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Photo Credits: (1-3) Africa Travel Association Archives (4) Morocco National Tourism Office. |
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Photo Credits: (1-3) Africa Travel Association Archives (4) Morocco National Tourism Office. |
Chafiq
Bahra speaks French, English and Italian, as well
as Morocco's native languages, and is a member of
Morocco's Professional Tour Guide's Association.
Since our meeting, Chafiq has given me a solid
grounding and understanding of the country and its
people, including the basics of Islam. While I've
much more to learn in the months ahead, our readers
will benefit from his fountain of information in
our coming issues. We had the opportunity to visit
the elegant Hotel Mansour Eddahbi (right) where we
were warmly received. Many of the staff remembered
Muguette from her last visit when the Africa Travel
Association brought a large contingent of delegates
here for an Ecotourism Symposium in 1996. Watch for
new items on this web site featuring hotels,
resorts and guest houses in Marrakech as this
series develops.
Hotel
Tichka: This
morning's weather reports from Western Europe and
North America's east coast were frightening, but
here we are basking in the sun as we enjoy
breakfast on the spacious patio by the emerald pool
(left). We had the pleasure of staying in this fine
member of the Salam Hotel group on the post ATA
Ecotourism Symposium tour provided by the Morocco
National Tourist Office, and liked it so much we
chose to stay a second time on our own. The
architecture and interior design are exceptional,
with high ceilings and large, ornate metal
chandeliers. The interior walls are a gallery of
Moroccan art, and the corner fireplace makes you
want to stay the entire evening. We discovered the
unique history of the hotel, its designers, and
other reasons why our hosts recommended it to the
Africa Travel Association for our media tour. More
to come ....
Borj:
While in
Marrakech, we had the pleasure of a chance meeting
with a familiar friend, Marie-Elyse Gbedo, former
Tourism Minister of Benin. Later that day we met
her at this great hotel for an interview session
regarding her visions for West Africa in the coming
decade. This meeting was timely, since Ms Gbedo was
in the city for the African Professional Women's
Association Conference, of which she holds a key
position. Watch for her comments and a description
of the Imperial Borj hotel later in our coming
supplement on Expos, Great Meeting Places and
Conference Sites. The latest news of our friend is
that she has taken an active role in promoting the
Beninese Soccer team on a world scale. Marie-Elise
Gbedo made the international news a few years ago
as a leading candiate for President.
La
Mamounia: Muguette
Goufrani and I had the opportunity to visit to La
Mamounia twice during our stay in Marrakech She
remembers this hotel as a meeting place, where
herself, friends and family spent many happy
moments during her career.
The hotel's
name was derived from its beautiful, spacious and
deliciously perfumed gardens - a unique wedding
gift to the Prince Moulay Mamoun from his father
some 200 years ago (more about the gardens later).
In 1922, architects Prost and Marchisio designed
the hotel, combining the popular Art Deco look with
traditional Moroccan designs. 
Footnotes:
Jerry W. Bird
is President of ATA Canada Chapter, Editor and
Publisher of Africa Travel Magazine, and Webmaster
for the ATA web site. He also publishes Air
Highways Magazine featuring aviation, tourism,
transportation and business worldwide. His career
began with the Edmonton Journal Daily Newspaper and
expanded into the full spectrum of media - radio,
television, magazines and Internet. Mr. Bird has
won international awards for creativity in audio
visual and print production.