The greatest thing about the Garden of Eden and other legendary utopian spots are that they are exceedingly difficult to get to. Whether this is because they don’t actually exist or purely down to geographical adversities, it is this isolation from the rest of ‘us’ that makes them so special.
And so it is with any real paradise. Tropical islands are practically privatised and then priced to exclude the vast majority of people, while affordable destinations are so over-subscribed that most have lost the castaway essence that first attracted us to them – for a prime example look at Thailand, or closer to home, the once desirable Costa Del Crime.
What I’m saying to you is that if you want to find your own little piece of heaven, you are going to have to put some effort into it. Hopping on a budget airline won’t take you somewhere special but numbing your bum on long-haul flights/ local buses/ Tuk Tuks/ livestock and finally a hike through some kind of tricky terrain is sure to deliver you to somewhere remote (and by definition untouched).
One of the closest hidden slithers of paradise I know is actually smack bang in the middle of a city. Those still seeking a bit of the exotic will be delighted to hear it’s in Marrakesh, the bustling Moroccan destination which does now boast direct flights from most major UK airports.
Several years ago I decided to use up some left over holiday days in November and jetted into Malaga, southern Spain. From there I took a bus (they’re actually reasonably comfortable coaches in Spain) to Granada for a couple of days gawking at the Alhambra; which I’ll save for another time. A couple more buses carried me back along the coast past Marbella to the impossibly unpronounceable Algerciras. My attempt to buy a ticket for that destination in the bus station was met with blank stares until one teller finally barked something that sounded like an Arabic war cry at me and I took a gamble nodding in agreement.
There are plenty of regular ferries crossing to Tanger, and from there you can board an overnight train to Marrakesh; an experience I highly recommend. Although not the most luxurious accommodation, the sleeping cabins are more than adequate for resting your head – something I do very well on trains. The rocking motion sends me to sleep whatever time of day my journey is. You’ll want to wake with the sun so you can gaze at the alien looking landscape rushing past and generally get your wits about you ready to disembark in the city.
I stayed in a £2/night Riad on one of the meandering lanes off the action-packed main square, Djemaa el-Fna, in the old city. It is VERY easy to get lost down these Medina lanes so do be careful (or unravel a ball of string?!) Of course the full range of accommodation from lowly hostel to 5* Hotel is available in the city; just pick the type most appropriate for your own travelling style/budget.
Now to my revelation of inner-city paradise: Los Jardins Majorelle. Visit their website www.jardinmajorelle.com for full historic details but essentially a French painter founded these botanical gardens in the heart of the city, opening them to the public in 1947. Another Frenchman, designer Yves Saint Laurent, purchased the site in 1980, cementing its appeal for me and justifying an hour spent trudging through the city to find it.
When I think of the lush gardens now I can feel the sense of calm it instilled in me flooding back; warm autumn sunshine blushing my face and the sweet air whose taste was such a contrast to the dry, dusty streets outside. Electric blue walls, turquoise terracotta pots and hints of tropical flowers peep through the heavy, green veil that envelops you. It’s easy to idle away your day watching the terrapins struggling in and out of the pools or listen for tiny lizards scuttling through the dense foliage.
You struggle to believe that Marrakesh even exists outside the high garden walls; this is the epitome of calm oasis. Los Jardins Majorelle are what I conjure up in my mind whenever I need to find inner peace and shut out whatever chaos is around me.
Marrakesh has become much more accessible in recent years due to the increase in direct flights from the UK and yet it still retains enough exotic distance to qualify it for my list of paradise places.
By Heidi Tomlin
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