Morocco Travel Guide

GARDEN

GARDEN

landscape painter Jacques Majorelle, and keep it open to the public. Per his instructions, Yves
Saint Laurent’s ashes were scattered over Jardin Majorelle upon his June 2008 passing.

JARDIN MAJORELLE HIGHLIGHTS

»   »   Majorelle   Museum  Villa   displays    cover   Jacques Majorelle   artworks    and rotating    exhibits,   such    as  vintage Morocco travel

posters and YSL fashion sketches.

»   »   Rare    flora   Lording it  over    the garden  is  a   tree-sized  African Tirucalli   euphorbia   ,   with    appendages  that    seem    determined  to

elbow   visitors    off the pathway.

»   »   Yves    Saint   Laurent memorial    The designer’s  memorial    is  a   simple  stone   pillar  in  the back    of  the garden, where   rare

African songbirds   flock.

Garden

Thanks to Marrakshi ethnobotanist Abderrazak Benchaâbane and director Touriya Abd, the
garden Majorelle began cultivating in 1924 is now a psychedelic desert mirage of 300 plant
species from five continents. Fuchsia bougainvillea explode from lemon-yellow terracotta
planters; skinny cacti slouch against cobalt-blue plaster walls; colourful African songbirds flit
through dense green bamboo.

Museum & Facilities

Majorelle’s art-deco villa houses Saint Laurent’s collection of Moroccan decorative arts and
rotating exhibitions, plus Majorelle’s elegant southern Morocco landscapes. A boutique features
pricey souvenirs: Majorelle blue slippers, perfume, and pillows embroidered with YSL
Marrakesh New Year’s card designs. The cafe offers drinks at high- fashion prices (Dh60 for a
grapefruit juice) but you can’t argue with the view.

CyberPark

Offline map Google  map (   Ave Mohammed    V,  near    Bab Nkob;    9am-7pm;    )  Stop    and smell

the roses while checking email at this 8-hectare royal garden, dating from the 18th century but
now offering free wi-fi. Wait your turn for free outdoor kiosk access alongside teenagers and
secretive internet daters, or pay to use the swanky air-conditioned cybercafe (Dh10 per hour).

Menara Gardens

Offline map(    Ave de  la  Menara, Hivernage;  garden  free,   picnic  pavilion    Dh20;    9am-5pm)

Local lore tells of a sultan who seduced guests over dinner, then lovingly chucked them in the
Menara’s reflecting pools to drown. Nowadays dunking seems the furthest thing from the minds
of couples canoodling amid these royal olive groves, or families picnicking in the stately 19th-
century pavilion. On clear days, come for dromedary rides and photo ops against the Atlas
Mountain backdrop – but if you stay for sunset, stick to paths to leave couples their privacy.