Marrakech

The old capital of Morocco is now only its fourth largest city after Casablanca, Fes and Rabat.  Founded in 1062 by Abu Bakr ibn Umar, a chieftain fundamental muslim.  Although it is probably the most important of Morocco's former imperial cities which was inhabited by the Berber farmers from neolithic times.  The red walls around the city were built between 1122-1123 along with other buildings constructed from red sandstone which gives the city its nickname, “The Ochre City” or the “Red City”.  Its main trading center, “Jemaa el-Fnaa” is the busiest square in Africa.  It is full of Berber markets (souk’s) with 18 in the city selling everything from Berber carpets to electronic goods.

Another cheap weekend break that I couldn’t resist.  While I was looking for cheap breaks to Budapest (which I can never remember), I kept stumbling across ones to Marrakech instead.  As we have been to neither and it doesn't effect work much I had to take it.  The hotel is very small with only eight rooms but it is classed as four star.  It has probably the best reviews that we have seen on Trip Advisor with internet access in the rooms.  The hotel is in the old town and is over 200 years old so will make a change to the modern hotels that seem to be the same wherever in the world you go.