Travel Diary: Morocco

Between the hospitality, the ugh-so-good-food, sprawling beauty around every corner and in the most unsuspecting places, Morocco moves my soul and ignites my creativity in ways that I can’t quite explain—you just feel it, ya know? Some favorites we discovered below.

Marrakech

Stay:

The first leg of our trip we stayed at Hotel Selman—we were here for a wedding so it was the most convenient place, lucky for us. The feelings of joy I had come over me as we entered the lobby after almost 24 hours of travel was something I’ll always remember. An instant feeling of calm and relaxation—and honestly, really great smells. They burn wood in the lobby fireplaces that smells like the most delicious oily pinion. 

We also stayed at El Fenn, the boutique riad situated within the Medina that had been a bucket list hotel for me. We stayed in their annex property, which is about a minute walk from the main property, and it was perfectly tucked away.

Wander:

Our first day in the Medina we met up with a guide, Halid, who was a joy. I’d been before but it was a nice refresher to get our bearings on day one. We basically told him what we were interested in shopping for and he led us to it. 

One of my favorite purchases of the trip (and likely, ever) was a travertine coffee table we spotted at a home store in the medina. My tip: don’t sleep on shipping larger pieces you fall in love with when traveling. After about 20 days, the table arrived via container at DFW—we simply cleared it at customs and border control then they gave us the location to pick it up. I just love filling our home with memorable moments like this. I’ll always think of our trip when I walk by this table.

Dine:

Some favorites: Chez Lamine, L’Mida Marrakech, Al Fassia, Comptoir Darna

Taghazout Bay

Stay:

So thrilled we took the recommendation from a friend to stay at Fairmont Taghazout Bay because it was brand new at the time (opened in July 2021) and a truly beautiful and memorable experience. Overlooking the Atlantic, in Agadir, the hotel is so perfectly tucked away it was the perfect honeymoon escape—think, spas, poolside meals, walks on the beach with camels passing by. Dreamy things.