Unforgettable, amazing, educational and a who...
Morocco
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Oct 23 - Nov 6, 2023
Unforgettable, amazing, educational and a whole lot of fun. We were a group of 3 couples celebrating 2 of ours 60th birthdays. Tariq was a last minute change to be our driver and we definitely lucked out. Tariq was so accommodating to any changes we requested and always funny and caring. A few language issues but with google translate all usually worked out. He will have to learn to use his microphone more especially dealing with a bus load of half deaf clients :).
We wanted to see it all and Said from Original Travel did an amazing job planning the perfect trip for us . First they changed our 7 passenger van to a 14 seater minibus and with us having a 6'4" (190cm) man in our group was a god send.
Casablanca is a typical large, busy metropolis and this is when we found out that traffic can be crazy and we had the best and safest driver in Tariq. The Hassan II Mosque is worth the tour but wish we had a smaller group tour. Soffitel Casablanca Tour Blanche was a good hotel with amazing food. This was the first of many Tagines and Harira soup and were incredible. Service was great that first night. not so much our last night before flying home but they did have a large group in the restaurant. Best breakfast buffet of the whole trip.
Rabat was so beautiful, clean and both its and Asilah's medina were easy to navigate with beautiful art work in Asilah. Sadly our hotel we originally booked got cancelled last minute and the substitute hotel was very disappointing.
Tangier was an unexpected wonderful mix of old and new. Our Riad Mokhtar Tanger was perfect and our guide Khalid did a great job on our tour. Loved the local market with everything so clean and organized yet still traditional. Lunch just down the street at Hermodi was one of our top favourites and Abdul our waiter made everything perfect and fun.
Chefchaouen is amazing and a great workout doing all the hills. What our guide (Abdul Couscous) lacked in english he made up for in entertaining. The Lina Ryad and Spa was really cute but it would have been nice to know no alcohol was available. (with all respect to the Muslim beliefs)
The Ruins of Volubilis were very informative of the roman occupation and our guide Karim Maximus knew his stuff but maybe talked a little fast to explain it. Never got to Mendes because of a lot of construction but happened on a wonderful restaurant just outside of the ruins called Roman City Restaurant and Cafe with a wonderful waitress with amazing english that explained more than just the menu to us. Did a very interesting back alley trek in Idriss that took us to an amazing panoramic view of the area.
Fes was another great Riad Palais Amani but very expensive at the restaurant and bar. Sharif was our guide and we wish we could have had him for the entire trip. He was so knowledgeable about everything and his english was remarkable. Also very patient when we were doing all our shopping in the very crazy medina. Glad he was with us through out the old medina. The meal in the medina with a local family was perfect. How kind of them to open their doors to strangers and make us feel so welcome. They had extra family staying with them because of the earthquake but still all made us feel welcome.
The trip to Merzouga is definitely a long trek but worth it in the end. The camel ride at sunset was surreal. The treatment by the staff at Tiziri Luxury camp especially Moustaf and Youseff made the holiday. The knowledge and pride in their Amazigh (Imazighen/Berber) heritage was soul touching. Never got the name of the chef but again some of the best food we ate. Only wine was served at the camp.
We weren't really prepared for the long trek to Ait Benhaddou but the Riad Ksar Ighnda was spectacular for the short time we were there. Our guide for the actual site was not very informative. Tariq actually did the tour with us and answered most questions.
The drive to Marrakesh via Tizi n 'Tichka Pass and High Atlas mountains was amazing . The topography through this area is ever changing and breath taking.
Our riad in Marrakesh was by all accounts the best accommadation of the entire trip. La Maison Arabe Hotel is by far the best service, breakfast and dinners. Every room, hallway and courtyard was spectacular. Hanan did both our gastronomic tour and medina tour and was wonderful. It was great to get a women's point of view of life in Marrakesh and her knowledge of the area, food, english and every day life was impressive. You have to try the deep fried donuts, Tanjia and snails. We couldn't do our hike to Amizmiz Valley because of the earthquake but we did go to the valley next to it. We really got to see the damage that was done to so many homes and felt for those poor souls. Our hiking guide Mohamad was great and being from the valley we really got to know the reality of the earthquake for all the local people.
The trip to Essaouira was again full of ever changing landscapes. It was great to be on the coast and see the different style of life. We were kind of medina and souk over loaded but Mohamed did a good job in showing off his city. Hotel was a little commercial but in a great area.
Overall this was an amazing adventure. The people we encountered made this trip along with the donkeys, camels and food. Thank you Said and Tariq and all the staff of Original Travel for doing such a great job and to KimKim for setting this all in motion.
Footnote: Food is amazing but be aware that it is different than what we are use to and the bathrooms are not what we have in North America. Bring tissue, small change and Immodium. Also note that most restaurants work in cash only and we found it difficult to get cash out of most ATM's. Bank of Africa worked in Casablanca but the European ones worked better elsewhere.
Hotel Reviews
Great location, nice rooms, great restaurant. Service was perfect the first night we were there but lack lustre on our way home
beautiful rooms and excellent location
beautiful riad but a little noisy and very strong deodorizer used. very expensive restaurant and bar
Accommodations were average but the staff were amazing as was the food. Breakfast was never at a specific time which is fine but coffee first thing in the morning is a must:)
Beautiful hotel but sadly only there for about 12 hours.
So Beautiful. Excellent service. Weird scent in our room but everything else was so perfect that we didn't even mention it to the management
Nice but having just stayed in the perfect Riad was a little commercial
Activity Reviews
It was raining so didn't really have a chance to go out and explore much
Beautiful
Beautiful Medina with amazing art work and a great sunset view. Was nice but really didn't know what we were suppose to look for
Khalid was a great guide. Easy to understand and very informative
Beautiful city. Well worth the trip
Interesting to see the influence the romans had in the area. Didn't get to Meknes and wish we would have but had a very interesting back street adventure up to a panoramic view of Idriss
So many new and not always good smells and experiences but a must do
Was so fun to go behind the doors of the medinas and see how the locals live. Very welcoming family and was able to talk to family that was temporarily staying in Fez because of the earthquake and their experiences. They had a family friend come and do Henna tattoos for us ladies
