Under Moroccan Sun

Thanks to Majid and Moha for making our trip to Morocco very memorable. I've never scheduled an expensive trip with someone over the internet, but Majid delivered. With our driver, Moha, we our six day journey from Casablanca to Meknes to Fez to Ouzoud Falls to Marakech and back to Casablanca met every plan and expectation. Of course, being in Morocco made the KimKim experience extra special. Besides the souvenirs and pictures, I return home with a vastly improved understanding of the diverse cultures of Morocco.

One piece of advice I would give to travelers to Morocco...get local currency in small denominations. Everyone expects a tip...even 2 dinars for a toilet trip visit. The ATMs don't give small denominations or coins. We even asked Moha to assist with breaking large bills. Majid provided guidelines on what amounts to tip who.

I would happily recommend Majid and Moha to anyone considering a trip to Morocco!

Hotel Reviews

Mövenpick Hotel Casablanca

Casablanca

They upgraded us to a suite!

Authenticity & Character

More western than Moroccan, but that was okay.

Location

It wasn't too far from the airport. But we arrived late and were tired.

Staff

Staff upgraded us to a suite. Probably noticed we were dead tired.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Double-paned glass kept obvious street noises out of the room for a very quiet rest.

Dar Lys - Luxury Riad & Spa

Fes

We had some problems with low water pressure in our bathroom, but it was temporary. The breakfast and dinner were great, but since we were there for two nights, having other dining options would have been great. We were discouraged from entering the medina at night even though the hotel advertises its proximity as an asset.

Authenticity & Character

It was an oasis in a not so beautiful medina.

Location

In the medina, but we were told not to venture into the medina on our own.

Staff

They got up with us and made breakfast even when we had to check out early.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very nice place. Modern with very good dining. Our room overlooked the courtyard restaurant, so we heard music and ambient noise until 11pm at night.

Widiane Suite And Spa

Bine El Ouidane

It may be difficult to find a 4 or 5-star hotel in this remote area near the Atlas Mountains. This hotel looks like a 5-star hotel, but presents as much less.

Authenticity & Character

Not Moroccan, not 5-star European.

Location

Ideal location as our trip from Fez to Marakech required an overnight stop, and this one was close to Ouzoud Falls.

Staff

Staff seemed unwilling to admit mistakes.

Cleanliness & Comfort

I ordered salmon for dinner half was raw. After using the toilet once, no more water came out of any of the spigots in our bathroom. Staff had it fixed during the dinner with uncooked food.

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Best hotel staff of the trip. Best restaurant food of the trip. And we both got a wonderful hammam and massage at their spa. If our windows had double-paned glass like the Mövenpick in Casablanca, then maybe we wouldn't have to listen to the restaurant entertainment and client noises below our window.

Authenticity & Character

It really is a very charming and colorful place. The Jazz Bar pianist played familiar tunes and dinner could be had when we were ready. The staff seemed to treasure the place as well, which was refreshing to see.

Location

Easy walking distance to the old market square. Staff gave perfect directions.

Staff

They listened and always had a solution.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Maybe we'd ask for a room that didn't look over the restaurant.

Activity Reviews

Architectural Elegance: A Journey through the Hassan II Mosque

Morocco

Transfer from Casablanca to Fez via Meknes

Morocco

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide at Volubilis was well-informed.

Guided Tour of Volubilis

Volubilis

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was well-informed

Fes: Exploring the Imperial City

Fes

Transfer to Bin El Ouidane

Morocco

Grateful for the few stops we made along the way (Ifrane, castle, lunch), otherwise the ride was long. You should consider having a guide who can get picked up at one location and dropped off down the road to give some background on the Berber culture of the High Atlas region.

Horse Ride Carriage in Marrakech

Marrakesh

We almost didn't do it, but glad we did because it gave us more of a glimpse of the "new" Marakech. On the other hand, those poor horses seemed stressed to be in crazy city traffic.

Walking tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our guide was helpful and informative. May have overtired him considering he may have taken a cut from the rug purchases we made from the merchant he steered us to.

Visit Majorelle gardens and Yves Saint Laurent with your private guide

Marrakesh

Would have enjoyed having lunch near this museum than in the old Jewish quarter. I don't know if this place gets enough publicity, but it should. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The trip was very easy to plan and Majid was very reponsive to making any changes we requested. Our driver Ismail was great - he was very personable and open about sharing about life in Morocco. He made 'on the fly' adjustments seamlessly and had excellent recommendations regarding where to visit, eat and shop. He always had an eye out for safety and we felt very comfortable everywhere.

