Our Honeymoon in Morocco and Spain

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Oct 25, 2019, 2:25 pm

swingaling

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Join Date: Apr 2017

Location: PVD, BOS

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Our Honeymoon in Morocco and Spain

Background:

This trip report is a bit different than the norm for me. My wife and I decided to elope and have our honeymoon in Morocco and Spain. We chose the destination for various reasons. I'd always wanted to see Morocco and she wanted to see Spain, so we did both. My substantial visit to Spain was in 2013, and it would be nice to visit again.

We did the IB 90k promotion in two player mode, netting us a combined 180k IB miles. Using those miles, we booked two J tickets on BOS-MAD-BOS. I then booked us two tickets on MAD-RAK-MAD with cash, as award availability was scarce.

Overall Routing:

Stats:

Countries Visited: 2
Miles Flown: 8,100
Classes of Service: Economy and Business
New Airlines Flown: 0
New Countries Visited: 1
Updated Country Count: 69

In this report:
Iberia Business Class: Boston - Madrid
Iberia Business Class: Madrid - Marrakesh
Amanjena
L'Arbaa Tighdouine
Marrakesh (Day Three)
Marrakesh (Day Four)
Amanjena: Departure Day
Iberia Economy Class: Madrid - Marrakesh
Madrid Airbnb
Madrid (Day One)
Madrid (Day Two)
Madrid (Day Three)
Iberia Business Class: Madrid - Boston

Previous Trip Reports:
10 Countries in 9 Days (CX, KE, QR, TG, KL, BI)
Former SSRs: the Baltics, Belarus and Back
Bangladesh, Burma and Beijing the Long Way (with stops in Laos, Singapore and Tokyo)
A Passage to India with stops in Qatar, Sri Lanka and Scandinavia (AA, QR, UL in J)
An Engagement to Remember: BOS to ZQN (with a few stops along the way)
RTW in J: Cairo, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Bali and Nepal
Touring the Five Stans
A Quick Trip to Brussels and Montreal
Steppe, Beaches and Rainforest: Mongolia and East Africa

Last edited by swingaling; Oct 25, 2019 at 6:54 pm

Oct 25, 2019, 2:26 pm

swingaling

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Join Date: Apr 2017

Location: PVD, BOS

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Iberia Business Class: Boston - Madrid

Iberia
Business Class
IB Business Class Award
IB6166: BOS-MAD (Boston to Madrid)
16 September 2019
Airbus A330-300
EC-MAA
Seat 3E
Departure: 5:30PM
Arrival: 6:20AM+1

This was the third time I'd flown IB6166 in 2019, so I knew exactly what to expect. Even the menu was identical to the other times I'd flown this year. The dinner was pretty decent, though.

The flight was very similar to the previous iterations I flew, however, this was definitely the worst of the bunch. While cabin service was fine, they kept the cabin unbearably warm. Additionally, the pax in the row in front of me decided to have a fairly loud conversation mid-flight while everyone was trying to sleep. They quieted down after I told them to be quiet, but it was a bit aggravating that I even had to say anything. Common courtesy and all that.

So, the loud pax and warm cabin meant I got maybe 1 hour of sleep; probably less. Kinda defeats the purpose of flying in J. As usual for this flight, I skipped breakfast as it looked absolutely dire.

That aside, we arrived in MAD on time and parked at a gate very close to immigration. Since I'd booked separate tickets and we checked a bag, we had to go landside to retrieve the bag and re-check it for our onward flight. We had a 4 hour buffer, so it was no problem.

Immigration was a breeze, so we arrived at T4 baggage claim a good 10 minutes before bag came out. We retrieved our bag and went upstairs to check in for the next flight. Finding the business class lanes for IB was a bit of a challenge (signage isn't great), but we eventually found it.

