Joelle Lifestyle News

Joelle Lifestyle News
MARRAKECH

" Fashion fades, style is eternal " Yves Saint Laurent 1936-2008

What is that makes a desert city so appealing?

Also known as the "Red City" or " Al Hamra ", the capital of the Tensift-El Hauz region lies at foothills of the Atlas Mountains where, nowhere else in the world, the Argan tree grows under a torrid sun. I have enjoyed a several hour ride to explore myself the way women extract the magnificent Argan oil, far well-known for its rejuvenating properties,in the heart of a Targanine Cooperation and finallay bottled for the pharmaceutical company Kheil's in America.

In 1943 Wiston Churchill said to Franklin Roosevelt " It's the most lovely spot in the whole world ". Since then, the red city has remained hip, reaching its peak in the 1960s when the first wave of bohemians rode the Marrakech Express at full throttle. Yves Saint Laurent , may his soul rest in peace, was one.

Visit the Majorelle gardens and live the insouciance of having nothing important to do, charm a snake at the Jmaa el Fna wearing jewelry, dress in a colorful vintage Kaftan, shop for Akbar delights and bright yellow babouch, visit the Koutoubia Mosque minaret and finally endulge your senses at mesmerizing and sensual hammams.

The American designer, Bill Willis, and his follower Charles Boccara were others. The reinterpretation of the local aesthetic became a benchmark for the 'nouvelle vague' of Moroccan Style. Spend your nights in red velvet armchairs at garden oasis candlelights, listening to the sound of a deilrious Claude Challe for the Oriental "Grand Orchestre du Comptoir Darna "

Another factor is in the staggering array of luxury accomodations, spearheaded by the riad-dar hotel boom. The Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, and Mandarin Oriental are buildng massive resorts near the Medina-each promising santuary for the senses apart from la Mamounia the city's best-loved landmark whose grand colonial edifice is currently being renovated.

Still, allow yourself to explore throgh secret doors quiet and small riads behind the noise and smells of the Medina; each and every one holds a surprising and enchanting atmosphere. Yela, is a girl who wrote a letter 300 years ago in the house where she lived on the day she got married. This letter was found in what has become today a super-luxurios riad opened last month and called Ana Yela, a place that truly touched my heart.

Perhaps, in these E-ticket times, Marrakech will become a victim of its own popularity, but hectic souqs, gracious cafes and a decadent theatre are still there to be enjoyed while you can.

Most of all, Marrakech is the exotic vitality present within its people. Wonderful, creative , all authentic bohemians in their missions and life choices. Hassan Kadiri, Zouibida Charrouf, Noureddine Fakir, Youssef Gourad, Andrea and Bernd Kolb, Mustafa Blaoui, Zeineb Joundy, Adriana Bittencourt, Abdul Salam and Marcel Chich offered me those extra colors in a city that everyone in the world sees only as red. I am forever greatful to them all.

Finally, Bochic , my sponsors, could only deserve the best offering Joelle Lifestyle an opportunity to enchant a curious snake in the middle of a desert Medina in front of the world bringing the flair of Marrakech at home just with a clik!

Salam Aleikum

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"I truiy hope you'll enjoy the lifestyle, the passion, and the love I wish to share with you. May harmony, bliss and beauty be in your life with that touch of style!"

Joelle