We had an amazing trip! Our driver Ismael was a jewel. He was fun to spend time with, provided music, laughs, a wealth of information, gave great recommendations for restaurants, etc.. and was extremely attentive to details. For example, we casually mentioned that it would be nice to have a glass of wine with dinner. Miraculously one showed up at our table at the desert camp as a totally unexpected treat. The local guides in Rabat and Fes were exceptionally good, both personable and knowledgable.

As often is the case, in my experience, some of the highlights of the trip were unplanned, lucky happenings: First, in Fes, we were told about restaurant Nur. Traveling in the shoulder season, we got a table and after a 2 hour, 8 course meal, the chef ( world famous Najat Kaanache) came and sat with us, talking for over an hour! Then, in the desert, it rained! While we are used to rain home in Seattle, it was a total surprise in Erg Chebbi, but it made for a fabulous night singing around the campfire, talking to Ahmed about life and the upcoming birth of his second child, and eating Fatima's delicious food.

The home visit was a pleasure and something I was glad we did. And to end at Riad Elegancia in Marrakech was perfect! Winding down with that luxury, the hamam and cooking class day, was a perfect ending to the trip.

Hotel Reviews

Elegancia Riad Boutique & SPA

Marrakech

Elegant and luxurious rooms, rooftop dining with the best breakfasts we had in Morocco! The staff was so kind. When I contracted COVID, we had extra bedding brought to our room so my wife and I could separate. We also had a meal from La Maison Arabe carried over so we didn't have to go out.

Authenticity & Character

Moroccan architecture with French culinary flair.

Location

Down a quiet alley, this was away from the hustle and bustle of the medina.

Staff

Everyone was kind, friendly and helpful

Cleanliness & Comfort

The shower was inviting. Bathrobes were cozy. A rooftop pool was a special treat.

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Glamping like it should be done ... with an eco-friendly ethic. The owner of this family business spent the evening in camp with us. There was music, wonderful food prepared on-site by Fatima, and time to relax and talk with staff. The tents were remarkably comfortable, spacious, warm with well thought out lighting, bathroom facilities, etc..

Authenticity & Character

Great character

Location

Erg Chebbi was magical in the rain. The camel ride to camp was just long enough to set the mood without making you too saddle sore!

Staff

Welcoming and open to just sitting and talking with guests

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit the Hassan II Mosque & Museum of Moroccan Judaism

Casablanca

The mosque was astounding and well worth the visit. I would suggest seeing the jewish museum in Fes instead of this one.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ismael, our driver, was amazing. The guide at the mosque was quite good also

Transport

The transportation was comfortable and everyone was very punctual.

Casablanca – Rabat ( 1 Hour Drive).*Driving Times Don’t Include The Various Stops Along The Way

Morocco

Transfer to Chefchaouen from Rabat via Ouazzane 4 Hours Drive

Morocco

Rabat and the visits to the Kasbah, Hassan Tower, Mausoleum of Mohammed V and the Chellah and Andalusian Gardens were all must dos. Our guide was great. Seeing hundreds of storks was an added plus.

Quality of Experience

The beauty of the gardens and the storks

Food

Had our first dinner at the Dhow. It was okay food, but had the virtue of being scenic and a good place to walk to and see some of the city's nightlife.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide was very knowledgable and a great communicator

Transport

As usual, Ismael was a rock star

Explore the Blue City

Chefchaouen

A beautiful city nestled in hill country

Quality of Experience

Good experience, but not sure that the time to get there was really the best use of time

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hammam Spa & Massage in La Masion Arabe at 3 pm

Marrakesh

Great way to wind down the trip

Cooking Class La Maison Arabe Marrakech 10 AM session.

Marrakesh

I love to cook... and eat. Fun experience.

Quality of Experience

The event was well organized. The chef was a good teacher and you get to eat the tasty food you cook.

Visit Majorelle gardens

Marrakesh

Beautiful gardens and a chance to see the Berber Museum which was interesting

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

Eating with locals at delicious Harira and Sfenj spots was awesome. Tanjia good. We skipped the spicy snails, but I think next time they would be worth a try. The pastries/cookies were good but not unusual.

Explore Chefchaouen with your local guide

Chefchaouen

A small taste of rural life in a mountain town. If you go to Chefchaouen, it is worth walking around with a guide

Ait Benhaddou to Marrakech: A Journey through Time and Nature

Morocco

Time with Ismael was always good.