Seat

Menu

Starter

Chicken

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Oct 25, 2019, 2:28 pm

swingaling

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Iberia Business Class: Madrid - Marrakesh

Iberia
Business Class
IB Economy Class Ticket (with cash upgrade)
IB3340: MAD-RAK (Madrid to Marrakesh)
17 September 2019
Airbus A320
EC-IGK
Seat 1D
Departure: 10:10AM
Arrival: 11:10AM

Check-in, security and departure immigration were all very quick, so we were back in T4S by around 7:30AM. After the nasal assault of the duty free shop, we ended up at the Iberia lounge where we each took a shower. Feeling somewhat more human, we each had a small snack and then found a place to sit. We were both exhausted, so we each decided to take a short nap before the flight. Big mistake.

Unfortunately, neither of us set and alarm. Miraculously, my wife woke me up at 9:45AM and asked if we should get going. At T-25, this was cutting it closer than I like. Luckily, the gate was nearby so we arrived just after boarding had begun. Phew!

As we walked down the jetbridge, I realized that I didn't have my phone on me. I gave my bag to the wife and she boarded without me. I went back out, informed the GA that I left my phone in the lounge and then ran back to the lounge. My phone was right where I'd been sitting. In my haste to board on time, I'd forgotten it there. I got back to the gate in time to board in the latter 2/3 of the Y class line, so it took a while to get back on board.

Once on board, I noticed that my wife had needed to put our bags over row 4 because the cow in row 3 decided she'd stow her bags over row 1. I must say that type of thing is a pet peeve of mine. In any event, the flight itself was pretty uneventful and we landed in Marrakesh on time.

Omelette

Cockpit

When we landed, we were first off the plane and got inside quickly. We were met at arrivals by Pearl Assist, as the Amanjena rate I'd booked included meet and greet service. Admittedly, it was entirely unnecessary and likely didn't save us any time whatsoever. However, it was a nice touch for a special trip.

New Terminal

New Terminal

Once at baggage claim, I secured SIM cards, cash and found our driver waiting for us. A short drive later and we were at Amanjena.

Oct 25, 2019, 2:34 pm

swingaling

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Amanjena

Amanjena
Pavilion Room

We showed up at the property a before 1PM. Despite the somewhat early arrival, we only had to wait 10 minutes for the room to be ready. Since it was a special trip, I'd contacted the property in advance to inform them. I had them set out some flowers for us and they really did a great job with the room. My wife was definitely surprised and happy with it.

Amanjena: Grounds

Amanjena: Grounds

Amanjena: Room

We were both pretty exhausted from the lack of sleep, so we took a nap before an early(ish) dinner. We decided to stay at the property for dinner and had a nice meal at the Moroccan restaurant. The food was pretty good, though unsurprisingly the prices were a bit crazy.

Amanejna: Dinner Night #1

Amanejna: Dinner Night #1

Menu

Amanejna: Dinner Night #1

Harira Soup

Chicken Tajine

Selection of Moroccan Salads

After dinner, we headed back to the room for an early night in. We both slept very well and awoke refreshed the next day.

Amanejna at Night

Oct 25, 2019, 2:38 pm

swingaling

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L'Arbaa Tighdouine

L'Arbaa Tighdouine
Morocco Day 2

The next morning, we got ready and had a early(ish) breakfast at the poolside restaurant. We'd booked a 10AM trip to the mountains through the hotel. Despite the occasionally dire reviews of the food, breakfast was pretty good. Espresso based drinks were very good and everything tasted great. The kitchen also accommodated off-menu requests, so we really only had positive things to say about it.

Excellent Coffee

Breakfast Menu

Assorted Pastries

Fresh Fruit

Mint Tea aka Moroccan Whiskey

I had the shakshouka and it was delicious.

Shakshouka

Frittata

After breakfast, we got ready and met our driver at reception. He drove us to the town of L'Arbaa Tighdouine for our first stop. I'd arranged to do the tour on the day the town had its market, so we were able to visit the market. On the way, we had some pretty nice mountain views.

Road to L'Arbaa Tighdouine

Road to L'Arbaa Tighdouine

Milk Co-Op

First stop was the market. We took a tour around before continuing onward to the ultimate destination.

Tighdouine Market

Tighdouine Market

We parked the car and then set off on foot to visit a Berber village near Tighdouine. There was a donkey available, but we both decided to walk up the hill instead. Our guide decided to ride the donkey at one point, though.

