TRAVELLING WITH KIDS // MAKING MEMORIES IN MARRAKECH // MOROCCO



Last week was our first family holiday as 4, spending 7 glorious days at Fellah Hotel about 15 mins outside of Marrakech. I sit here writing this post in absolute awe that we survived the holiday - travelling with kids is always a tricky one - having to weigh up the need for wanting a kid friendly holiday but also something that us grown ups can enjoy.


Fellah Hotel ticks all those boxes, a creative, vibrant, design focused hotel with wonderful staff always willing to lend a hand (with the kids especially), amazing classes like Thai Boxing and Yoga everyday and a dedicated Kids Villa filled with games, an onsite Kids Club Manager, painting, cooking and theatre classes.





Once you arrive you are greeted by an amazing landscape of giant cacti, herb gardens and a
fantastic little farm area in the gardens, where they keep goats, chickens, donkeys in traditional Berber style pens. Instant points to the hotel for that - what a great idea to have for kids, especially kids from the city. 

Henry loved feeding the goats..

But he was a bit forceful so got a good ol boot in the bottom from their horns.

One of the workers was very sweet and took out some baby goats from the pen for Henry to pet.

So many gorgeous little spots to sit and relax. 






Once you arrive at reception,  you are greeted by some very smiley sweet ladies at reception, who showed an overwhelming interest in the kids (Henry loved the attention!:) and some very eye catching installations.

My favourite being the one pictured below - a young Arnie posing amongst a peculiar arrangement of figurines. Henry got to snatch an action man figurine (gave him something to play with by the pool).


Waking up in the morning looking out at the Atlas mountains with a cup of mint tea.. I am in awe of the beauty of this place.
and then making the tough decision to go do some exercise.. 


    It was great being able to squeeze in a workout in the morning while the kiddies and hubby        snoozed in bed. As you can tell by my eyes and hair we didn't have the greatest first nights sleep - with both of them waking up more times than the fingers on my hands. 



After a good workout and shower we all started feeling a bit more normal so off we headed to breakfast. They have an excellent buffet but their cooked breakfast menu is ace! The eggs benedict wins hands down after trying them all out. 




After a lovely breakfast we headed straight back to the pool for an afternoon of swimming snoozing and eating. We weren't gonna venture anywhere far on our first day. 








Delicious chicken and quinoa salad....





After a lovely lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon snoozing and swimming, swimming and snoozing.




In the early evenings, one of the house artists arrives and plays some delightful music.. Is it rose´ o'clock yet?


The next morning off we went to check out the kids club. Hands down one of the best looking dedicated kids areas I have ever seen. Although it seemed quiet it was great as gave Henry a chance to check everything out and we had the whole place to ourselves.  






Loved how they had a loom here. Apparently they normally run classes for the older ones. I would love to learn how to weave.












Room service for us that evening and a cheeky pudding out on the balcony. 







OK so excuse me while I go all 'Mama Geek' on you
 I had to take a pic of some of our essential pieces of kit when travelling with a small baby in the heat.  The most important being this awesome sunshade from Outlook.  I cannot recommend it enough. It fits on all types of buggies - it worked great on both the Bugaboo and Maclaren Techno on this trip. It provided shade when it was hot and kept the buggy cool and dark during nap times. It is made from 100% breathable mesh so you still get the breeze coming through.You can pick up ones of these sunshades here from Mothercare. Another good one is a parasol, and yes we definitely used both. I also bought this Bugaboo parasol to go with our Bugaboo Cameleon but check your buggy manufacturer for their accessories. 

Another great little travel necessity for me are these Buggy Buddy Clips - you can hang all your shopping and beach bags and i used it to hang wet swimmers as well. 






I am lucky enough to have a darling husband who offered to take Henry for the afternoon so that I could venture into the Souk to check out the markets. Not really somewhere I would recommend taking a toddler as its pretty busy, I had visions of losing Henry in the crowds and it sent shivers down my back!  Sunday evenings are apparently the busiest time of all (I found this out the hard way) as its the locals day off and they come in their masses.