A Taste of Tradition: A dinner Expereince With a Local Family

Morocco

We had a nice, relaxing evening with a young family. We celebrated their 1 yr old's birthday, listened to their friend play the oud and enjoyed grandma's cooking in a typical home in the Medina.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guided Tour of Aït Benhaddou

Morocco

Transported back in time to the 11th Century in this magical place

Guided Tour of Fes' Jewish Quarter and Medina

Fes

We had a wonderful guide and learning the history of this community was important

Camel trek to your luxury camp

Merzouga

Just the right amount of time on a camel!

Quality of Experience

A Picturesque Route: Merzouga to Aït Benhaddou via the Breathtaking Draa Valley

Morocco

Many date palms were damaged by a fire, but even so this is an inspiring place.

Exploring Marrakech's Wonders: A Private Guided Tour

Marrakesh

I'm not sure we could have navigated all the souks without our guide. Marrakech is a must be experienced city

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We travelled Oct. 27 to Nov. 3rd - Tangier to Marrakech. Majid was our planner, he was very accommodating even when we switched up Casablanca for Rabat - which was a mistake, even though our driver called ahead to the Riad to make sure we had separate beds, what we were given was far from comfortable - instead of separating the double bed, they just made up the small sofa to a bed - it was very uncomfortable for an adult to sleep on. Our guide/driver Mouad picked us up in Tangier. We could not have had a better match for our personality. Mouad was thoughtful, kind and funny, and listened to “what WE wanted to do” , even after our tour ended, he made sure we were safe and not to hesitate to reach him if we needed anything - which was a huge plus for two senior females in Marrakech! Our only regret was not having KimKim arrange for our 3 days to Merzouga desert - the company we hired was horrible - the driver had zero interest in what we wanted or did he care.

Hotel Review

Riad Dar Dar

Rabat

We specifically asked for 2 beds, what we got was a double bed and the sofa. Clearly the double bed could have been separated but they were too lazy and opted to put sheets on the sofa - it was very uncomfortable, good thing it was only one night

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Dinner with a local Family in Fes

Fes

This was our most favourite thing. The family was lovely, we openly talked about EVERYTHING….living in Morocco, children, healthcare etc….

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had the most amazing driveraa

Transport

I have used KimKim before, and liked certain things about it, but learned a few things from the last trip with them and was able to communicate all the things that are important to us to Majid. He was very easy to work with on the details and specifics and planned a great itinerary combining both his insights with our requests. The most important part, being pairing us with the best guide possible. If I could always have Mouad as a driver/guide, or I could transport him to all future trips elsewhere, I would 100% of the time. He made sure every detail was to our liking, let us know he could edit timelines and travel plans as we wished as we went along on the trip, and was able to navigate all of our plans and desires perfectly. He went way above and beyond the entire time, always giving us tips, insights, helpful knowledge and so much more. There was nothing he would say no to, and no problem or need he couldn't solve or provide. There was just the right amount of activity and the logistics for a big trip were all seamless. I would use this team for any planning on Morocco!

Hotel Reviews

Dar Saba House Hotel

Tangier

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Kalaa 2

Rabat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lina Ryad & Spa

Chefchaouen

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Amani

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Villa Pomme d'Or

Midelt

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tiziri Luxury Camp

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Maison Arabe Hotel

Marrakech

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Fes: Exploring the Imperial City

Fes

We loved our guide Hakim. He was very kind, knowledgeable and did things a pace that was perfect for what we wanted. The "best tea in Morocco" was a nice touch and the lunch and snacks he picked were some of our favorites.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Marrakech Food Tour

Marrakesh

This was the only detail of our journey that could have been improved. The tour started off well, with a good stop for soup and some history on the woman making it, but only included one other street food place and then a very mediocre restaurant (which I would not have picked out as there are many way more interesting ones). I would say this needs improvement - there are tons of interesting dishes to try and we didn't really get a good overview and sampling. Luckily our driver/guide made up for that by leading the way on other parts of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hammam Spa & Massage in Marrakech 11 AM Session

Marrakesh

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

As expected, everything ran smoothly. Our driver Mohamed made the trip even more special with great driving and great service. I highly recommend him. The guides we had (except Hamid in Marrakesh) were very good and knowledgeable. Chefchaouen nice little town, good shopping and nice pictures. The Medina in Fes, interesting and good shopping as well. We found that doing our shopping before Marrakesh was better. We did not see copper pots in Marrakesh.
The trip highlight is the desert, unbelievable! The day it takes to drive there and the day it takes to drive back are worth the experience. The best meal was on Dades. Marrakesh great city we spend extra days in it. I would stay outside the Medina since the "regular" hotels are within walking distance from it.

