I'm staying at La Mamounia, the legendary French-built hotel. A short walk from the medina's ocher red walls, La Mamounia opened with a splash of Moroccan and art deco splendor in 1923 and has been the venue of choice for presidents (Franklin Roosevelt, Carter, Reagan, and Clinton), potentates, and VIP s aplenty ever since.

Churchill slept here. Most memorably, it's where Winston Churchill returned time and again. "It is the most beautiful spot in the world," Churchill told FDR in 1943. The prime minister had persuaded his friend to visit Marrakech (and stay at La Mamounia) after the Casablanca Conference on war strategy against the Nazis. Churchill used to gaze out on colorful gardens or nearby minarets and, using the subtle hues of desert light, paint the scenes. You can still stay in Room 400, the English-style Churchill suite, complete with a Regency desk and original documents and photos. His hat hangs from a hook, and his easel stands in a corner.

The 231-room hotel also offers an Orient Express suite furnished with pieces from that famous train and a Moroccan-style "Menzeh" suite facing the city's Moorish landmark, the Koutoubia mosque, which non-Muslims may admire from outside but not enter. Owned by Morocco's king (who maintains a palace nearby), the hotel stands as a sort of monument to jet-setting travel in the past century.

Though Moroccan officials and people in Marrakech say the city is safe from extremism, the aftereffects of 9/11 have been felt strongly. The share of American guests at La Mamounia fell from 22 percent to 9 percent. "Things are not the same," allows managing director Robert Berge, who says Americans are starting to come back, though slowly. "They think we are in the Middle East."

Over the years, La Mamounia's grandeur has faded only slightly, though enough that a remodeling is in the works. The hotel will close from May 1 to December 1, toning down the art deco for more Moroccan styling and adding a new spa and pool. High-speed Internet access was installed just last year.

Beyond the tranquillity of La Mamounia, any serious visit to Marrakech has to feature the medina, best seen on foot and with an official guide (book through your hotel and shun cruising faux competitors). One of the best is Mohamed Bouskri, a proud Marrakchi who works out of La Mamounia. For about $50, he takes you on a leisurely, daylong stroll through labyrinthine streets, past specialty souks for metal works, leather, jewelry, and carpets, as well as food stalls. The medina's population density is eight times as great as surrounding newer areas. Yet peek into courtyards and you may see an oasis of quiet, perhaps with a burbling fountain and greenery. A pedestrian has to weave around donkeys pulling carts, playful kids, and women running errands, some in European style, others in the full-body covering known as hijab. Bouskri points out several fonduks--buildings that once served as inns for caravan drivers with a courtyard for the camels. Architecturally rich religious schools, known as medersas, can be seen from the outside; one, the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa, is now a museum. Gardens, palaces, and the Saadian Tombs (a royal necropolis) are nearby and worth a visit.

Fixer uppers. Patches of the medina have been renovated courtesy of European money, for the most part. French designers Yves Saint Laurent and Jean-Paul Gaultier are among those who have bought and restored centuries-old homes. Many houses have been converted to gorgeous Moroccan-styled inns known as riads--an appealing alternative to La Mamounia and to the newer hotels beyond the medina's ramparts. The Euro influx might be expected to cause resentment, but in general the opposite has happened. The outside money has spared historic buildings headed for ruin and built up a market (and aesthetic appreciation) for Moroccan crafts like tiling and woodworking. Wealthy Moroccans have been buying homes in the medina as well. "This phenomenon has brought Moroccans to reconsider their cultural heritage," says Bouskri.

The timeless marvel of Marrakech is a public square called Djemaa el-Fna. Bouskri calls it "an eternal circus," and he is right. Picture a large medieval plaza that, with the descent of the desert sun, springs to life with a mesmerizing array of musicians, acrobats, snake charmers, fortunetellers, scribes, monkey trainers, spice peddlers, medicine men, and henna artists. Here, unlike more-Europeanized Casablanca and Rabat to the north, you feel Morocco's African identity. Get a glass of mint tea at one of the cafes overlooking Djemaa el-Fna, and soak in the scene. Amazingly, this centuries-old nightly spectacle survives mainly for Moroccans, not tourists. The visitors, they come and go. But Djemaa el-Fna endures, unforgettably.

source : USNews.com