Berber Village

Berber Village

Along the way, we stopped and picked some fresh figs from a fig tree.

Berber Village

Berber Village

Finally, we reached the home of a local family for lunch.

Kitchen

View from Guest Dining Room

Guest Dining Room

View from Guest Dining Room

Lunch wasn't yet ready, so we had some delicious tea and cookies.

Cookies and Tea

View

I'd ordered a vegetarian option for my wife, who doesn't eat meat, but that didn't come through in the end. Regardless, there was enough for her to eat. Overall, the food was very good.

Chicken Tajine and Oxtail Tajine

After lunch, we headed back down the hill to the car.

Berber Village

Berber Village

The drive back to the hotel took an hour and we arrived in time for afternoon tea. We sat outside under the palms and had some tea then took a walk around the grounds.

Amanjena

Amanjena

We were both a bit tired, so we decided to again have dinner at the hotel. We chose the Moroccan restaurant again, but ordered from their Italian menu this time. See previous entry for the menu.

Bread

Panzanella
This was a miss for me. The bread was quite mushy and just not to my liking.

The wife had the Harira soup to start (not pictured) and it was quite good once again.

Broccoli

Pollo Diavola

Gnocchi alla Pesto

Once again the food was quite tasty, if a bit expensive. Admittedly, we routinely have better Italian food at home, but this was pretty good overall. After dinner, we headed back to the room to relax before turning in.

Amanjena at Night

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Oct 25, 2019, 2:52 pm

swingaling

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Marrakesh (Day Three)

Marrakesh
Day Three

This day, we had an early breakfast and then went into town for the day. We first walked around the medina on our own and had lunch at Terasse Des Epices. We then met up with a guide for a 4hr tour of the medina and surrounding area. After which we had an early dinner at Nomad followed by an ice cream at Jemaa el Fna before returning to the hotel.

Amanjena: Breakfast Day 3

Amanjena: Breakfast Day 3

Marrakesh: Day Three

Lunch was quite good and fairly priced. They took us without a reservation.

Terasse Des Epices

Terasse Des Epices

Marrakesh: Day Three

Dinner at Nomad

We were still a bit hungry, so ordered a bit of room service when we got back.

Room Service

Room Service

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Oct 25, 2019, 3:57 pm

wtcmor

Join Date: Sep 2011

Location: Brisbane

Programs: QF gold, HH Diamond, VA plat, Aegean Gold

Posts: 683

Congratulations on the honeymoon and some great photos there.

Oct 25, 2019, 5:41 pm

swingaling

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Join Date: Apr 2017

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Marrakesh (Day Four)

Marrakesh
Day Four

As usual, we started the day with breakfast at the poolside restaurant.

Breakfast

Breakfast
French toast was good, but a bit too rich for me

Breakfast

Amanjena Lobby

After breakfast, we headed into Marrakesh again for the day. Our first stop was the Saadian Tombs.

Saadian Tombs

Saadian Tombs

After the tombs, we walkedd to lunch via a very circuitous route.

Marrakesh: Day Four

Marrakesh: Day Four

For lunch, we stopped at Cafe des Epices. We ate inside on the second floor for the A/C. The food was quite good and very reasonably priced.

Gazpacho and Harira Soup

Tajine aux Legumes

Kofta Meatballs

After lunch, we walked around some more. We made a stop at the Ensemble Artisanal Marrakech, where I bought a scarf. Then we made our way to Le Jardin Secret. Along the way, we walked through the Medina and bought a couple small things from small shops. Bartering was a MUST.

Le Jardin Secret

Le Jardin Secret

After a lazy stop at the garden and a couple drinks, we walked around for a while before grabbing some dinner. We were both a bit tired, but we settled on Lebanese food at Naranj Marrakech. It was pretty good and among the best options for a vegetarian.

