Steal My Style – What I wore in Marrakesh, PLUS itinerary for a 4 day trip, where to visit, where to eat and how to make the most of your time!

Hello my darlings, and welcome back to the blog. Apologies it is so inconsistent at the moment. Life is never straight forward is it. I am actually about to start a new job, we recently moved house, and with ponies and life on top of that, I am doing my best to stay afloat!

I have however just returned from a really exciting trip to Morocco, where we went to visit Marrakesh for 4 days. This was a short trip, just over the Bank Holiday weekend, as a bit of a getaway, and a break before I start my new job.

To be honest, I didn’t know too much about Marrakesh, and what to see and do. We got a lot of our inspo for things to see and do from TikTok. I had no idea what to wear, the weather was around 36-40 degrees, and I was also conscious of being respectful of the culture out there.

Below I have rounded up a bit of an itinerary of what we did, and what I wore! I hope you either find this an interesting read, or useful for any of your own upcoming trips!

Day One – Day

We had a 6.00am flight, meaning we would land in Marrakesh around 9.30am. For my flights, I generally just wear leggings, crocs and an oversized t-shirt as this is what I feel most comfortable in. We landed, and the Marrakesh airport is known for its queues, so we ended up leaving about 10.30, despite having just cabin bags. The airport is pretty thorough in its checks, so just be mindful of queues. It is also worth knowing that you can exchange money at the airport, but it isn’t usually the best rates, however, with MAD is a closed currency, so you can only get it out once in Marrakesh. We swapped some money at the airport for the taxi, and then did the rest in the Madina when we arrived. You need a ticket for the taxi, so have to book these at the little stations outside the airport.

We chose to stay in a riad, which is the traditional accommodation, usually rooms around a central pool or fountain. Our accommodation was really reasonably priced, and it was absolutely beautiful. A lot of the riads looked similar, all stunning. Be mindful that these are commonly placed in the Madina (the walled centre of Marrakesh), which can be tricky to navigate. We downloaded a map that worked offline, so that we were able to pin locations and still find our way around.

The moroccan tea is a traditional, so when we arrived at our riad we were able to check in early and whilst we waited for the room they bought us out this tea to enjoy.

We spent day one exploring the riad itself, and then heading out into the Medina. We had some lunch at Dune Rooftop, and walked around some of the streets. We went back for a dip in the pool at the riad and enjoyed sun on their rooftop, before then getting ready for the evening.

My dress was just one from Shein, which was a bit of a panic order as I didn’t have many long dresses. Luckily it arrived and I did really like it, I loved the colour and the little tassels, and the fabric was nice and light. I paired this with my Salthouse England Loafers (my discount code for Salthouse England works on full priced items online – use ‘LUCINDA10’), which are just ridiculously comfortable, perfect for getting lost in the streets of Marrakesh. I also used my Lemmington tote bag from Fairfax & Favor. I had used it on the flight as my handbag, but it is such a good size, without being bulky, that I didn’t end up putting it down all holiday.

Day One – Evening

Our plan on day one had always been to go to Nobu, however, this wasn’t quite the visit we imagined. We hadn’t necessarily read the dresscode, despite us both looking ‘smart’. We were unable to go onto the rooftop as they wouldn’t allow shorts, despite us seeing someone else in shorts, so our visit was cut short. This is something to consider if you are planning on visiting. We walked back over to the Medina and ended up going to DarDar Rooftop which is a popular spot (and booking is advised), as well as La Pergola, which is another rooftop bar, this time within a riad and know for it’s ‘jungle’ vibe and live jazz music. Following this we headed back for the night.

This dress is a fairly new in piece from H&M. I love the shape and the style, and thought it was perfect for a bit more of an evening vibe. I paired this with the Tuscany Mules that I recently purchased from Fairfax & Favor. These little Summer sandals are great for adding a bit of height and sophistication to an outfit, without going all out with a full heel. I then took a nude Katie Loxton handbag to complete the look.

Day Two – Day

Day two saw an early start as we had booked a hot air balloon over the Atlas Mountains. If you have chance to do this, my advice would be … DO IT! Such an insane experience. It was a 4am start, we went with Ciad D’Afrique who I couldn’t recommend enough. They picked us up from the riad and took us into the desert, we had a pastry and tea whilst the were getting the balloons ready. You then go off on the flight for about an hour. Upon landing, you experience a traditional Moroccan breakfast. This experience was around £100pp and we booked this in advance of the trip. The company kept in touch with us over WhatsApp. Our pilot took some lovely pictures for us, as well as explaining where we were and what we could see. The staff were amazing here, a really incredible experience!

Following this, we went to visit Le Jardin Secret, which is a little garden hidden away in the Madina. The garden was nice, and it was some peace outside of the streets, however, I didn’t think it was hugely worth the money. We then went on to find Bach Coffee, which has definitely gone ‘TikTok famous’. This has the most insane amount of Coffees to try, as well as various different foods and afternoon tea type options. This was SO reasonably priced, so definitely worth a visit. We were told waits could be up to 1hr 30mins, however, we did only wait 30 minutes to go in, but be prepared to queue – it’s a really popular spot! We then headed back to the riad for the pool and some sun lounger time.

