Morocco: Fez, Meknes Accommodations
 

We are planning our second 5-day trip to Morocco (Casa + Marrakesh was the first one) and are aiming for Meknes & Fez this time. We prefer to take the train as far as possible (mainly to avoid baksheesh-seeking police and other road hazards, and not having command of either French or Arabic) .

We would appreciate answers to the following questions:

1. Is Meknes worth only a day trip or would it be good to spend a night (or even two) here?
   
2. Can anyone recommend riads (or other hotels) which have free and strong guest Wi-Fi as well as offers a meal plan (either lunch/dinner or both included), without breaking the bank?
   
3. Is Tangier worth a visit (so we would do Casa > Fez > Tangier > Casa by train, with us flying into/out of Casa)?
   
4. Does anyone know of any 'all inclusive' hotels anywhere on this route? We found a great one in Marrakesh (Club Kenzi) and would not mind another one like that.

Thanks

Pro tip, when in Morocco, *don't* be a jet lagged idiot and leave your passport in the airport bathroom. If someone is kind enough to turn it in, you'll have to find a translator to figure out where it's being held, wait for 2 hours in the police station, then sign some form of paper written entirely in Arabic.

Uh... or so I'm told. ;-)

Notes from my last trip here.

Don't completely dismiss the idea of renting a car. We (two women) drove from Tangier to Chaouen to Meknes to Rabat to Casa and had no issues with police seeking bribes (but did find police to be very helpful when we needed directions). Most Moroccan roads are in great condition, though in our effort to stay off the major highways, we did manage to find an incredibly scenic ~80km stretch of road construction that was a bit stressful but ultimately fun.

To answer your other questions:
>>Is Meknes worth only a day trip or would it be good to spend a night (or even two) here?<<

It was my second visit to Meknes (not sure how many times my Mom has been there) and I wish we hadn't spent so much time there. I just feel that it lacks the charm of some other cities, though it's advantage is proximity to Volubulis.

>>Can anyone recommend riads (or other hotels) which have free and strong guest Wi-Fi as well as offers a meal plan (either lunch/dinner or both included), without breaking the bank?<<

"Strong" wifi semes to be a bit of a challenge with the thick walls you'll find in most hotels and riads. I bought a USB modem (details here) and it was a help, but there doesn't seem to be a perfect solution. Every place we stayed offered free wifi.

We found that most riads include breakfast, with lunch or dinner costing extra. Keep in mind that riads are often just a handful of rooms (similar to B&Bs) and may not have staff onsite all day long. It's for that reason that many may not offer lunch.

We stayed at Dar el Menia in Fes and would recommend it, though lunch/dinner weren't included. We had great dinners within the medina each night, my food notes here.
[*]Is Tangier worth a visit (so we would do Casa > Fez > Tangier > Casa by train, with us flying into/out of Casa)?

I've offered a lot of comments about Tangier in this thread. My opinion: Yes. Other opinions: Mixed.

I did a two weeks trip by car throug Morroco. Driving was no problem at all. The police/royal gendamerie is very professional and does not do bother you. As soon as they see that you are a tourist they leave alone. I had no problems at all unlike some speeding Morrocan taxi drivers.

I can highly recommend the Riad Boustan in Fez. Great place and very friendly owner who is a Morrocan from London. Very helpful chap. I also recommend to get a guide to explore Fez. Just ask the place you stay to get one for you. The price is 25€ for a whole day and it really worth. My friend and I paid the guided at the end 40€ including some museums entrances and a generous tip because he was a really great guide. He did not only showed us the old town but since we had a car drove with us to some places outside the city. Yes of course you will also visit a carpet shop, a fabric place and a pottery place but first of all you not forced to buy anything and second you don't get any better handcrafts than in Fez. The quality in Fez is much better than for example in Marrakesch.