This short break to Marrakech began with a smooth flight from Corvera and an easy arrival in the Medina, where our Riad became the base for exploring the city’s markets, historic alleys and vibrant street life.
Journey to Marrakech
Today, I flew to Marrakech for a short stay in the Moroccan city. My friend Lisa, who I travelled with, had arranged a lift to Corvera Airport for both of us with her friend Archie. We met at the Buena Vista restaurant on the beach in Los Alcazares for a drink before we left. I walked to the restaurant and met Lisa and Archie at about 13:00. We had a few drinks and then drove to Corvera Airport, where Archie dropped us outside the departure hall.
We went inside and saw that the check in desk was not open when we arrived. While we talked about getting a drink before it opened, we realised it did not matter as we had already checked in online and only had carry on bags. We took the escalator up to security and were quickly through, as we were the only people there. Once through, we sat at a table, got a coffee and shared a Subway sandwich. We stayed there until the departure area opened and then went through immigration to our gate.
We only had a short wait before boarding the Ryanair flight to Marrakech and settling into our seats. I had upgraded my seat and was in the first row through the door with plenty of legroom. We were soon in the air, and I began reading a story on my Kindle. The plane left Spanish airspace, crossed the Gibraltar Straits and left Europe behind as we entered Moroccan airspace. I glanced out of the window a few times to see the rugged scenery below us, and about one and a half hours after take off, we landed in Morocco.
Arrival in Marrakech
When I got off the plane, I waited on the tarmac for Lisa, and we joined a packed bus to the arrivals hall at Marrakesh Menara Airport. A few planes had landed at similar times, so it was busy. Luckily, we were able to use the slightly shorter disabled queue, and after a short wait, we were seen at immigration, had our passports checked and continued through the airport to find our pre booked ride to our Riad.
After visiting the restrooms, we went outside and quickly found our meeting point, where a lady checked our details and called a driver to take us to a minibus. We left the airport and were driven into the Medina, where we were dropped off close to our Riad.
Riad El Filali
The taxi driver made a call, and we were met by someone who showed us the way through a short alleyway to Riad El Filali. It would have been difficult to find on our own, and at first glance from the outside, it did not look great. We both wondered where we had booked for the next four nights.
We need not have worried. The staff showed us into a pretty courtyard next to a small splash pool, where we signed in. We completed the paperwork, had some tea and Moroccan biscuits, and were then shown our room. It was basic but had everything we needed, and it was very nice. We settled in and then decided to look around.
On our way out, our hosts pointed us towards the local cafes and advised us about the area and what to expect. We walked up the alleyway, past the Kissariat Mjadliato souk and the Islamic Zawiya of Sidi Bel Abbes religious complex. The complex is centred around the mausoleum of Abu al Abbas as Sabti, also known as Sidi Bel Abbes, a Sufi teacher who died in 1204. He is the most revered of the Seven Saints of Marrakesh and is generally considered the city's patron saint. The zawiya’s architecture dates partly to the late Saadian period in the early seventeenth century but has been modified and restored many times.
Once we left the religious complex, we walked past several cafes with many people shopping, talking or simply spending time outside. After looking around for a short while, we went to the Marrakech Explorer Food Cafe. As it was late, some of the menu was unavailable, so we both decided to have mint tea before returning to the Riad.
After finishing our tea, we retraced our steps back to the Riad and were soon in our room. After a long day, I was asleep almost as soon as I got into bed.
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