Amazing time in Morocco!
Morocco
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Mar 1 - Mar 14, 2024
My husband and I had an amazing time in Morocco! The upfront planning was easy with Louis Shannon, his communication was clear and timely, and he has a great personality. I am a planner so I had done research before contacting kimkim which I found helpful, but you could easily leave it to them to plan. Our driver and guide, Younes Bouaid, was fantastic from start to finish! Younes was professional, fun, and became a friend during our travels. He had great tips and advice for each area we visited, the car was always clean, very comfortable, had great Wi-Fi, and he was a very safe driver. We tried to do 2-3 nights in each location so we could experience areas and not rush, we visited Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Boumalne Dades, Merzouga (Sahara Desert), Fes, and Rabat. We enjoyed all the places we stayed, and the breakfast included was always delicious.
In Marrakesh we stayed at 72 Riad Living, loved it! Amazing Riad in the old town with a beautiful rooftop area and pool, the courtyard was really nice and very relaxing, the breakfast was always good and the dinner we had there was possibly our best meal of the trip, and the staff was friendly and helpful. The tours we did in Marrakesh were fun and very educational from a historic and cultural perspective. We did a 2-hour food tour with Moulay Rachid and an all-day tour with another wonderful guide. Definitely do a cooking class, we did ours at Cafe Clock and had a wonderful time. 4 nights.
In Ouarzazate we stayed at Kasbah Isfoula. Smaller boutique hotel with lovely rooms, nice bar and restaurant, fun artwork, and a pretty rooftop excellent for relaxing and enjoying view. I would not recommend the movie studio tour, the sets were not great, it is not like Universal Studios or other experience we have done. Also, the staff was very disinterested and bored. 1 night.
In Boumalne Dades we stayed at Auberge Chez Pierre. Beautiful area to visit, I wish we had more time there. The hotel is lovely and has a beautiful pool. The room was spacious and very comfortable. The dinner and breakfast we had at the restaurant was delicious. 1 night
In Merzouga (Sahara Desert) we stayed at the Luxury Camp Chebbi. The camel ride in was fun, tents were really nice, and the food was good. The staff was friendly, and we enjoyed the music by the fire. By doing the 2 nights we were able to do an interesting tour to see how the Amazigh live, look for fossils, explore the geography, and visit the Gwana and hear a maalem group perform. One tip, if you would like wine at the camp I would recommend buying at the hotel and taking it in with you, half the price, or checking what the price is before going to the camp so you are not overcharged like we were (we did get a refund).
In Fes we stayed at Palais Amani, beautiful Riad on the outskirts of the old city. The courtyard was stunning, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Loved the breakfast and enjoyed our dinner there. The room was spacious, and the rooftop area was very relaxing and has great views of the city and mountains. We also did the Hamam and a massage at the hotel and loved it! There is a cooking school that looked really nice as well. The tour we did with Fatima Zahra Hanafi was excellent and a real treat to have a female guide which is rare. We also had a delicious dinner at Riad Fes which also looked nice to stay at. The only thing we did not like on the tour was the tannery because of the smells. 3 nights.
In Rabat we stayed at Riad Kalaa, smaller Riad with a nice courtyard and rooftop with a small pool. The food was nice, and the room was spacious and comfortable. I also really liked the artwork and ambiance of the shared spaces. The sunset in Rabat was beautiful and enjoyed our brief time there. 2 nights.
Hotel Reviews
In Ouarzazate we stayed at Kasbah Isfoula. Small boutique hotel with lovely rooms, nice bar and restaurant, fun artwork, and a pretty rooftop excellent for relaxing and enjoying view.
In Marrakesh we stayed at 72 Riad Living, loved it! Amazing Riad in the old town with a beautiful rooftop area and pool, the courtyard was really nice and very relaxing, the breakfast was always good and the dinner we had there was possibly our best meal of the trip, and the staff was friendly and helpful. We stayed here for one night in a back courtyard room and the other 3 nights on the 2nd floor. Both rooms were very spacious, super comfortable beds, very quiet, and nice bathrooms. Conveniently located to explore the old town and markets. Would highly recommend staying here.
In Boumalne Dades we stayed at Auberge Chez Pierre. Beautiful area and hotel, I wish we had more time there. The hotel is lovely with its gardens and beautiful pool. The room was spacious and very comfortable, really liked the decor. The dinner and breakfast we had at the restaurant was delicious!
In Fes we stayed at Palais Amani, beautiful Riad on the outskirts of the old city. The courtyard was stunning, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Loved the breakfast and enjoyed our dinner there. They were kind enough to upgrade us to a super spacious room with its own private rooftop area. The room was really nice and the little extra attentions to detail were very nice. The overall rooftop was very relaxing and had great views of the city and mountains. We also did the Hammam and a massage at the hotel and loved it! There is a cooking school that looked really nice as well. Would highly recommend staying here.
