Morocco Guide
Marrakesh
Nightlife
1 Diamant Noir Rue Oum er Bia, behind Hôtel Marrakesh Look for the signpost on Av Mohammed V to find this lively dance club where Western pop and disco alternate with Algerian and Moroccan raï music. There are two bars, quite a sophisticated range of drinks (the 100dh entry ticket includes one), and a mainly young crowd, with a gay contingent.
2 
Pacha Marrakech Av Mohammed VI (southern extension), Nouvelle Zone Hôtelière de l'Aguedal 
024 38 84 00 
www.pachamarrakech.com The Marrakesh branch of the famous Ibiza club claims to have the biggest and best sound system in Africa, and it's certainly the place to come if DJing skills, acoustics and visuals are important for your clubbing experience. Big-name DJs from abroad regularly play here – check the website for current line-ups. There's even a free shuttle service to and from town (call to arrange). Sun– Thurs 100–150dh; Fri & Sat: 200–250dh; occasionally as much as 350dh for a big event; entry includes one drink.
3 Paradise Hôtel Kempinski, Bd el Mansour Eddahbi, Hivernage A plush and trendy club that tries to be reasonably exclusive (so dress smartly). The clientele of well-heeled Moroccans, with a sprinkling of expats, plus a few tourists staying at the attached five-star hotel, dance to some well-mixed sounds, mostly at the commercial – or at least, the more tuneful – end of house and techno. The drinks list is impressively long, and impressively expensive. Entry is 150dh weekdays, 200dh weekends.
4 Point Rouge 68 Bd Mohammed Zerktouni Not the poshest joint in town (in fact, truth be told, rather a dive), but it's got to be the most good-natured and the least pretentious of Marrakesh's nightspots. Drunken bonhomie reigns as a mixed crowd of all ages do their thing to the sound of a four-piece Arabic folk band with female vocalist, interspersed with disco, pop and hip-hop records. No one stands on ceremony and a good time is generally had by all. The 50dh entry ticket includes your first drink.
5 Tanzania Moulay Hassan I Kawab Center, Avenue Moulay el Hassan, Hivernage 024 42 44 49. Sophisticated open-air club-restaurant offering food, drink, music and dancing. Entry is usually free.
6 Le Teatro Hotel Es Saadi, Av el Kaissia (Qadassia) 024 44 88 11. Currently Marrakesh's most happening nightclub, located, as its name suggests, in an old theatre.
7 VIP Club Pl de la Liberté The gullet-like entrance leads down to the first level, where there's an "oriental cabaret" (meaning a belly-dancing floor-show), and then further down to the deepest level, where there's what the French call a boîte, meaning a sweaty little nightclub. It's got a circular dancefloor and a small bar area, but despite its diminutive size, the place rarely seems to be full. Entry is 100dh during the week, 150dh weekends.
8 Grand Casino in the Hôtel La Mamounia, Av Bab Djedid www.grandcasinomamounia.com . Walking in from the Medina, you'll find this grand high-class casino pretty unreal. Under huge chandeliers and Art Deco glass panels, you can – so long as you are not Muslim – gamble away your life savings on roulette, craps or blackjack (daily 9pm–4am), or feed your change to the slot machines (from 5pm weekdays, 3pm weekends). Entrance is free, but scruffy clothes are not permitted, and men need a jacket and tie. The casino remains open while the rest of the hotel undergoes renovation.