing mint tea in the afternoon. Riad 72 is recommended: two impeccably decorated courtyards (soon to be expanded to a third, with a pool) and just 12 air-conditioned rooms, plus the highest roof terrace in town – it’s ideally located for quick dives into the centre, combined with lazy rooftop lounging. Once settled in your room, it’s time to head into the city. No matter how hot it might be, covering your shoulders and legs is not only respectful of the local Muslim culture, but will make you look like a chic expat: sporting a loose shirt
queen), then a riad – the Arabic word for a house with rooms around a courtyard – is a fantastic way to engage more with the culture. Riads are available to suit all budgets: you can save your pennies with private rooms costing just £20 per night, or splurge at the luxury end of the scale in boutique riads, such as the exquisite El Fenn, owned by Vanessa Branson (Richard Branson's sister). Find a good riad and you’re set for life: their staff can recommend activities, arrange adventures, rescue you from the Medina if you get lost and serve you
break from Cambridge: Marrakech is geographically close (the flight from Stansted Airport only takes three and a half hours) but culturally, it’s entire worlds away. Time your flights right and you could start your day with a coffee in Cambridge’s Market Square and finish it drinking spiced tea in the Djemaa El Fna, Marrakech’s central gathering space that’s seen storytellers, tradespeople and food-sellers ply their wares every evening since 1070 AD – just under 200 years before the founding of the University of Cambridge. Now that’s a commute worth boasting about. One of the other joys of a journey to Marrakech is the variety of accommodation on offer. To the north of the city lies the Palmeraie, where the big all-inclusive hotels can be found: if you’re wrung out and urgently need to recharge your batteries, or are travelling with small children and nervous about the manic energy of the Medina (Marrakech’s medieval centre) there are always mega-cheap deals at these hotels that provide easy, no-fuss breaks in the sun and regular shuttles to the heart of the city – don’t turn your nose up at them. If you’re ready to live more like a local (in some cases, a local king or
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© CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
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