In Rabat we stayed at Riad Kalaa, smaller boutique Riad with a nice courtyard and rooftop with a small pool. We had a dinner and breakfast at the Riad and thought both were nice. The room was spacious and comfortable and I really liked how it was decorated. I also really liked the artwork and ambiance of the shared spaces. Located in the old town and was very easy to walk everywhere, especially to the Andalusian Gardens, Kasbah des Oudayas, and the ocean.
In Merzouga (Sahara Desert) we stayed at the Luxury Camp Chebbi. The camel ride in was fun, tents were really nice, and the food was good. The staff was friendly, and we enjoyed the music by the fire. The one full day we were there they did not communicate they were doing some work on the tents and that we would need to go to the hotel for a few hours after our tour. This caused some confusion with our tour guide who in the end took us back to the camp so we could get a our swimmers for the pool at the hotel. Also, we were overcharged for wine the first night and only found out because we went to the hotel. We did receive a refund after we requested it. I am giving 3 stars because of the lack of communication, the overcharge and how the manager handled it, and the awkwardness both situations caused . Tip, if you would like wine at the camp I would recommend buying at the hotel and taking it in with you, half the price and no hassle.
Activity Reviews
We did a 2-hour food tour with Moulay Rachid and had a great time. We got acquainted with the markets and the main square and tried some yummy food. We visited a small street eatery run by a woman that served the harira soup and tried it dates and a sweet pastry, it was really good. We stopped at a fresh juice bar and at the olive market, both yummy, and then went to dinner and tried our first tagine in Morocco. Moulay was great fun and shared interesting insights with us.
We stayed two nights and enjoyed the atmosphere of the desert at night. We arrived by camel the first night and really enjoyed stopping and watching the sunset over the dunes before continuing on to camp. We were the only ones at camp that night and had a great meal and then enjoyed local music by the campfire, it was a really beautiful night. The second night there were more people which made it a bit more lively. The tents were really nice and while we were there they were upgraded the tents so I am sure they have only gotten nicer. I would definitely recommend doing at least one night in the desert.
We did a tour with Mohammed. He took us to have tea at a Amazigh camp, we then went to explore the diverse geography of the desert which included visiting an old mine and looking for fossils, and the highlight was visiting Khamleya and the Gwana to listen to a maâlem group perform music and dance. I highly recommend this tour so you can see what is like to live in the desert and experience the Gwana maalem music and dance.
A day of exploring Fes with our fabulous guide Fatima Zahra Hanafi. Fatima is 1 of 10 female tour guides in Fes which made our tour even more special. Fatima was very informative, had a great personality, and we felt like we had seen the old part Fes by the end of our tour. We visited Al Attarine Madrasa a 14th century school for Islamic studies, Aben Danan Synagogue, walked the Mellah district, visited Art de Poterie ACH where they make the beautiful mosaic tiles and pottery, walked the Medina with its narrow streets and different artisan areas including a rug shop that supports local woman artisans and a tannery, and saw the Royal Palace of Fes and Al Attarine Madrasa Mosque and University Kairaouine. I would highly recommend this tour and Fatima as a guide.
My husband and I had a really nice Hammam experience and massage at Palais Amani. The bath was much nicer than the Turkish bath we had in Turkey and we liked the products used. The massage was really good and relaxing. The facilities were well maintained and had a great ambiance. I would highly recommend a Hammam visit at the Palais Amani.
We had a nice time tasting wines at Château Roslane Boutique Hotel & Spa. The parts of the hotel we saw, including the beautiful pool which boarders the vineyards, were beautiful and the bar area where we tasted was very comfy. It was raining so we couldn't walk in the vineyards. After we tasted at the hotel we were taken on a tour of the winery and bought a few wines, much cheaper then buying in the hotel, from the little wine store in the winery. They had a really nice red but unfortunately it was sold out so only got to taste it. It would be a great place to stop and relax for a day or two.
My husband and I really enjoyed our all day tour of Marrakesh. The guide was friendly and knew his history and took us to some interesting places. We saw all the main highlights and learned a lot. I would definitely recommend doing this tour so you see the whole of older town and medina.
We had a great time learning to cook traditional Moroccan dishes with Chef Chaouen including Zalouk, Harira, Tagine djaj m’kalli, Tagine b l’hout, and Blighat b t’mer. We were welcomed with coffee and tea and then went shopping in the local market. We all purchased spices and got to see the smaller, local shops. We then went back and learned to cook all dishes and then got to enjoy them. The food was excellent. Definitely do a cooking class while you are in Morocco and Cafe Clock is a great place place too do it!