Marrakesh is said to be The Rose City, due to the color of the red-clay mud of the earth below. While the color, architecture, and walls of the city hasn’t changed much since it was founded in 1062. Today Marrakesh is an international destination where you will find luxury hotels, unparalleled shopping, trendy restaurants, and a sizzling party scene of rich globetrotters.

The country of Morocco is part Berber, part Arab, and part African, and the city of Marrakesh is at the heartbeat of it all. As a melting pot of tradition, custom, and exquisiteness, we fell in love with the energy of the people and the vibrancy of the Medina (within the city walls). The mosques, palaces, baths, and riads, all reflect the beauty of their architectural style.

We met up with friends who hosted us for the week. We stayed both inside and outside of the Medina. Outside of the Medina, you will find newer apartment complexes, with swimming pools and tennis courts.

Inside the Medina, the most common place to stay is in a riad – a traditional Moroccan villa with an open courtyard. All of the rooms at riads are decorated in the traditional Moroccan ornate style.

Despite the 110-degree heat, we spent quite a bit of time outdoors, visiting the Koutoubia Mosque, El Bahia Palace (where P Diddy once hosted a party), and the Menara Gardens (designed by the late Moroccan designer Yves Saint Laurent). The city square is where all the excitement happens! You will find snake charmers, Gnaouan drums players, henna tattoo artists, and open-air restaurants. We took a chance getting henna tattoos, dancing with male belly dancers, and touching snakes!

In the square is where you will find Djemâa el Fna, one of the most popular souks in the world. Once we entered the labyrinthine bazaar, you will find vendors selling clothing, fabrics, textiles, carpets, spices, copper, and jewelry. Everything in Morocco is up for negotiation, and the Moroccans pride themselves on the art of compromise and concession. They are savvy experts at negotiating, and they like the process to go on and on and on. So in the give-and-take, we made sure that we weren’t taken!

We indulged our cultural desires and took up cooking classes and belly-dancing! The cuisine is full of spices and beef patties, couscous, and tagines are their most popular dishes. I (Andrea) learned first hand the secret of Moroccan cuisine, and cooked with a Moroccan woman who taught me how to make chicken tagine. Teri went shopping for a belly-dance outfit because she wanted to learn the art of dancing, Mediterranean style. Her lessons paid off, and now she feels confident to shake her thing!

We fell into the best of the party scene, dropping by the largest pool party in North Africa, where the beautiful and jet-set were relaxing in the sun. At night, we partied with international jetsetters from Morocco, Paris, London, and Dubai. Although it’s a Muslim country, they didn’t waste any time popping champagne and dancing like crazy. The Nouvelle Ville neighborhood is a popular district of clubs, lounges and restaurants like Le Paradise, VIP, and Le Theatro. Pacha and Le Comptoir are also popular.

What’s next for Morocco? The Marrakesh Grand Prix, which takes place in May 2009! This is the first international car race on the continent in over 50 years. We talked to the young CEO of the MGP and his advice is to book your ticket now!

The energy of Marrakesh is infectious. The city is international, exotic, and affordable! Take it from the Travelistas, book your ticket now!