a tour of morocco // 3 riads, 2 cities, 1 weekend

Since our first trip to Morocco just before Christmas 2013, I had been itching to return. Our tour of Morocco via Marrakech and roadtrip out to the Sahara sparked something. That something was a real need to properly shop the souks.  We flew EasyJet on our first trip, so there was truly no way anything I’d buy would make it back. Their €60 baggage fee just wasn’t in the cards at the time, due to both a student budget and PRINCIPLES.

Fast forward to earlier this year, when an invitation to crash a girls’ weekend popped up. If you’ve been around for awhile, you probably remember the wino’s closest friend from her study abroad days, who was deemed “the scholar” (you know, back when we were super secretive and anonymous). Now we can reveal that her real name is Amy. And because she’s currently living in Geneva, we’ve been making our own memories across the pond! It’s all part of a larger campaign to get the wino to move here and start our own European Bestie Row, but, as per usual, I digress.

Amy and her colleague Amanda were zipping off to Morocco for work. I planned to fly down and meet them on the tail end for a whirlwind three nights. Together, we’d bookened Essaouira with two nights in Marrakech.

Night 1 // Riad Kheirredine, Marrakech | After a hellacious wait at passport control and the general unpleasantness of the Marrakech airport, I was more than pleased to find a driver waiting. We wordlessly zipped off toward the Medina, and after 20 minutes or so, we stopped in a busy square. This was Sidi Ben Slimane and would become our main hub while in Marrakech. Our final riad of the trip was just around the corner from here, as well. My driver handed me off to another man in the square with barely a nod. We walked the last five minutes to the riad… in silence. It was all a little intimidating as he led me through the winding streets in some back part of the Medina. Then, as soon as we arrived at Riad Kheirredine, all was right in the world.

I had learned on our first visit that, though there are plenty of beautiful resorts in Marrakech, the real charm is found in the boutique riads. Kheirredine is owned by a businessman who splits his time between his home in Italy and this riad in Morocco. His team of Italian expats operates the property, and the Moroccan/Italian combo adds up to a truly special hospitality experience. From the moment we entered, they took care of us. The decor alone was enough to make me want to permanently relocate.

We opted to stay in the for the night. Their rooftop terrace was the perfect spot to catch up over bottles of rosé. Then, as the sun set over Marrakech, we relocated to a table for a cozy dinner by candlelight.

The setting was all very romantic, which prompted our waiter to ask if he could pretend we were his wives. But aside from that slightly awkward moment, it was perfect. There are only a handful of tables on the rooftop, and the owner and his friends occupied one of the others. Downstairs, the additional tables were all full.

We were served a set menu of local fare, including an assortment of Moroccan salads, chicken tajine and some sort of strawberry shortcake type situation. I don’t know what it was exactly, but I do know I wanted to climb inside and fall asleep. Instead, after a few more glasses of rosé, we scooted down to our suite — Verveine — and promptly zonked out.

The next morning, we awoke bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for another meal on the terrace. Breakfast with a view is no joke at Riad Kheirredine, and it was delicious to boot. Shortly after we finished, the team called up to let us know our taxi driver had arrived. We were ready to head to Essaouira! The souks of Marrakech would have to wait until our return, but our first relaxing night was perfect.

Night 2 // Riad Baladin, Essaouira | The drive to Essaouira was just under two hours, taking us through rolling hills and tiny towns. We arrived in Essaouira just in time for lunch. First, we headed off to our riad to drop our bags, and hopefully nab a few solid restaurant recommendations.

The terrace at Riad Baladin

It seems to be a worldwide dream to abandon your life and take up a riad in Morocco. This time we met Nicole. a Swiss expat. She moved to Essaouira for just that reason, and Riad Baladin was born. She’s married to the police chief, which, she assured us, meant our belongings were extra safe. Baladin was definitely a bit more rustic than our first night. It felt more akin to a casual guesthouse, with funky decor and a very laid back vibe.

We had the top floor to ourselves, which was lovely. Plus, just as we had hoped, Nicole gave us a ton of amazing recs around town. Seriously, her advice alone was invaluable.

