Everything we hoped for & more!
Morocco
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Nov 17 - Nov 24, 2024
Cannot say enough about how well this trip was organized and the thoughtfulness of each and every person who helped us.
Noureddine - was the driver extraordinaire! We told him as well but he is a young man his parents should be very proud of. He was a safe driver in addition to thoughtful and funny. We were particularly grateful for his driving skills going to and from the Agafay Desert (those were questionable "roads") and while in Casablanca. We were genuinely sad to part company with him.
Marrakech
Hanan - was a terrific guide both for our walking tour of Marrakech as well as the food tour. She was knowledgeable, kind and showed us some very special places. She also introduced us to our new favorite cookie - the chebakia. She set the bar very high for the rest of the guides in Morocco.
La Maison Arabe Hotel was lovely. They graciously fed us when we arrived later than planned (thanks to flight delays). The room was perfect and breakfast was very filling. We enjoyed eating by the pool and hearing the birds.
Agafay Desert
Inara Desert Camp - never did I think our one night in the desert would involve a significant rain storm and thick clouds which meant no glorious sunset or stars. The one bright spot was our sunset camel ride was rescheduled to a sunrise ride the next morning. Our dinner was DELICIOUS! We were honestly floored by how yummy it was. The Inara staff were fun and charming.
Essaouira
Hassan - was a knowledgeable and considerate guide. He made the history come alive and told wonderful stories.
Heure Bleue Palais - was stunning. Our room was well appointed and we loved that the room looked out on the grand courtyard. It was pretty magical hearing from our room the little trio play into the evening. They sang Beseme Mucho which is one of our favorite songs.
Casablanca
Noureddin - handled driving us around very well and ensured we got to the Hassan II Mosque in time for our tour (which was tricky due to road closures) as well as a walk around the Medina.
Le Casablanca Hotel - a lovely hotel. Dinner and breakfast were very good and reading by the pool was a surprisingly quiet considering the city was just outside the walls.
Rabat
Noureddin - once again handled the driving with care for our day trip to Rabat. We are still talking about our visit to Chellah. It was fascinating and not what we expected.
We definitely felt that our requests were heard and expectations met. Thank you to all - both who we interacted with but also who managed "behind the scenes" - for a truly awe-inspiring trip.
Hotel Reviews
A stellar hotel with excellent food. Our room was very comfortable.
A beautiful hotel that was very accommodating when we arrived late due to flight delays. They ensured we were fed that first evening in Morocco. The room was lovely and eating by the pool was very pleasant especially with the birds chirping away.
They honestly made what could have been a disappointing stay (it was a hard rain for a good part of our afternoon and evening) fun and comfortable. The dinner was delicious and the staff were fun and charming.
Heure Bleue was marvelously grand. Breakfast was yummy and they took care of some laundry for us which we desperately needed. Probably our favorite moment was hearing the trio playing in the courtyard while in our room play Beseme Mucho which is a song we love.
Activity Reviews
We ended up having to take this tour our second evening and after our walking tour because of flight delays. It was all delicious. Our guide, Hanan, took us to a variety of places which was fun. We particularly liked chebekia and sought them out during the rest of our stay in Morocco as well as in Barcelona.
This was our first tour and Hanan was an incredible guide. She was knowledgeable and had wonderful things to share. We particularly enjoyed getting to see a neighborhood oven (and help with some bread) as well as the underground heat source for the baths.
A lovely little garden.
We learned so much about Essaouira from our guide, Hasan. He was knowledgeable and very enthusiastic to share his city with us.
Our driver did a great job driving us along this route and we got to stop and see some wonderful views.
Seeing the mosque was beautiful. It is truly an inspiring place in a stunning location.
A beautiful location and stunning experience.
We had no expectations for Rabat and were surprised. We particularly enjoyed Chellah. That was a marvelous site to visit with the different structures from various time periods.