First port of call at the Souk was a freshly squeezed orange juice, and I sat there soaking up the intense and lively atmosphere. Theres monkeys, snake charmers, folk singers, and the most overwhelming smells of spices from the street food vendors. Once I plucked up the courage, I ventured into the maze that is the Souk. All I can say is thank god I have a good sense of direction and a photographic memory - I didn't get too lost. 





OK so don't make the mistake I made - if you take a picture of a local or street vendor they will try and charge you. Whoops. And well I didn't have any small change so I apologised profusely and offered to delete the photo but he still wasn't impressed. In fact he got a bit aggressive. 


If you are on the  lookout for a good ice cream while you are there - try looking for Ice Legend. It came recommended to us by a friend so when I spotted it - well, who can resist an ice cream on a hot day. 



On day 3, we finally plucked up the courage to do a trip into Marrakech with the boys. Somewhere I have always wanted to visit - Les Jardins Marjorelle

We went in the mid morning/lunchtime, as this was a much better time for Henry but would otherwise highly recommend coming in the evening. The light is much better then and its not so hot. 
















After a hasty walk around the garden, Henry lost interest very quickly, we made our way to the cafe within the gardens for a drink and a quick bite to eat. 




I had the mezze of Moroccan salads... 




Before we headed back to the hotel we walked across the road to a concept design store - 33 Rue Majorelle. Someone described it perfectly as Marrakechs' version of Paris' Collette Store.  Part art Gallery, part cafe and part boutique, 33 Rue Marjorelle has just about some of the most beautifully hand selected pieces from local artists and designers lovingly curated across two storeys.


















and yes they have an old Merc in the garden.. 




The amazing living area space of the villa we were in. There are in total 4 rooms in this villa but we didn't see anyone the entire time we were there. But I am sure if there were other guests, they definitely heard us (or at least heard Henry). 




Having total chair envy.. 



One evening when were sure the little ones would snooze in the buggy, I decided to take Will into The souk.  If you are wondering whens the best time to go - well you cant beat the evenings there and most of the markets will stay open until well past midnight. 






After wandering around the souk, we worked up an appetite however didn't quite dare to eat the street food so we decided to go to a restaurant we had been recommended, Bo + Zin. 


While bubbas slept we had a perfect chance for a quick bite to eat and we could just enjoy each others company and have a conversation without being interrupted.. Well that was until the bigger one woke up.. Ahh the simple pleasures even if they feel like fleeting moments. 



On our last day, I got a few hours to myself so I leaped at the chance to take a car back into the town and spend a few hours wandering around soaking in that last bit of Moroccan culture. 









One of the many tanneries where they dry out the dyed leather. 


 One of my favourite places to visit was the Ben Youssef Madrasa. It was an Islamic college built in the 14th century. I was blown away by its beauty. 













We thoroughly enjoyed our first family holiday but travelling with kids is not for the faint hearted and I wouldn't exactly say it was all relaxing and peaceful, but it was our own little adventure and we will cherish those memories and moments forever. 

Thank you to all the amazing staff at Hotel Fellah.


//WE EAT//

Bo + Zin 
La Mamounia

//WE VISIT//

Ben Youssef Madrasa
Souk 


//WE SLEEP//
Fellah Hotel 









2 comments:

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LIFESTYLE BLOG FOUNDED BY MUM OF TWO BOYS AND FREELANCE STYLIST CHRISTABEL SAUL. A MUMMY'S GUIDE TO STYLE, DIY, TRAVEL AND DESIGN AND THE JOYS OF BEING A MOTHER TO TWO BOYS. FIND POSTS ON UPCYCLING PROJECTS // INTERIOR INSPIRATION // FASHION EDITORIALS // OUTFITS // HEALTHY RECIPES // DIY PROJECTS AND MORE. FIND OUT WHY HER HUSBAND CALLS HER A HOARDER.
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