Magical Marrakech: Morocco's most fabled city is a mystical place

Add to My Stories It was 5am and still dark when I awoke with a start to the sound of hypnotic wailing. It was more than 30 years since I had last visited Morocco as a young backpacker and I had forgotten about the muezzin's call to prayer that rouses you from sleep every morning. Back in the Seventies there were few hotels within the old walled city of Marrakech, but now I was staying in the heart of the medina.La Maison Arabe is situated opposite the Bab Doukkala mosque. From the outside it seems a fairly nondescript building, but step inside and you'll find yourself in a beautifully converted traditional home.

Arabian delight: The El Badi Palace in Marrakech is a slice of 16th century wonderThe rooms surround a small, open-air courtyard where rose petals float in a fountain and crimson bougainvillea clings to the ornate balcony.Filigree lanterns cast a glow over the wonderfully carved wood-panelled corridors and rooms are decorated with hand-crafted furnishings and woven rugs.My room had a private rooftop terrace with its own Jacuzzi where I could quite happily have spent the day relaxing, but after breakfast beside the pool I joined my guide, Rasheed, to explore the city.It is easy to see why Marrakech has long attracted writers, artists and designers. French couturier Pierre Balmain lived here in the Thirties and his pink Art Deco riad has been converted into one of the city's top fusion restaurants, Dar Moha.

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The Majorelle Gardens, which fashion designer Yves St Laurent bought in the Eighties, are full of vibrant colours. Yellow and orange pots line the tiled walkways and his cobalt-blue villa overlooks lily ponds where tiny turtles bask in the sun.One of my favourite places is the El Badi Palace, once! the gli ttering centrepiece of the Saadian dynasty in the 16th Century. All that remains today are the massive ramparts which still tower over the city. I climbed the steep steps to the parapet, where storks guarded their nests, looking out over the flat roofs to the hazy mountains beyond.A visit to the Palace dungeons sent a shiver down my spine as I stumbled through the claustrophobic cells with walls several yards thick. The only glimmer of light came from a hole in the vaulted ceiling high above my head.The famous Djemaa El Fna Square has changed little since my last visit. Admittedly, it is now far more crowded with tourists and you have to dodge speeding motorbikes rather than donkeys and carts as I did in the Seventies, but go at dusk and you can still soak up its magical atmosphere.Smoke from the food stalls wafted across the marketplace as the throbbing sound of drumming competed with musicians, storytellers and snake-charmers.The nearby souks are a maze of covered alleyways where I was soon lost among the hundreds of stalls selling leatherware, ceramics, rugs and jewellery. Brilliantly coloured skeins of freshly dyed wool hung from the rafters, sweet pastries and sticky dates were piled high on wooden racks, and herbalists promised cures for every imaginable ailment.

A big souk-cess: Marrakech's souks hold endless wonders for shopaholics That evening, I arrived back at the riad dusty and footsore so, after a glass of mint tea, I treated myself to a massage in the candlelit hammam.
After being scrubbed all over with black soap until my skin peeled off like a chameleon's, I was pummelled with argane oil, which purportedly nourishes your skin and hair.It certainly did the trick. By the time dinner was served, I felt totally revived. The house speciality was a delicious lamb tagine with mandarins and caramelised aubergine.I learned more about Moroccan cuisine when I joined a group cooker! y course at the hotel. Chef Aya Dada showed me how to braise spices, chicken and vegetables in the same clay pot before eating out of it. It definitely saves on the washing-up.Next day, leaving behind the bustle of Marrakech, I set off for a retreat in the High Atlas mountains. The Kasbah du Toubkal is only a 90-minute drive from the city, but it's hard to imagine a more remote location. It was originally the fortress of a feudal lord and has been painstakingly restored. Standing high above the village of Imlil, it is accessible only on foot, so we piled our luggage on to a mule and hiked up through the walnut trees to the carved wooden entrance.Kasbah du Toubkal is run by Berbers and profits are invested in the local community. Lahcen, the receptionist, dressed in the ubiquitous blue djellaba, was there to welcome us.'We treat guests as personal friends,' he said as he sprinkled our hands with rosewater and offered us dates dipped in goat's milk in traditional greeting. No wonder Paul McCartney, Will Smith and Jude Law have all chosen to stay here.The Berbers, though, are unfazed by celebrities. 'Everyone is a VIP here,' I was told.Budget-conscious travellers stay in the small dormitories with upstairs galleries. Other rooms have exposed beams and pretty wooden balconies, while the garden house comes with a private sitting room and floor-to-ceiling windows. There are no televisions here and mobile phones are discouraged, although all rooms had hi-fi systems and laptops can be borrowed from reception.At lunchtime, guests sit on rugs on the rooftop terrace with panoramic views. And at dinner, visitors eat at low tables beside a woodburning stove in the candlelit dining room.Alcohol isn't served, but that didn't deter Don, an American climber who turned up every evening with bottles of whisky and wine, generously offering us all a glass. Don was one of the serious mountaineers who had come to climb Mount Toubkal. His trip sounded too strenuous for me, so I opted instead for a short trek to the Tizi n'Tamatert pass! .

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Rock the Kasbah: Kasbah Du Toukal is an elegant retreat in the High Atlas mountainsMy group passed goatherds and heavily laden donkeys before scrambling up through Scots pines and across deep moraines with boulders the size of houses. Stopping for a rest on the summit, we looked down on the lush green terraces of barley far below.On our last morning we woke to find snow had fallen during the night. The massive flanks of Toubkal had been transformed into walls of shimmering white ice.As I said goodbye to Lahcen, I turned for a final glimpse, promising myself I wouldn't wait so long before coming back to Morocco.And next time I'll remember to pack the ear plugs.

Travel Facts

Expedia (0871 226 0808, www.expedia.co.uk) offers return flights with easyJet from Gatwick to Marrakech from 175. Chauffeur-driven transfers to London airports can be arranged through No 1 Traveller (08442 646440, www.No1Traveller.com). It also offers admission to airport lounges, including Gatwick North from May 2011.Nightly B&B rates for double rooms at La Maison Arabe start at 140 and at the Kasbah de Toubkal 135. To book, visit www.morocco-gateway.com.For donations to the Kasbah du Toubkal charity, visit www.efamorocco.org.