Marrakech has been a market town since it was founded in the 11th century and it can still satisfy the most ardent shopaholic, from its warren of souqs to chic boutiques. In recent years, it's become increasingly sophisticated, with fashionable expats mixing traditional styles with contemporary Western twists.
But with so many places to shop, choosing where to spend your dirhams can be a daunting task. Who better to advise on what is worth buying and what is worthless than expert shopper Maryam Montague, the American author of Marrakesh by Design and the award-winning blog My Marrakesh?
Her passion for design is reflected in her family's wonderfully eclectic home and guest house, Peacock Pavilions (www.peacockpavilions.com). Her architect husband, Chris, spent more than three years building the property from the ground up in a tranquil olive grove just a 20-minute drive from the heart of Marrakech.
The main building serves as an enormous open-plan lounge and dining room – or you can eat al fresco around the swimming pool – and there are two pavilions which are ideal for families and friends travelling together: the three-bedroomed Medina Pavilion with its own large kitchen and the two-bedroomed Atlas Pavilion, both with ensuite bathrooms and spacious living areas.
But it's no ordinary guesthouse: Montague artfully mixed the Moroccan touches – the domed ceiling, a rose-petal-filled fountain and shaggy Berber rugs – with the treasures she's picked up from around the globe in her role as a human-rights specialist and created a visual feast.
There's a Tibetan chest and betal leaf boxes from Bangladesh. A beaded chair from Aruba vies with a Frank Gehry cardboard chair and an oil-drum-turned-swivel chair. Custom-made Egyptian-style lanterns hang from the ceiling and antique Yemeni tassels hang from the curtains. A bowl of embroidered skull caps from Afghanistan sits next to antique wooden Santos figures from Spain, draped in vintage necklaces.
Her own style is equally diverse. Effortlessly chic, Montague mixes and matches designer wear with high street pieces, vintage finds with custom-made jewellery – all of which made her the featured personal shopper in Susan Simon's book, Shopping in Marrakech. She even finds time to sell gorgeous Moroccan textiles from her online shop The Red Thread Souk (www.redthreadsouk.com).
The labyrinthine souk may be the quintessential Marrakech shopping experience, but there are strict rules about being guided around the medina by someone who isn't an official – and usually Moroccan – guide. But armed with Montague's tips and a good map, I took on the maze of alleyways that spreads off the Djemma El Fna.
It's not one but a cluster of different markets, usually specialising in one item: babouches (Moroccan slippers), metal lanterns, carpets, wood, brass, spices, ceramics, leatherware, baskets and more, all crammed into tiny cubicles. And while it has its fair share of tacky souvenir shops, the Mouassine area is becoming a pocket of stylish boutiques.
My first stop was the jewel-like Akbar Delights (Place Bab Fteu), the vision of brother-and-sister team, Yann Dory and Isabelle Duchet-Annez. Via India, they produce some of the most stylish, Moroccan-influenced cotton kaftans in the city, embellished with embroidery and sequins.
Nearby, the diminutive Beldi (9–11 rue Mouassine) stocks more traditional styles in beautiful colours and fabrics: fine silk kaftans, handmade velvet coats and men's linen shirts.
Souk Cherifa (www.souk-cherifa.com), on the second floor courtyard space just below the Terrasse des Epices restaurant, is home to a number of cupboard-sized outlets, including Lalla, where Laetitia Trouillet creates a line of stylish bags and pouches, and Sissi Morocco, home of French artist Silvie Pissard's handmade purses and pillows.
Part art gallery, part furniture store, Ministero del Gusto (www.ministerodelgusto.com; appointments advised) is owned by fashion-editor-turned-furniture-designer Alessandra Lippini and her partner, and houses a quirky mix of one-off furniture pieces, funky vintage clothes and unique art work.
There's no sign at Viviana Gonzalez's Atelier Moro (114 Place de Mouassine), but I knocked on the door and went up the steep staircase to discover a host of stunning objects made by local artisans, including suede satchels, ostrich egg lamps and Tuareg cutlery.
