Seeking Your Advice on Morocco
 

Hello all: Our quest is to travel well in Morocco in May 2010 w/ a 2 week budget in country of @$2,500. USD. We would love your recommendations for Riads in Fez & Marrakesh for @>$100 USD night for a double. We also plan to stay in Essaouira and spend about 6 nights on the road from Fez to Marrakesh. Recs for car rentals? Places to stay along our planned route? Not to miss restaurants?
We are OK with a splurge here and there but will mostly be in the moderate zone. Thank you to all who reply!!!! LaBurner (PS we travel from Morocco to Jordan to Sri Lanka to Bali - 3 months in total (thanks to AA miles) so feel free to comment on your faves in those countries as well)

In Marrakech, we really enjoyed Riad Dar Mimouna - and got great rates through Expedia. However, Tripadvisor does have some adverse reviews. The Riad is in the heart of the medina, which is an area which may not suit those who like western comforts but was exactly what we had wanted when we came to Morocco. If possible, see Marrakech in midweek as their are fewer tourists and the atmosphere lightens considerably.

I've never been to Bali but if I did, I would want to go on this: http://www.schapellecorbytours.com/

It's been a long time since I was in Morocco, but we did our car rental from Avis. It was probably the oldest, most beat up car I've ever rented but it worked - more or less. It was a manual car and eventually it wouldn't hold 5th gear so we motored along in 4th. Then the reverse gear gave out.

In retrospect I should have demanded compensation. :) But I was just happy at the time I returned the car that they didn't accuse me of breaking things.

Morocco is a great place. Have fun! (It won't be hard. :) )


On Jordan, I've posted a few comments in this thread.

I'm also in the market to travel to Morocco, though in August/September and possibly coming from Spain. From what I've read and seen, it looks like a beautiful and interesting country.

Would you recommend a female travelling alone? Or am I better off getting a guide in advance. If it makes a difference, I'm well travelled but don't enjoy being hassled. I am a tall Redhead (obviously!) but can take care of myself. I just don't feel like having to wrestle guys to leave me alone.

On driving - I would only drive if you want to head right out into the country - the Atlas or the Sahara, for example (but for the latter, I'd park at the edge and get one of the desert buses on to a town like Merzouga). Otherwise, ONCF operate an excellent train service from the Algerian border all the way down to Marrakech via Fes, Meknes, Rabat and Casablanca. The big gap is Essaouria, but it's easy enough to charter a grand taxi for a group of you.

I'd recommend 2nd class over 1st class on the trains too - particularly if you speak a bit of French or Arabic, as it's incredibly sociable, and so a great way to travel.

I'd strongly recommend Meknes - it's like a relaxed version of Fes, and has the remarkable ruins at Volubilis close by. Rabat has a beautiful, whitewashed Mediterranean medina, and while Casablanca isn't that fascinating in itself, the Hassan II mosque is a fantastic building, and one of the few mosques non-muslims are allowed to visit in the country.

However, by hiring a car, you can head down through the mountains from Fes through Midelt - a great place if you're interested in buying a carpet, as it's home to many independent and co-operative weavers. From there, you can head to the edge of the desert, and get over to Merzouga, a good starting point for trips out to the dunes - particularly on small camel safaris. From there, it's a long, winding road down to Marrakech via Ouarzazate, via the amazing gorges around Tinghir.

Driving that road, though, is not a relaxing experience - at least, it wasn't when I did it (about 10 years ago now). A winding road, with only just enough room to get past a truck (and there were plenty of them heading towards you in the middle of the road), sheer drops with no protective barriers and, perhaps worst of all, quartz salesmen leaping out into the road to try and get you to stop. Plus, if you're not used to manual transmission...

Anyway, it's a fantastic country, and any trip to Fes, Meknes or Marrakech is going to be thoroughly enjoyable. Do relax, and do always deal with touts with a smile and a sense of humour.

Redhead - I can't offer you specific advice on being a female travelling along, but I know that things have improved in recent years due to the establishment of a tourist police force. Touts are everywhere, but far less persistent than before. As always, engaging, becoming flustered or irritated are the worst things you can do: if you let them know they're wasting their time, with a mix of humour, feigned ignorance and haughty disdain, then they'll be off to a more obvious target in no time.