Morocco Mosaic
By Monique Burns
In North Africa, just across the Gibraltar Strait from Europe, Morocco is a modern state committed to new technologies. It’s also an age-old Islamic kingdom whose roots stretch back twelve centuries. Morocco’s bustling souqs, walled gardens and intricately tiled buildings attract many American visitors, while its favorable exchange rate and modern infrastructure insure good value and comfort.
That Morocco has an up-to-date tourism infrastructure is no accident. In 2001, His Majesty King Mohammed VI signed “Vision 2010,” mobilizing key tourism sectors—including the hotel industry and the National Federation of Moroccan Travel Agencies—to undertake an ambitious plan of development. The goal: to attract 8-9 million euros in investment and 10 million visitors annually. Today, from its largest cities to its smallest villages, Morocco hums with the sounds of renovation and new construction.
Getting to Know Morocco
Many U.S. travel agents are just getting to know Morocco. According to Ronen Paldi, president of Oregon-based Ya’lla Tours (www.yallatours.com): “Morocco is a destination for the seasoned traveler. There’s a lot of mystique there, a lot of exoticism.” Travel agents “absolutely must familiarize themselves with the destination.”
Knowing Morocco means coming to grips with an incredibly diverse country. West is the Atlantic coast, north is the Mediterranean, east are the Atlas Mountains and south is the desert. Along the Atlantic are Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city and commercial center, and Rabat, the nation’s capital. Inland, legendary Marrakesh lies to the south, and ancient Fez and Meknès to the north. At Morocco’s northern tip, where the Strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean meet, is Tangier, one of the Mediterranean’s largest ports.
Morocco’s culture is as varied as its geography. The languages and culture of the original mountain tribes—called “berbers,” or barbarians, by the ancient Romans—still exist along with Arabic and French cultures, the latter a pervasive reminder of Morocco’s 44 years as a French protectorate, from 1912 until 1956. Since the first century A.D., Jews seeking trade opportunities or refuge from European persecution also have called Morocco home.
A Night in Casablanca
For first-time visitors, urban Morocco is usually the focus: Casablanca and the four great “Imperial Cities” of Marrakesh, Rabat, Fez and Meknès. A smattering of visitors cross the Gibraltar Strait from Spain by ferry, but most tourists arrive by air. Direct nonstop flights from New York’s JFK Airport to Casablanca are 7 1/2 hours aboard Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com), the national carrier since 1957.
From Casablanca’s King Mohammed V International Airport, trains as well as inexpensive taxis take visitors to the city center. Like other major Moroccan cities, Casablanca has three parts: the medina, or old city; the Jewish quarter, or mellah; and the ville nouvelle of Art Deco buildings and broad boulevards laid out by the French in the early 20th century.
Like most experts, Paldi recommends only a day in this business hub. Must-see sights are the Hassan II Mosque, an ornately tiled structure fronting the Atlantic and one of only two mosques in the country open to non-Muslims, and the Museum of Moroccan Judaism, the only Jewish museum in the Islamic world.
Moroccan hotels are graded from one to five stars and deluxe. In Casablanca, deluxe hostelries include the Royal Mansour Méridien (www.leroyalmansourmeridien.com) and the Hyatt Regency (www.casablanca.regency.hyatt.com). Also recommended are the five-star Sheraton (www.sheraton.com/casablanca) and the four-star Novotel Casa City Center (www.accorhotels.com). Doubles at these hotels start at $105-$240.
Marrakesh and Beyond
From Casablanca, Marrakesh is 2 1/2 hours southeast by train, bus or car. Plan to spend at least three days in Marrakesh, a city Paldi calls “the pinnacle of exoticism.” Marrakesh’s outré personality plays out daily in Jemaa el Fna square. There, from dawn till the wee hours, snake-charmers, fortune-tellers, acrobats, and food vendors, hawking such Moroccan delights as kebab-like brochettes and spicy ground-beef kefta, congregate.
