A day with the “pricks” at Jardin Majorelle

Jardin Majorelle is literally an oasis of calm in the dessert. When you visit Marrakech, you can not miss out and not visit this gorgeous 12-acre space.

Created by French artist Jacques Majorelle, the villa is a cool vision of green and a special electric-blue hue called bleu Majorelle, named after the artist himself. Designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé, both Marrakech lovers, eventually bought the place to preserve Majorelle’s vision and keep the gardens open to the public.

Rien n’est plus beau qu’un corps nu. Le plus beau vêtement qui puisse habiller une femme ce sont les bras de l’homme qu’elle aime. Mais, pour celles qui n’ont pas eu la chance de trouver ce bonheur, je suis là.

As a huge fan of Saint Laurent himself, the visit felt like a proper homage. When the designer passed away, his ashes were scattered all over the villa. Passing by his memorial was a rather poignant moment. Je suis la, Yves. Je suis la.

The Musee Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech is currently being built. Due to open in late 2017, the museum is adjacent to Jardin Majorelle and will feature Saint Laurent’s creations, a library, a café, and a restaurant. I can’t wait to go back to visit! In the meantime, a small space in the gardens, Galerie Love, exhibits Saint Laurent’s “LOVE” posters. The designer used to send these sketches as New Year’s greetings to his friends and clients.

The garden is very beautiful indeed. Home to a notable amount of prickly cacti species, bamboo, palm trees, exotic plants and also birds endemic to North Africa, it’s a nature lover’s paradise in the Red City.

Creativity can be fuelled by your surroundings so there was no doubt why Saint Laurent felt so inspired here. And if you’re a social media warrior, you will not run out of ideas for your channels.

I mean, look. For this blog, I usually prefer taking the photos. But as I was in my favourite designer’s abode, I figured it would be ridiculous to not embrace my inner diva and be in front of the cam. Can fashion blogging be my thing? (Forgive the vanity that’s about to ensue…)

Okay, maybe I’m a bit too jokes for serious posing. I’ll leave the #fblogger poses to professionals. Teehee.

But don’t deny me my jump shots 😉

Jardin Majorelle also houses the Berber Museum, which displays over 600 artefacts on Berber culture including tool crafts, daily and ceremonial objects, costumes, house stuff, and my favourite: jewellery (they have really stunning pieces!).

After wandering around the gardens (and taking lotsa photos), you can grab a bite at the Café Majorelle or buy souvenirs at Boutique Majorelle. Customers can choose from silver jewellery, silk and leather products all exclusively designed for Jardin Majorelle. Loulou de la Falaise, Saint Laurent’s former accessories director and muse, has an exclusive range of jewellery sold here.

The low down

Entry to the gardens, as well as the Berber Museum, costs 100 Moroccan Dirhams. That’s roughly £8! Bargain! Allow yourselves around 2 hours to go around properly, and make sure you’re there early because the queues can get long. Plus, in the scorching heat, make sure you bring enough water to hydrate.

Jardin Majorelle
Rue Yves St Laurent, Marrakech 40090, Morocco

Have you been to Jardin Majorelle? How was it for you?

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