And nowhere fits the cliché of Aladdin's Cave better than Mustapha Blaoui (142-144 Bab Doukkala). His warren-like emporium is piled floor-to-ceiling with everything from candlesticks and lanterns to textiles, ceramics and furniture.
But there's more to shopping in Marrakech than the souqs and Montague recommended venturing beyond the medina walls to explore Gueliz, the French-built ville nouvelle where the shops take away the hassle of haggling with fixed prices.
At Scenes de Lin (www.scenesdelin.com) I snapped up embroidered tablemats but they also do throws, cushions, tassel-fringed towels and gorgeous linen robes. And at Gueliz institution, Place Vendome (141 Avenue Mohammed V) I found great-value, bags, wallets and coats in butter-soft leather and suede. You'll probably recognise some of the designs, but if you don't see what you want they can probably make it for you within a few days.
Montague's favourite carpet shop is Ben Rahal (www.benrahalart.com), where two floors are piled high with vintage Beni Ouarains; handiras, woollen wedding blankets from the Atlas Mountains dotted with sparkling sequins, and hand-knotted kilims in a kaleidoscope of colours. She also steered me to Atika (34 rue de la Liberte) where I came away with several pairs of high-quality, Moroccan leather and suede Tod's-style loafters in eye-popping colours.
We turned up the narrow rue des Vieux Marrakchis to visit Moor (7 rue des Vieux Marrakchis). The designers behind Akbar Delights have created a new diffusion line of contemporary kaftans and jackets, embellished with embroidery, as well as covetable faux-gem encrusted clutch bags.
At Paris-based Michele Baconnier's (12 rue des Vieux Marrakchis) boutique, the eclectic stock includes cool cowboy boots patched with Berber weavings, richly embroidered ballet flats and colourful jewellery.
Then Montague took me up an unassuming staircase to meet Jewels (www.jewelsarts.com; by appointment). From her small atelier, the American expat and long-time Morocco resident turns rare finds – Tuareg amulets, prehistoric coral, fossilised shells and pre-Colombian jade – into unique, one-off pieces of jewellery beloved of celebrities, such as Sheryl Crow and Candice Bergen.
My last stop was the recently opened concept store 33 rue Majorelle (www.33ruemajorelle.com), opposite the lovely Jardin Majorelle. It has constantly changing stock from up to 90 Moroccan designers, including crafts from fair trade cooperatives. Highlights include Migrants du Monde kaftans, and modern Moroccan clothes from Noureddine Amir and Fadila el Gadi.
Montague's suggestion for die-hard shoppers – or those with a riad to fill – is a trip to Sidi Ghanem, a hub for showrooms and workshops where you'll find original brand homeware, from large pieces of furniture to scented candles.
At Fenyadi (www.fenyadi.com) I picked out some over-sized Amira candles – they use the country's best essential oils, such as cedar, fig, rose and jasmine – and loved Akkal's modern take on classic Moroccan tableware and ceramics that comes in a range of mix-and-match colours.
One of Montague's top tips was Topolina (436 Quartier Industriel Sidi Ghanem), the eponymous atelier of quirky French designer Isabelle Topolina. She creates her own unique collection of clothes, hats and bags, upcycles vintage finds and turns colourful printed fabric and oilcloth from sub-Saharan Africa into vibrant coats.
In the evenings, the tranquillity of Peacock Pavilions was the perfect antidote to pounding the pavements, as I sipped on a mint tea and watched a film under a star-studded sky at its al fresco cinema. After all, tomorrow is another shopping day.
The flight
Etihad Airways (www.etihad.com) flies direct to Casablanca from Abu Dhabi in seven hours from Dh2,725 return including taxes
The hotels
Peacock Pavilions, Kilometer 13, Route de Ourzazate, Marrakech, Morocco (+212 664 41 46 53; www.peacockpavilions.com). The three-bedroom Medina Pavilion costs from €650 (Dh3,294), and the two-bedroom Atlas Pavilion costs from €350 (Dh1,773) per night, including breakfast. There's no public transport but Time (+212 524 44 91 92; www.timetours-transport.com) can drive you into and around Marrakech from MAD300 (Dh135) return.
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