Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Painting by Winston Churchill
Right
Actor Colin Farrell in Oliver Stone's
Alexander
Celebrity Visitors
!
Winston Churchill
$
Yves Saint-Laurent
Between 1935-59, British
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
visited Marrakech no less than
six times. “It is,” he reportedly
said, “the most lovely spot in the
world.” Usually at the Mamounia
Hotel
(see pp28-9)
, his mornings
were spent penning his memoirs
and afternoons were devoted to
painting, his favourite hobby.
@
George Orwell
The French couturier first
visited the Red City in 1962
when memories of his childhood
in Oran, Algeria were reignited.
He returned a few years later
and bought a house in the
medina. The city found its way
into his work as well, with the
colours and patterns of southern
Morocco influencing his collec-
tions. He spent part of the year
here in a villa adjacent to the
Majorelle Gardens
(see pp26-7)
.
%
Colin Farrell
The famous author of
Animal
Farm
and
1984
was in Marrakech
in 1939 on the advice of his
doctor (Orwell suffered from
tuberculosis). While recupe-
rating, he wrote
Coming Up for
Air
and an essay, “Marrakech .
£
The Rolling Stones
Southern Morocco has long
been favoured by Hollywood as
an exotic, versatile and, most
importantly, cheap spot for
filming. Consequently, Marrakech
has become a favourite place for
actors to unwind; while shooting
for
Alexander
, actor Colin Farrell
reputedly ran up a $64,000 hotel
bill at Le Méridien N'Fis.
^
P. Diddy
Brian Jones of the Rolling
Stones visited Marrakech in 1966
and brought the rest of the band
on the next trip. Put up at the
Hotel Es Saadi in Hivernage, they
bumped into Cecil Beaton, who
photographed Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards by the pool.
In 2002, rap artist P. Diddy
flew nearly 300 guests into
Marrakech on
chartered jets from
New York and Paris to
celebrate his 33rd
birthday in opulent
Moroccan style. The
king, apparently a rap
fan, also contributed
to the party and lent
him the use of the
Bahia Palace
(see
p63)
for the high-
profile celebrations.
P. Diddy's birthday celebrations in Marrakech
34
For information on the Atlas Corporation Studio in Ouarzazate,
home to the Moroccan film industry,
see p97.