I wore my Anetos London dress for the day, which is one of my very favourite dresses, but I don’t think they actually do it any more. Anetos make clothing in generally one size, which is amazing if your weight can fluctuate a little, keeping your clothing sustainable year on year. The print of this dress is so fabulous, and it is a really beautiful style. I teamed this with Fairfax & Favor Alexandra trainers. I call these my theme park trainers because they are so comfortable for being out on your feet all day. You couldn’t wear any sort of sandal or open toe on the hot air balloon either so these were perfect. And again just took my nude Katie Loxton handbag. Once we got back from the hot air balloon, I did swap into my Salthouse England Loafers, as I knew we had a full day of walking but I wanted to smarten up my outfit a little (discount code for Salthouse England = ‘Lucinda10’).

Day Two – Evening

The evening saw us struggling a little on where to visit for dinner. We hadn’t rebooked anything, and a lot of places required reservations. I really wanted to go to Safron By Koya, but this was full. We also didn’t feel like trying Nobu again. We went to a place called Le Salama which had a rooftop, and did ‘happy hour’, this place was really really lovely, really well priced drinks (being 2 for around 70MAD on beer and wine, which is around £6). I ended up booking a place called La Grande Bazaar for dinner, which was just off the square in the Medina. It turned out to be a really gorgeous rooftop, and really lovely 3 course meal, again very reasonably priced.

I had recently been gifted the Porto Blue Mini Windsor Basket Bag from Fairfax & Favor, and I purchased the matching Holkam Sandals to go with this. This Porto Blue colour is such summer holiday vibes, and the basket bag is one of the most stunning pieces I think they have ever done. I took the same bag to The Game Fair, and I have it in sunset orange from the previous year. It is one of my favourite ever bags. I just paired these two gorgeous pieces with another simple Shein dress.

Day Three – Day

Day three we headed out into the square for breakfast, we were pretty hungry so went to one of the first rooftops. The breakfast was well priced, and there was plenty, and we got to look out over the square as they were starting to set up stalls. We then went on to the Jardin Majorelle, which is the YSL Gardens. This was about £15pp for a ticket, and much better than the Jardin Secret. These gardens are beautiful, with a mainly blue and yellow theme. We headed back to Le Salama for some lunch (and drinks!!), we had a 3 course meal for 90MAD each which was about £8, and it was so good!! We then went back to change, as we had a very exciting evening planned ahead!

For day three I wore another Anetos London dress, this time in blue. The prettiest of dresses and it looked so perfectly in place in Marrakesh. With this I used Salthouse England Loafers (discount code – LUCINDA10), and Fairfax & Favor tote bag.

Day Three – Evening

We had booked online before the trip to go camel riding, quad biking and have a dinner show. This was around £35pp, so for 2 activities and a dinner, really good value. The company again pick you up from the Medina, and take you out into the desert. You do actually stop off and see how the make Argan oil, which is interesting. They then take you out into the desert. We did camel riding first, which for me was a bucket list experience and I absolutely loved it. Then you go on to ride a quad bike across the desert during sunset. This was a really cool experience, although, of course something happened to us! The wheel fell off our quad bike whilst we were driving, but it was fine and we were able to swap vehicle. We then were taken to a part of the desert for a dinner and show, which included music and a fire display. It was pretty late following this, so we headed back to the riad, after walking through the square – which really comes alive at night.

I was a bit worried about what to wear for the evening. I had a pair of linen trousers I was planning on wearing, but in true female style I have gained weight and didn’t realise these no longer fit me, so I did have a bit of a panic just before leaving. I wanted to still try and cover up where possible, but really wasnt sure what to go for. I wore a pair of black leggings and my trainers from Fairfax & Favor, and teamed this with an oversized linen shirt from Joules and the same Fairfax & Favor tote bag. I thought I might be too hot in this outfit, but it was absolutely fine, and wearing leggings was really comfortable for both the camel and the quad bike.

Day Four – Day

Our final day in Marrakesh was still pretty full, as our flight wasn’t until 7.30pm. However, we had heard all of the horror stories about the airport, and how chaotic it can be. They scan every single bag upon entry into the airport, so often queues extend beyond the doors. You also have to print off your boarding pass before hand, no online/digital version is accepted. Even with cabin bags only (no hold luggage) you still have to visit the check in desk before going through security. There does seem to be check after check after check, much more so than we have in the UK, so just be prepared for this.

We arrived at the airport for about 4.15pm, leaving our Riad around 4.00pm, so we had plenty of time at the airport to get sorted. Due to these timings, we did have a pretty full final day left in Marrakesh. We had a slightly slower morning, and went up to the rooftop of the riad for some final morning sun, and then went out into the square in the Medina for a final breakfast. Even in the main square, breakfast is so affordable. We had such a huge spread, and it came to about £20.

We then went out into the Souks to get a pair of the slip on mules I had been eying up. In these markets you have to barter, his can be fun, but also challenging, so try to feel confident. We wondered the markets, getting lost in the streets for the final time, before heading back to a restaurant in the square for some lunch, this was Le Grande Bazaar, where we had also enjoyed dinner. It was then time to head back to the road and ready for the airport.

The final outfit was another dress from Shein, that I have been wearing this summer. It might be no surprise that this was also teamed with my Salthouse England Loafers (discount using code LUCINDA10), and my trusty Fairfax and Favor Lemmington Tote bag. Once at the airport, I did get changed back into an oversized t-shirt and leggings, ready for the flight home.

See you in my next blog my Darlings. If you are heading to Burghley Horse Trials, you won’t want to miss it.

Catch up soon.

Lots of love, Lucinda xo