Virtuoso Life - November/December 2007 - (Page 50) DESIGN TOUR Enduring landmark: Marrakech city walls. The Saadian Tombs’ intricate embellishments. MOROCCO-BOUND: SEE MARRAKECH IN STYLE Desert Rose Mirroring the earthy hues of Marrakech, Amanjena’s rose-colored pavilions rise above a network of reflecting pools. Tranquility pervades the 32 rooms – enhanced by garden baths and private courtyards – and the public spaces, where mosaics line the swimming pool, Turkish baths provide purifying pleasures, and a lantern-lit library offers sketchbooks for inspired guests. Doubles from $900, including daily breakfast, one lunch for two, and airport transfers. Red City Revelry Rabat’s timeless kasbah of Oudaya whets the cultural appetite on Travcoa’s 12-day exploration of Morocco, which also visits Fès, Volubilis, alluring Casablanca, and Ouarzazate. Four days in Marrakech, with private tours of Koutoubiya Mosque and El Bahia Palace, culminate in traditional feasting and dancing. Departures: March 3 and October 13, 2008; from $6,695. Global Influences Globe-trotters explore Morocco’s worldly influences on Absolute Travel’s 14-day privately guided journey. In Marrakech, view the inventive landscapes of French painter Jacques Majorelle at Jardin Majorelle and Andalusian artistry at Ali ben Youssef Medersa, a sixteenth-century Koranic institution. A three-night stay in a kasbah, plus tours of Meknès, Moulay Idriss, and Roman Volubilis, ensures a sultan’s wealth of experiences. Departures: Any day through 2008; from $10,050. Petite Palace Heritage Travel’s five-day getaway to Marrakech checks in at the 19-room Relais & Châteaux Villa des Orangers, a former palace with views of the medina and more. Expert guides extend the mood during walking tours of the city’s souks and Djemaa el Fna. Trips out of town take travelers to the High Atlas, including North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal, and to the coastal windsurfing hub and artists’ colony of Essaouira. Departures: Through December 15, 2008; from $1,895. – LISA COSTANTINO City Walls A dozen gates punctuate the seven miles of mud ramparts encircling the old city, and a horse-drawn carriage offers the ideal pace and vantage point from which to observe them. You could make it a half-day trip with detours to the palm groves and gardens beyond the walls, and end at Bab Agnaou, the most impressive of the gates. Djemaa el Fna This expansive market for residents is an irresistible spectacle for all at the heart of the old city. Snake charmers, acrobats, dancers, and storytellers entertain the surging crowds, and elaborately costumed water sellers and falconers pose for pictures. Rooftop cafés provide a good overview, but if you want a close-up, be sure to leave your wallet or purse in the hotel safe. In the 1950s, a parking lot displaced the market, but according to Paul Bowles in his 1993 book Morocco (Abrams), Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded the king that it should be reopened. Koutoubiya Mosque This twelfth-century monument is austere yet inventive. The noble minaret with its sharply etched sides and fragments of green tile has two siblings: the Giralda in Seville and the Hassan Mosque in the 50 V I RT U O S O L I F E GARY COOK/ALAMY
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