Marrakesh: Day Four

Marrakesh: Day Four

Naranj Marrakech
Mezze Variety Plate

Naranj Marrakech
Beef and Hummus

Naranj Marrakech
Eggplant

After dinner, we got some ice cream at Jemaa el Fnaa and walked around a bit before grabbing a taxi back to the hotel. The taxi driver spoke zero English and his French wasn't excellent either. Luckily, his French was sufficient for me to direct him where to go.

Marrakesh: Day Four

Marrakesh: Day Four

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Oct 25, 2019, 5:46 pm

swingaling

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Amanjena: Departure Day

Amanjena
Departure Day

On our last day, we had a leisurely breakfast before finishing up out packing and heading to the airport.

Some final thoughts on Amanjena:

Positives:
The service was generally pretty good, though not overly personalized. I arranged for some flower arrangements for the room in advance and they handled that well. They also decorated the room with flower petals and left a small cake for us, which was a nice touch.

They did memorize our names quickly, but we never met the GM (saw him greeting and chatting up other guests, though). By comparison, I found the GM at Oberoi Rajvilas to be much more hands-on. Frankly, the service at Oberoi was a lot better too. Who knows if the new Oberoi property in Marrakech will perform similarly.

Negatives:
One thing that really stuck out was when it was time to settle the bill. The front desk staff automatically charged my card in USD without asking me. I told them that I wanted to be charged in MAD instead, at which point another staffer tried to sell me on the "benefits" of using their special negotiated conversion rate for Amanjena guests.... Right. I'm not an idiot, and the receipt clearly showed their (poor) rate plus a 3.5% surcharge on top.

When I insisted on charging it in MAD, they tried to dissuade me by saying the refund could take 2 weeks to come through (another lie). No problem, I can float that. Unsurprisingly, the original USD charge had been wiped from my Chase card within a day (or less).

In the end, they reversed the USD charge and redid it in MAD. The MAD charge came through immediately and the difference between the Chase rate and the "special Amanjena rate" was $125 USD (to my benefit) -- roughly 3.75% of my total bill. Frankly, I found the exchange to be a bit sleazy and wasn't really what I'd been expecting. This isn't the first time I'd been charged in USD instead of local currency, but it was the first time a hotel outright lied to get me to let them take advantage of me.

Amanjena Breakfast

Amanjena Breakfast

Sausage and Eggs

Asparagus and Poached Eggs

Hash Browns

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Oct 25, 2019, 5:56 pm

#10

swingaling

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Iberia Economy Class: Madrid - Marrakesh

Iberia
Economy Class
IB Economy Class Ticket
IB3341: RAK-MAD (Marrakesh to Madrid)
21 September 2019
Airbus A320
EC-NCM
Seat 6C
Departure: 11:50AM
Arrival: 2:45PM

As with our arrival, we had fast track for the departure. Everything was fairly normal except for customs. They took us into a private corridor and asked how much cash I had on me. I answered truthfully (about $3k US) and the customs agent asked to see all money. Then she gave the money back and we were free to go. It stuck out as a bit strange and not really something I'm usually asked.

Regardless, we were soon airside and in the lounge. The airport was quite efficient and we were airside no more than 45 minutes after leaving the hotel. We definitely could have cut it closer. Before long it was time to board and we had a rather uneventful flight to Madrid.

Iberia: Marrakesh - Madrid

Iberia: Marrakesh - Madrid

Upon arrival, we headed to T4. Within 30 seconds of arriving at the baggage claim, our bag came out of the carrousel; one of the first bags from our flight. With bag in hand, we headed to the taxi stand to catch a cab to the city.

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Oct 25, 2019, 6:01 pm

#11

swingaling

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Madrid Airbnb

Madrid Airbnb
Near Opera Metro

We originally booked a different Airbnb for our stay in Madrid, but a couple weeks before the trip the owner notified me of some scaffolding going up on the building. I decided we should cancel that reservation and found this unit instead. This one appeared to be very newly renovated. Overall, it was a really nice place. It was way bigger than we needed, but it was nice to have the extra space. It was a far better value than a comparably priced hotel.

After arriving at the Airbnb, we dropped off our bags before heading out. It was raining and a bit chilly for September.

