On second day in Marrakech we decided to head to one of the main tourist attractions for lovers of art and design; the botanical Jardin Majorelle on Rue Yves Saint Laurent.
The Majorelle Garden is a twelve-acre botanical landscaped garden, first developed by French painted Jacques Majorelle in 1924. Opened to the public in 1947 the garden thrives on today after being bought and restored by designer Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge. Though they contain many rare plants, bamboo groves, and more cacti than you can shake a stick at, its the water features and flashes of Yves Klein blue which really take your breath away. Nestled in a quite corner you'll find a memorial to the late Saint Laurent, a fitting tribute as his ashes were scattered in the garden.
Also in the grounds is 'Galerie Love' - a room exhibiting Yves Saint Laurent's famous LOVE posters. Starting in the 70s, he sent them every year as New Year's greetings to his friends and the clients of his fashion house. Finding 1987, the year I was born, among the posters was a highlight but selecting a favourite design would be impossible there were so many - and most featuring animal motifs made using collage techniques.
An oasis of calm in the centre of Marrakesh the gardens were a welcome relief after our hectic first day and I would definitely recommend visiting. Easy and relatively cheap to get there by taxi, entrance costs 50 dirhams and for an extra price you can also visit the Berber Museum which is set up in the former painting studio of Majorelle. The museum is really interesting and features 600 objects (lots of it jewellery to my delight) from the Berber tribes of Northern Africa. There's also a cafe, book shop and gift shop - but be warned as all have eye-watering prices.
For more info check out the Jardin Majorelle website.
The Majorelle Garden is a twelve-acre botanical landscaped garden, first developed by French painted Jacques Majorelle in 1924. Opened to the public in 1947 the garden thrives on today after being bought and restored by designer Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge. Though they contain many rare plants, bamboo groves, and more cacti than you can shake a stick at, its the water features and flashes of Yves Klein blue which really take your breath away. Nestled in a quite corner you'll find a memorial to the late Saint Laurent, a fitting tribute as his ashes were scattered in the garden.
Also in the grounds is 'Galerie Love' - a room exhibiting Yves Saint Laurent's famous LOVE posters. Starting in the 70s, he sent them every year as New Year's greetings to his friends and the clients of his fashion house. Finding 1987, the year I was born, among the posters was a highlight but selecting a favourite design would be impossible there were so many - and most featuring animal motifs made using collage techniques.
An oasis of calm in the centre of Marrakesh the gardens were a welcome relief after our hectic first day and I would definitely recommend visiting. Easy and relatively cheap to get there by taxi, entrance costs 50 dirhams and for an extra price you can also visit the Berber Museum which is set up in the former painting studio of Majorelle. The museum is really interesting and features 600 objects (lots of it jewellery to my delight) from the Berber tribes of Northern Africa. There's also a cafe, book shop and gift shop - but be warned as all have eye-watering prices.
Here I am in the gardens wearing a black patterned dress from Zara. Messenger bag from Zara. Rope & chain necklace and sunglasses from Topshop. Midi Rings from Topshop. Luxury spun and charm bracelets, Shimla jewellery. Manicure courtesy of Boutique Spa, Bayswater.
See more after the jump
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For more info check out the Jardin Majorelle website.
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