La Maison Arabe's reputation has always been related to food - and even more strongly now with the city's finest cookery school.
La Maison Arabe was the first restaurant open to foreigners in the medina in the early 1930's. The restaurant very quickly established itself as one of the leading restaurants on the African continent. In 1995 the property, and adjoining riad, was bought by Fabrizio Ruspoli and after 3 years of renovation opened as Marrakech's first boutique hotel. 'Le Restaurant' at La Maison Arabe carries on the tradition of the original estabishment, featuring some of the finest classic and refined Moroccan cuisine in the country. The cooking school at the hotel's country club opened a few years ago and is one of the most enticing courses on offer in the city.
But, La Maison Arabe is so much more than a destination for the gourmond. This achingly elegant hotel is the perfect place to stay for a special weekend or at the start of a Moroccan tour. Ideal for a couple or a family with grown up children. Children are certainly accepted but you will not find many here. It is also not ideal for those with walking difficulties as although cars can reach the front door, inside is a warren of deep pile carpeted stairways.
This is the ultimate boutique hotel, with only 26 sumptuous rooms and suites, guests often say they feel like they are staying at a luxurious private club. Every room and suite is unique in it's layout, although not always the largest, and most have a fireplace and private balcony or terrace. This is the only riad which offers guests two heated swimming pools, either at the hotel or in luxurious gardens at the Country Club annex, a short 15 minute ride from the hotel. A free shuttle bus runs between the two. There are two restaurants and one of the finest and most beautiful spas you will ever find.
The country club opened in 2000 and is a peaceful and luxuriant garden settings far away from the hustle and bustle of the medina. Guests can walk through the hotel's organisc vegetable gardens which provide many of the herbs for the cooking school.
However the cooking school is maybe what draws many of the guests. Half day workshops are open to both guests and those staying elsewhere and hae become a 'must do' activity for visitors to Marrakech. The workshops are run by a dada who has been at the hotel for nearly 10 years and a university professor who serves as translator and is a wealth of information regarding Moroccan culture and Marrakech. These days everyone want to learn to make the delicious lamb tagine with preserved tangeries and baby eggplants!
Luxury 26 roomed riad with cookery school
Like many other cities, Marrakech grew up around a fortified settlement around the 11th Century. Within the dusky pink walls of the old city lies the Medina while modern Marrakech flourishes outside the ancient centre, with a profusion of greenery to challenge the advance of aridity. All of the large international hotels are found outside the Medina. Excellent as many are, the heartbeat of Marrakech is most vitally felt when staying at a riad inside the Medina. There is a greater density of chic boutique lodgings than possibly anywhere else in the world. With over 800 riads, choosing the right one is paramount. We have carefully selected the ones we know and love but can also advise you on a great deal more than we actually feature. The Djemma el Fna, the clearing in the centre of the Medina is a short walk from nearly all the riads we recommend. This unique space is a gathering ground for merchants, touts, beggars, water sellers, acrobats, snake-charmers, medicine men and performers of every sort – a show that starts each evening as the sun sets. The 12th century Koutoubia minaret shadows the square and the vast souks radiate north. The Medina walls are most impressive on the eastern side, the Bab Doukkala near to which many of our favourite riads are found is one of the most spectacular gates. The Medina pulses with life all day and late into the night. If you are looking for serenity and calm with the occasional dip into the medina, then the oasis of the Palmeraie is an excellent alternative. Read more?
Morocco is a country of immense and diverse physical beauty, with some of the most inspiring areas of pristine wilderness in Africa. It's also superb value and just a few short hours flight from the UK. From the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas to its wave-strafed Atlantic coastline and on south to the billowing, seemingly endless sand dunes that run away into the Sahara Desert. For a country so close to Europe it’s exhilarating to find such an intact culture and epic North African landscape with real contrast to anything European at almost every turn. Leave Marrakesh and head south and in less than an hour you’re climbing into the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. This is magnificent trekking country where you can thread your way among small Berber villages, supported by mule trains, either on foot or on horseback, supported with a light tented camp. Read more?
Can't find the camp you're looking for? Just let us know and we will be sure to help.
Vanessa's 16 years in travel has seen her knowledge develop from sub-Saharan Africa into North Africa, Central and Southern America and the Galapagos. Consequently, she’s a veritable encyclopaedia of travel information and exceptionally cool, calm and collected in the face of the greatest planning demands.
At Natural High, we've had long experience putting together trips in Africa that really work. Whether it's intimate bushcamps in out of the way places, or a private lodge in one of Africa's top-billing wildlife areas, light mobile camping or remote island escapes, we know there is a lot to choose from. We're absolutely confident that we can recommend the right places for you.
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