More From Morocco

Following our story on the visiting hotelier Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli  from Morocco, a missive arrives in the form of a card and some snaps of Sydney party girl Sharon Sargeant who is currently holidaying in Marrakesh.

Ms Sargeant says she has been to Prince Fabrizio's hotel, La Maison Arabe for lunch and it truly is splendid :
"if I wasn't staying with friends in their villa I would certainly stay at La Maison. It's quite gorgeous".

Sharon says she and her fiancee, the 'world's most famous' private eye Frank Monte spent a week in Tangier before driving to Marrakesh via Casablanca which she says she was slightly disappointed by :
"I was really expecting something out of the movie of the same name, you know with Humphrey Bogart and Rick's Cafe but it's quite a modern city. But Marrakesh is wonderful"

Ms Sargeant assures us that the two snaps taken at the front door and inside her friend's villa are definitely not how she appears in the streets :
"I cover myself from head to toe in caftans which are perfect for the climate and I certainly don't want to cause a commotion when I am in the local market"
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Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli

  Although Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli has now left Sydney it  was a successful visit in more ways than one. Visiting Sydney's top Thai restaurant Spice I Am in Darlinghurst which specialises in Issan food (from Northern Thailand ) he was so taken with the food he has invited the chef Sujet Saenkhan to visit La Maison Arabe for a few weeks to holiday and oversee some banquets.

Sweet Taste Of Morroco

Meet the very elegant Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli  (pictured here with tv personality Tracey Spicer) who is in town to tell us about Morocco and the rather splendid hotel he owns there-La Maison Arabe in Marrakesh.
Fabrizio was the star guest at a small reception-The Sweet Taste of Morocco -in the Patisse restaurant in the Pyd building near Dank Street in Waterloo.

Born in France with an Italian father, Fabrizio holidayed as a child in Tangier at his grandparents villa and fell in love with the country.
 La Maison Arabe, as you can see from our pics is a luxury hotel decorated in Moroccan style and is Ruspoli's pride and joy. It's one of the town's best kept secrets and is reasonably priced considering it's now been discovered by the jet set who see it as the perfect alternative to their usual choice, the 6 star historic Mamounia which re-opened in 2009 after a complete makeover.

La Maison Arabe

At the Mamounia's re-launch a host of famous names jetted in for the celebrations-Salma Hayek, Orlando Bloom, Bryan Ferry, Sarah Jessica Parker and Paloma Picasso. Jose Carreras entertained the guests. The re-opening of the Mamounia summed up just how quickly Marrakesh is becoming a tourism developer's dream.

Salma Hayek in Marrakesh

La Maison Arabe

Although Prince Fabrizio is in the tourism business he is fearful that Marrakesh may go the way of some famous Mediterranean hot spots and has likened it, (and not in a complimentary fashion) to "St Tropez without the boats". He is alarmed that luxury spas and branches of French restaurants, art galleries, nightclubs and golf courses, all with European prices are opening there. Hopefully he's comforted that at least McDonald's was given the cold shoulder by the town burghers. At the reception to greet our Italian aristocrat was one Sydney's best chefs who also happens to be Moroccan-Hassan M'Souli who owns the award winning restaurant Out Of Africa in Manly. He whipped up some delicious Morrocan treats for the party guests.
As for Sydney, Fabrizio said he has been pleasantly surprised :"the trees" he said,"so many beautiful trees, everywhere I go there are just beautiful trees!"

Check out La Maison Arabe here and Out Of Africa here.