We had an amazing time during our trip to Morocco. From when Mouad picked us up at the airport until the end of our time with him, he was amazing and constantly checked that we were happy. His English was good enough that we could have great conversations about the countryside we were driving through, he made sure that we were always comfortable and had anything that we needed. We would highly recommend him as a guide for anyone wanting to see the country as he drove us from Tangier to Chefchaouen, to Fez, to Rabat, to Casablanca and then to Marrakesh. The riads that we were booked at were, for the most part, quite amazing. Beautiful old places and the staff went out of their way to make us happy. Except for one place - the riad in Rabat. We had requested two beds and instead of separating the two beds that made up the king size one (which would have meant they would have to remake the beds) they left us with the king size and a very uncomfortable couch in the sitting room area. We were so tired that night, we didn't even have the energy to eat, we just collapsed. We were very unhappy about that experience. The guides that we had in Fez and Marrakesh who took us around the city and through the medinas were very very knowledgeable about the history of everywhere they took us. Two of our highlights were the hammam that included a massage and dinner with a local couple in their home where we had a lively discussion and learned a lot about the day to day life of people in Morocco. We would unhesitatingly recommend KIMKIM as the company to use in your travels and Mouad especially. He went out of his way to ensure we always had everything we wanted/needed.

Our trip to Morocco via KimKim was truly magical and probably one of the best trips of my life (including 25 other countries visited so far)!! This was my first time traveling via a travel agency and with a guide / driver and I cannot recommend KimKim, Majid or our amazing guide Mouad enough!! My heart is so full after this trip and our experience with them! Morocco is a beautiful country with kind people, amazing food, adventure, relaxation, shopping, art, music and more. Majid did a great job organizing the details of the trip and providing recommendations so our itinerary had it all!

Once we arrived to Casablanca, we were met at the airport by our fantastic guide Mouad who's big smile, great sense of humor, attention to detail and thoughtfulness truly left a huge impression on our group. Mouad was an extremely safe and organized driver. We could relax and have fun because we knew he had everything handled. He frequently broke up our longer drives for "great stops" along our route which allowed us to really get a feel for the beautiful people, culture and cuisine of Morocco that we would not have found with out him. Some of my favorites stops were to get fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, prickly pears and oranges from local farms, coffee from roadside vendors, freshly shucked oysters right from the ocean, assorted Moroccan cookies from an amazing bakery, henna tattoos from a local village, hikes along the sea and mountains, etc. Mouad is DEFINITELY who you want as your guide! He is positive, funny, knowledgeable, easy going, and he has a gift for reading people and assessing their needs. He flexed perfectly from giving us great information on the country, being our hype-man when we were having fun and excited, finding anything we needed (ice, medicine, a birthday cake, etc), and creating a calm environment when everyone wanted to relax in the car. He also invited us to his family's home for lunch in the desert which was a heartwarming experience that I'll never forget. He helped us get a special birthday cake in the desert, play a prank our on friend in the Dedas Valley and he helped us change our plans a few times so we could stay in the best places (with the best rooms) and be sure to see Essoueria which was our favorite! Our trip to Morocco was full of so much laughter, adventure, learning and love all thanks to Mouad!

My favorite adventures of this trip were wandering the narrow medina streets in Fez, hiking with monkeys in the Atlas mountains, riding camels, ATVs and 4x4s through the Sahara desert, dancing to Gnawa and Tinariwen music at the desert, camp, meeting Mouad's family in Rissani, shopping for a custom leather jacket and Berber rugs in the Atlas mountains, relaxing at the Hammam in Marrakesh, laughing and eating together, trying street food in Essoueira, and galloping down the beach on horseback in Essoueira. Thank you to KimKim, Majid and Mouad! <3

Morocco is a beautiful country with amazing people. The trip was very memorable for us. It was a short and sweet trip. Hassan organized out trip well and was very accommodating to our request. Younes our driver and guide was very helpful and made us feel at home and kept looking out for our needs. Will def give him 5 star rating. The hotels and riad we stayed were gorgeous and the spa we ended our trip with was amazing. The whole trip was a charming experience.