Airbnb Madrid

Airbnb Madrid

Oct 25, 2019, 6:12 pm

#12

swingaling

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Madrid (Day One)

Madrid
Day One

We went for a walk in the area around Opera Metro and had some tapas at Mercado de San Miguel and Taste Gallery, a restaurant nearby. The food at Taste Gallery was super greasy and heavy, I wouldn't really recommend it.

Taste Gallery
Artichoke

Taste Gallery
Padron Peppers

Taste Gallery
Patatas Bravas

Taste Gallery
Calamari

We then grabbed a churro at Chocolateria San Gines. It was quite good and very busy.

Chocolateria San Gines

Chocolateria San Gines

Chocolate and Churros

After walking some more, we went back to the apartment until it was dinner time (8:30PM). For dinner, we Japanese at Kuraya. It was pretty good, if not exactly authentically Japanese.

Kuraya

Dry Ramen

After dinner, we walked around some more near Plaza Mayor. Before heading home, I grabbed a jamon and cheese sandwich for breakfast as Museo del Jamon (and a cheese sandwich for the wife).

Jamon!

Candy

Madrid: Day One

Oct 25, 2019, 6:25 pm

#13

swingaling

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Madrid (Day Two)

Madrid
Day Two

When we woke up, there was an Ironman going on near our apartment. After a leisurely morning, we got ready and headed off to check out the flea market El Rastro. We

Madrid: Day Two

Madrid: Day Two

It was insanely busy at the flea market, much busier than either of us imagined it would be. But it was a pretty cool experience. Lots of cool stuff for sale.

El Rastro

El Rastro

After the flea market, we walked around and ended up at the Royal Palace. The line was long and it was lunch time, so we opted to grab some lunch instead.

Madrid: Day Two

Madrid: Day Two

For lunch, we stopped at Oven Mozzarella Bar on Gran Via. It was pretty good. During the meal, our SIM cards from Morocco decided to stop working, so we heard to Orange at Sol to grab new SIM cards after lunch.

Oven Mozzarella Bar

Menu

Pasta

Pizza

Madrid: Day Two

At Sol, we caught the metro to the Reina Sofia Musuem to look at art. Entrance ended up being free though the third and fourth floors were closed. We saw Guernica and other works, but weren't allowed to take many photos.

Reina Sofia

Atocha Station

Madrid: Day Two

We headed to Corte Ingles to grab some groceries, then I stopped for some frites before going back to the apartment.

Frites

We rested up for a while before heading out to dinner around 8:00PM. That night, we decided to have some Ethiopian food. It was seriously good and really reasonably priced.

Madrid: Day Two

Restaurante Etiope Gonder

We walked around once again after dinner and grabbed more sandwiches for the breakfast.

Jamon!

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Oct 25, 2019, 6:41 pm

#14

swingaling

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Madrid (Day Three)

Madrid
Day Three

We'd booked tickets to check out the Royal Palace, so that was our first activity for the day.

Jamon for Breakfast. Yum!

Apologies in advance for some of the photos of the Royal Palace interior. Photos were not allowed in many areas, so I had to shoot from the hip without seeing what I was shooting. Luckily, I got a decent number of mostly usable shots.

Royal Palace

Royal Palace

After the palace, we grabbed the metro to Mercado de San Anton for lunch. We beat the lunch rush by 20 minutes thankfully. It got very busy as we left. Lunch was quite good.

Madrid: Day Three

Mercado de San Anton

Greek Salad

Tuna Tostada

Felafel Sandwich

After lunch, we headed to El Retiro Park to walk around. The park was very nice. We even saw a black swan, which was really cool. As with his white counterparts, the black swan was a jerk.

Madrid: Day Three

El Retiro Park

A Wild Gato

After the park, we grabbed some tapas at Platea Madrid before heading back to the apartment to relax.

Madrid: Day Three

Platea Madrid

Dumplings, Peppers and Croquettes

Madrid: Day Three

We were a bit tired and lazy, so dinner was at Kuraya again. The food was decent, though we both wished we'd had something else instead.

Yakisoba