Marrakesh is also known for its riads, traditional mansions with lush courtyard gardens. One of the best, says Paldi, is the newly renovated Naoura Barrière (www.accorhotels.com), with a bar, two restaurants, and 85 suites, each with a garden and pool. The romantic Riad AnaYela (www.anayela.com) has five deluxe double rooms. Angsana Riads Collection (www.angsana.com) has seven luxury riads in Marrakesh. Riad stays for two start at about $250-$385.
Marrakesh’s hotels are equally legendary. Recently emerged from a three-year, $180-million renovation, La Mamounia (www.mamounia.com) has hosted dignitaries like Winston Churchill since the 1920s. The hotel has 207 rooms and suites, four restaurants, a new spa and three new riads. DoubIes start at about $525. If you can’t stay at La Mamounia, says Paldi, make a reservation for the hotel’s traditional Moroccan mint tea service.
Nearby is the five-star Hivernage Hotel & Spa (www.hivernage-hotel.com), with 69 contemporary rooms and suites, and an extensive spa and fitness center. The hotel’s two restaurants include La Table du Marché, where celebrated French chef Christophe Leroy creates updated versions of classic French dishes, and Moroccan standbys like tagine, spiced meat braised in a cone-shaped earthenware pot of the same name. Doubles from $260 to $300.
Marrakesh is a jumping-off point for beach and mountain forays. The fishing port of Essaouira, 2 1/2 hours west of Marrakesh by car or bus, has a wide sandy beach, and an 18th-century walled medina that’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An hour’s drive east of Marrakesh, in the foothills of the High Atlas, are age-old Berber villages to explore. In Asni, Paldi recommends Sir Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot (www.kasbahtamadot.virgin.com), with suites in the casbah, or fortress, and in Berber-style tents. Rates start at about $525.
North to Rabat, Fez, Tangier
From Marrakesh, head northwest to overnight in Rabat. Popular hotels include the five-star Hotel Rabat (www.hotelrabat.com), whose spare rooms are complemented by a full-service spa, an Irish pub, and two restaurants: La Fantasia for Moroccan fare, and La Bonne Table for French, Italian and Mediterranean dishes. Doubles cost $229.
Northeast lies ancient Fez. Here is the five-star Hôtel Les Mérinides (www.lesmerinides.com), an elegant old-world hostelry whose tented outdoor terrace overlooks the twinkling lights of the medina, the best-preserved in the Arab world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Doubles start at about $165. Next-door Meknès— site of the 17th-century Royal Stables that once housed 12,000 Arabian steeds—is the jumping-off spot for a day trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis.
From Meknès, the road threads north through the Berber villages of the Rif Mountains, then doglegs west along the Mediterranean past a string of new seaside resorts before reaching Tangier. Once a notorious smugglers’ haven, Tangier has spruced itself up with a new train station and, on its outskirts, a huge new commercial port. But the decadent charm that drew writers William S. Burroughs and Truman Capote remains. Overlooking the port and a few blocks from the medina is the five-star El Minzah Hotel (www.elminzah.com), which has catered to the likes of Rock Hudson and Aristotle Onassis since opening 80 years ago. Rooms and restaurants retain their traditional cozy charm, but the hotel now has a modern addition, El Minzah Wellness, a multistory, full-service spa and fitness center. Doubles cost $212-$248.
For More Information
Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com) flies nonstop to Casablanca from New York’s JFK Airport. In summer, there are 10 weekly flights. In winter, there are 5 weekly flights, and 2 additional morning flights effective December 16. A special promotional fare of $799, including taxes and fuel surcharge, is available now through October 31 (subject to availability). From Casablanca, RAM flies to 13 other Moroccan cities, including Essaouira, Fez, Marrakesh and Tangier.
Other major carriers flying to Morocco include Air France, Alitalia, EgyptAir, Emirates, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, SWISS and Turkish Airlines.
Contact the Morocco National Tourist Office at 212-221-1583, e-mail info@mnto-usa.og, or log on to www.visitmorocco.com.