Rather then stay in London for a typically over indulgent damp Christmas or fly to the other side of the World for a hot (and again) over indulgent Christmas, I decided to do something completely different: a Yoga retreat in Casablanca. And it was fabulous!
After some research into what was available around Europe and Morocco, I found a six day retreat at Om Yoga in Casablanca. Flights are not cheap at Christmas time (£550 with Air Maroc). But it was totally worth it – the villa is lovely, the yoga excellent and the staff make every effort to make you feel comfortable. The package (€ 1,390) included a private room, three vegetarian meals per day, a Hammam at the Mosque and unlimited Yoga. Airport transfer was also included – which is very helpful if you are not fluent in Arabic or French.
Om Yoga in Casablanca has three pristine studios – even the room used for aerial yoga and Bikram didn’t smell of the typical sweaty locker rooms that seem to go hand in hand with other Bikram studios that I have scuttled past.
There is a wide variety of yoga classes (Yin, Aerial, Power, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha, Bikram, Wall (yes there is such a thing)), provided by well trained teachers (Pablo Ruiz and Ahlam Khafi were my personal favourites). Over the holiday period, there was a reduced number of classes but I still managed five and a half hours of yoga in one day. Something to note; many of the classes are instructed in French – with about 10% English when the teacher remembers that not everyone is French speaking. So having some experience in yoga classes (or being fluent in French) is highly recommended.
The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca is totally outstanding – it can hold 25,000 people inside and the craftsmanship is breathtaking. Beneath you can enjoy an authentic Hammam with three rooms of varying heat.
For Christmas day itself, Om Yoga provided a special Christmas meal for us which included a typical Moroccan dish – Pastilla (spiced chicken wrapped in flaky pastry and sweetened with cinnamon and icing sugar).
Our Christmas Tree 
Pastilla 
Christmas table
Casablanca itself is quite polluted, the diesel fumes can be overwhelming, but the beaches are clean and the waves are powerful. Before dawn each morning, hundreds of soccer players practice their skills on the sand – which makes an early morning beach walk a little nerve racking as you have to be on alert for stray soccer balls.
Two restaurants to look for in Casablanca are Le Bistrot and Basmane – coincidently they are right next door to each other. Both had excellent service and food.
I had a couple of days after the retreat to explore… so took a train to Marrakech for one day – definitely not long enough (so I guess I will just have to go back!). Book premier class as the train takes about three hours and the comfort is worthwhile – plus your seat is guaranteed (not so in 2nd class) . Marrakech is a very colourful city and definitely a shopper’s mecca. If you see something you like, stop immediately because the chances of locating that shop again are slim – however don’t show too much interest as haggling is a sport in Morocco.
A nice lady from Vienna in our yoga group had been to Marrakech a couple of times and recommended the Zeitoun Cafe – it has a great view over the market square and the staff are friendly and accommodating. It is an excellent place to get your bearings and prepare yourself for the rattle snake charmers, acrobats, drummers, monkeys and the hustle bustle of the Marrakech souks.
Visit Dar El Bacha – Musee des Confluences in Marrakech (entry is 60 Dirhams) – artefacts include historic caftans, vases from China and relics from Columbia. It hosts a stunning cafe offering coffee from all around the world. The architecture and tile designs are marvellous.
Worthy of a visit is the Yves Saint Laurent garden – a beautiful green sanctuary in the heart of the bustling city centre (entry for International guests is 70 Dirhams). Go early as it does get very busy.
In both Casablanca and Marrakech it’s a good practice to agree a price with a taxi driver before getting into the car (the Petit Taxi drivers in Casablanca are adamant for you to NOT wear a seat belt…. and the way they drive well… I definitely prefer to have some sort of safety assurance when two lanes become three… and then four. For short trips around each city pay no more then 20/40 Dirhams. Take some back up cash in the local currency but note that the duty free shops at the airport only accept Euros or USD. We found that some cards just don’t work at every automatic teller.