After the expense of the festive season, a short break somewhere exotic at this time of year  can seem like a distant dream.    However for £300.00, you can fly to hip Marrakesh and live in your very own riad for the same cost as a monthly commute with a 1-6 zone travel card on the tube.  Sound too good to be true?  I tested out Expedia’s  claims.

Riad in Marrakesh

Settled into our flight from Gatwick to Marrakesh, we were suddenly informed that due to fog, we would be re-routed to Casablanca where “we could pick up the local bus” on a four-hour journey back to Marrakesh.  No frills airlines at their best.    However, following much gnashing of teeth and alarming offers from fellow passengers “to fly the plane back myself”, the fog miraculously lifted and we were back on our magic carpet ride.

Arriving bedraggled sometime later, we were met by our hotel transfer, a wily figure in a thread-bare kaftan dragging a battered wheelbarrow. Dumping our bags on board with a sigh, we were led into the teeming medina  and through a labyrinth of increasingly dark back streets before our bags were ceremoniously dumped in front of a huge oak door.

back streets, Marrakesh

As the door creaked open, an oasis of calm was revealed.  Cloistered in towering stone walls, the silent, sunlight courtyard felt like a million miles from the chaotic medina only a few metres away.  While more rustic than raffish, we encountered bathrooms the size of Roman antechambers and a spectacular roof-top terrace with panoramic views across the Atlas Mountains.

In the chilly evenings, our bedroom was kept cosy with thick Berber rugs adorning the walls.  Noticing me wincing in pain from a recent back injury, we were immediately upgraded by the manager to the Master Suite – a room the size of a small warehouse, gleaming with intricate, mosaic tiles.  However, the most striking aspect was the glass-less interior windows where small birds regularly swooped in from the courtyard to greet us, giving an amazing feeling of space and freedom.

Riad, Morocco, Marrakesh

Dragging ourselves out of our private retreat, a five minute meander took us into the throbbing heart of the Djemaa El Fna where freshly squeezed orange juice can be purchased for 10p a cup and vast vats of simmering snails bubble up for your delectation.  Sunday nights attract the locals for alfresco dining along with disabled beggars in their droves.

A mecca for shopping, we dutifully lined our bags with silver-plated mirrors, suede slippers, bright red tagines and stripy wool rugs for £12.00 each.  Leather handbags are also great bargains if you can bear to live with the smell of Camel for three months. Fortunately, when it comes to excess baggage, the Moroccan Easyjet officials are a little easier-going than their UK counterparts. And what about the hassle factor? None other than the highly-excitable henna tattoo ladies who were determined to leave their mark on us come what may.

Marrakech medina

Marrakech slippers

Brought straight back down to earth on re-entering our orange cabin, we reflected on an amazing weekend of contrasts.  The calm serenity of riad life contrasted with the heady buzz of the Djemma El Fnaa provided the perfect mix of relaxation and excitement to transport us a million miles from the stress of office life.