Once we dropped off our bags and freshened up, we hightailed it for Taro’s Cafe. They don’t have a website, but it’s pretty much THE spot for rooftop drinks. We managed to visit twice in our short visit. First, for lunch and later, for more rosé. We were on a rosé kick, if you couldn’t tell.

The rest of our day, we wandered around the souks, halfheartedly bargaining. We mostly just took in the sites and enjoyed the relative calm compared to Marrakech. That night, we treated ourselves to dinner at Caravane Café, another recommendation from Nicole. She sold us on it by gushing about the decor and the owners. We were charmed by the story of a French couple, with one husband who’s a beloved local artist. We also couldn’t wait to try the food, and see the after-dinner show. Cha, yeah. That’s right.

Nicole made a reservation for us, and as soon as we arrived, they whisked us up to the terrace for bubbles. Then we nestled in back downstairs at a cozy table.

We ordered up a few plates to share, and just as we were tucking into our main dishes, a drum circle started up.

The rest of the night was a blur of music, a MAGICIAN and FIRE DANCERS. This was definitely a highlight of our mini escape to the sea. That’s why I used capital letters. I think you’ll agree they’re necessary.

We wrapped up our time in Essaouira with a morning of souk-shopping that should be admired. Pillows, rugs, mini decorative tajines… somehow, we fit everything into our suitcases. We each still had a few things on our list for our last day in Marrakech.

The picture on the top right is an assortment of hand-painted dishware that we fell in love with, and below that, my rug conundrum. I ended up going with the one laying down closest to the frame, and now I kind of regret it?!

We stopped back at Riad Baladin to grab our bags, as well as a few bottles of Argan oil, which had just arrived and can be purchased directly from the Riad. I still have yet to give mine a whirl, but we were glad to find a good place to buy the real stuff. We saw it literally everywhere around the souks, and you can’t be sure which are authentic.

We said our goodbyes, and soon another driver was ready and waiting to escort us to our next destination.

Night 3 // Dar Seven, Marrakech | Two hours later, we found ourselves back in Sidi Ben Slimane, this time waiting for someone from our next riad, Dar Seven, to come meet us. We followed a few of the same streets that we took on the first day. All seemed fine, but we still ended up getting lost. When the door finally opened into Dar Seven, however, we immediately felt at home.

We checked into our rooms over Moroccan mint tea and cookies in the courtyard. With only four rooms, you can rent this entire riad for €900/night, and it’s a major contender for a future Friendsgiving. Shortly after, we zipped up to our rooms to unload our bags and freshen up… before reconvening on Amanda’s terrace for, YEP, more rosé.

The girls had visited Nomad earlier in the week and were still dreaming of the food, so we decided a return was in order for our final night. We shopped a bit on our way, and stopped in Chabi Chic, a little boutique shop just below the restaurant. You can shop their stock online. Though the prices are a bit higher than elsewhere in the souk, their stuff is adorable. We nabbed a few more souvenirs, then settled in on the terrace for our last meal of the trip.

Along with a delicious meal, we were also surrounded by an older couple to our right celebrating a birthday, and two sisters to our left who were on a girls’ trip of their own.

We ended up joining tables, and after we finished our meals, we hopped in a cab and went to Le Comptoir Darna for more wine and their famed belly dancing show. A Marrakech institution, it was the perfect cap to our little escape.

The next morning, we went out for one final trip around the souk, stocking up on even more goods to add to our overstuffed suitcases. We stopped for one more meal, this time at Café Des Épices, Nomad’s sister restaurant just across the spice market.

With tired feet and heavy arms, we made our way back to Dar Seven (after maybe taking a wrong turn and ending up in Riad Kheirredine… not important), grabbed our bags, and sadly said goodbye to a place that somehow, over less than 24 hours, had started to feel like home.

I will say that airport might just be the worst in the world. Honestly, leaving on a Sunday evening is enough to make you wonder if it was even worth it.

But with my feet up on my new Moroccan pouf while I look through all our photos, I can officially say: it is.

xo!

the romantic

– Thank you to Riad Kheirredine, Riad Baladin, and Dar Seven for hosting us. All three are high on the list of places I’d visit again, and all opinions are my own.