As you all know we have been touring Morocco for two weeks and have been writing about our experiences and adventures. We wanted to summarize our travel notes and hints about Morocco.
Likes about Morocco:
Melek:
-Architectural difference from any country I have seen so far and hidden treasures houses with no windows but inside with a big courtyard.
-Colorful cities and streets
-Medinas with lots of pretty stuff
-Mint tea
Shane:
-Wandering around the narrow, twisting passages of the different medinas
-The landscape! it is not a desert…Marrakech is very hot, but there are mountains, seaside, and fertile lands also
-Being in the setting of one of my favorite movies, Casablanca
-The mint tea was pretty amazing!
Dislikes:
Melek:
-People being pushy around touristic areas and insisting on selling you something
-Taxi drivers asking for more money just because you’re a tourist
-Low hygiene standards in restaurants
Shane:
-Dealing with the taxi drivers
-The company we used for two daytrips out of Marrakesh
Musts:
Melek:
-Visit Aït Benhaddou, Fez Medina, Chefchaouen
-Eat tagine (meat and veggies in a ceramic pot) and some doughnut type pastry (don’t know the name of it)
Shane:
-Roman ruins of Volubilis, Aït Benhaddou with its amazing structures made of mud, getting lost in the medina of Fez, and as Melek said Chefchaouen
-My favorite meal was an apricot beef tagine
Be Careful!
Melek:
-When you ask directions to someone as after they show you the way they ask for money in return, especially in Casablanca and Marrakesh.
Shane:
-Use the map on your phone. Load the detailed map and then use the GPS part while offline. This will help you navigate like a champ.
Highlight of the Trip!
Melek:
-Romantic dinner at Ricks Café makes you feel like you’re in the movie and the food was just perfect, but I would suggest to get a laser hair removal before going on this trip since you barely have time once you are in there to take properly care of yourself!
Shane:
-Simply experiencing the Moroccan culture. Not something I want to live, but I found the differences to American culture fascinating.
Hotel Suggestions:
Casablanca – Melliber Hotel next to the King Hassan II Mosque was a very nice hotel in a central location, beautiful rooms, also they provide fruit plate to welcome you to the hotel.
Marrakesh – Riad Medina is in the heart of the medina, on a very narrow street as the buildings are only a wall from outside you don’t know what to expect but it is a very clean, nicely decorated hotel with a tiny pool and a beautiful courtyard and a rooftop for breakfast! Very good one…
Fez – Dar Anebar is a very nice house hotel in the medina which is a bit hard to find but very nice atmosphere with a nice courtyard. They provided mint tea at the arrival with some cookies and overall was a good one.
Rabat – Hotel Belere Rabat is a more modern hotel that was nice and best yet located a block from the train station. Even then it was within walking distance of everything we saw.
