Josephine Baker's Riad in Marrakech

If you want to treat yourself in an authentic Marrakech experience, a luxury five-star hotel is probably not the best way to find it. Go instead into the heart of the city's Medina, the old quarter surrounded by fortified walls where you can stay in a majestic Moroccan home. And if you want to experience Moroccan culture at its best, stay in a riad for a couple of nights. Like, for example, the magnificent seven-guestroom Riad Star, once home of the legendary Josephine Baker.

The Riad Star is attached to the palace that today is the Marrakech Museum, whose architecture is emblematic of Moroccan style. The hotel itself combines traditional Moroccan and Art Deco styles. Like any modern hotel, rooms are fully equipped with mini fridge, flat-screens TV, hair dryer, safe, and air conditioning. Each room's decor reflects a different theme, all conveying a unique Arabian ambiance. Breakfast and dinner are included and access to the house kitchen is available around the clock. While you can take your breakfast in bed, why not take it on the terrace, listening to birds chirping and swatting harmless bees off your jam while enjoying a tall glass of freshly pressed orange juice.

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Marrakech Museum/ Image Credit:www.flickr.com/agroove

Owned by British couple Mike and Lucie Wood, the Riad Star is part of a hotel trend in Morocco. Hotel owners here are increasingly investing in old Moroccan homes and palaces and renovating them to cater to the enormous flow of foreign tourists in the country. More than 10 million tourists visit Morocco every year — that's one third of the country's population. 

The Riad Star's location is perfect. It's only meters from Jemaa El Fnaa, the famous Moroccan square where you come across snake charmers. The walk there winds down a path going through the old Moroccan souks where distinctive scents of incense waft up from the shops as you search for the perfect jelaba, touch the fine fabrics, and indulge in the almond-flavored sweets. 

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Besides the Riad Star’s unique atmosphere, its fascinating historical background is the hotel's main attraction. Josephine Baker, the American-born dancer famous in Paris during the Roaring Twenties, lived here for four years in the 1940s as the guest of the Pashah of Marrakech, Thami el-Glaoui. Still today, you can find her eccentric dresses in the wardrobe (trying on the clothes is permitted); and in the hallway you can find her bright purple saxophone set against a wall. 

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Josephine Baker

While Josephine Baker gained fame as a dancer, she was also remarkable for her courage as a member of the French resistance during the war when she served as a spy for almost a decade. An African-American who moved to Europe to escape racism in her home country, she later used her popularity to promote civil rights in the United States, marching with Martin Luther King on his peaceful walk to the American capital. A lesser-known chapter in Josephine Baker's colorful life was the time she spent in Marrakech. Visitors to the Riad Star can get a glimpse into her Moroccan period by staying in the place she once called home.