Interesting place to visit but long hours driving between stops
Morocco
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Feb 20 - Feb 28, 2023
We booked a 9-day trip to Morocco with stops at various points across the country. Our driver Aimad had adequate English and was polite and very considerate of our needs. However, I was unprepared for the long hours in the car and wish I had reduced the number of stops and stayed at least two days in fewer locations. We arrived in Casablanca at nearly 7 pm and were informed that we had a 4.5 hour drive to Chefchaouen, which we did not reach until 1 am and then had to hike through a series of twisting alleyways with our luggage to our riad. After a night’s sleep we had just a few hours to see the city and then got back in the car for another 4-hour drive to Fes. Two nights in Fes and then 7 hours to the desert camp. The rest of the trip was more one-night stays followed by long car rides.
My favorite part of the trip by far was the camel ride and over night stay in the tent camp. It was so peaceful and quiet with dark skies at night. I wished I had stayed two or three nights there.
Morocco is very different culture and worth a visit but it would be helpful if the tour planners would be clear about the driving distances between stops so travelers could make better decisions about how they want to spend their time.
Hotel Reviews
Stunning hotel once you get inside. Our room was comfortable but small, highly decorated and very clean. We stayed two nights and there was a loud party the second night and a spotlight shining through our window that kept us awake until early in the morning.
Small tent camp, peaceful and quiet, comfortable rooms and a wonderful staff. The food was excellent and the music under the stars was unforgettable
We arrived just after 1 am and had a long walk through twisting alleyways with our luggage. Our room was an odd L-shape but comfortable with a small bathroom. We had a nice breakfast the next day and then checked out.
Our least favorite hotel. Our room was very small with one stone wall and then a crude texture on the other walls and ceiling that made it feel like a small cave. We spent the evening sitting in the lounge area because we couldn’t face sitting in our room. Breakfast was a very nice buffet where we could choose what we liked.
Beautiful hotel with authentic Moroccan character. Very nice room with private terrace.
Basic hotel but very clean and comfortable. Conveniently located in old city
Activity Reviews
Excellent guide. Would not have been able to make my way through the city without him.
We had prepaid for this experience but noticed when we arrived it was not on our trip plan. The local tour operator hastily arranged it and we were met at our hotel by a father and his 18-yr-old son who escorted us to their home, which was walking distance through several long alleyways in the old city. Unfortunately the father spoke no English and had to leave immediately to get to his job so he didn’t stay for dinner. The mother also spoke no English and spent nearly the entire evening in the kitchen preparing a large meal. Most of the time we ate alone in the living/dining room of the home. We did enjoy some conversation with the son but it was not the experience we expected.
The drive from Fes was more than 7 hours through mostly barren landscape and some small villages. I was surprised by the litter spread across miles of open land. Once we finally arrived in Merzouga another guide drove us by 4x4 to meet our camel guides. We climbed aboard and traveled an hour through amazing desert dunes to a high point where we dismounted to watch the sunset. We then traveled another hour and reached our camp with its comfortable tent cabins. We had a wonderful dinner followed by live music around a fire pit. It was dark and very peaceful and our best night of sleep in Morocco. I wish I had stayed more nights there.
This was another experience we had booked that was not in our plan when we arrived. It was okay but I much preferred the camel ride.
Some beautiful views but another very long drive
I could have easily skipped this part of the trip. The movie set tour is very touristy. Our guide through Ait Benhaddou was clearly bored and spoke softly so was hard to understand.
We had a very rainy, cold day in Marrakech which colored my judgment of this city tour. Our guide spoke very good English having spent time in the US but was overly familiar, constantly touching my arm when he spoke to me. He also spent too much time telling personal stories about celebrities he had served as a guide for previously so I frequently had to interrupt him to ask a question. However it would be nearly impossible to tour Marrakech without a guide because the streets are a labyrinth. We did have a very nice lunch in a restaurant recommended by our guide and he took us to a large indoor shop to buy the souvenirs we were looking for.
Beautiful garden and not crowded because of the rain. Still enjoyable in spite of the wet conditions
Another long drive with several stops for tourists sites, many of which felt like they are designed for tourists to buy local products. It was nice to see the ocean but since we had to drive back the next day to catch our flight it wasn’t worth all the time in the car.
Interesting but clearly set up for tourists.
