Marrakech

Travel to Marrakech

We flew from Manchester airport with Ryanair. As we live in Leeds we decided that we would fly back to Leeds and Bradford Airport. The cost of the return flight was £120 including a 10kg hand luggage allowance which included Priority Boarding. We booked the flight through Skyscanner https://www.skyscanner.net.

Marrakech airport

Leaving the plane and passing through customs was relatively quick and easy compared to a lot of airports. Although there was some queueing at passport control there were plenty of people checking passports so the queues went down very quickly.

Transport to hotel

We had booked our transport to the hotel through Hoppa. As with most transfer companies we expected our driver to be waiting with a sign with our name on at the exit as per the instructions we had received but this did not happen. The internet was very weak at the airport therefore we struggled to get in touch with our driver. After waiting for over 40 minutes we had no option but to pay for a taxi to our hotel which cost around £17.

Accommodation

We had booked the Valeria Da Atlas through Destination 2 http://www.destination2.co.uk at a cost of £82 per night for an all inclusive package (a real bargain!). Having read some rather negative reviews on Trip Advisor we were a bit sceptical as to what the hotel would be like, although as we had not paid 5 star prices we did not expect 5 star standards. In fact for £82 per night for 2 people all inclusive we did not expect a lot. When we spoke to other people they also had not paid a lot. Most people had only paid £500 including transfers, flights, luggage and accommodation for a week.

Rooms

The rooms were very basic but adequate for our needs. We had 3 single beds, a wardrobe (no drawers, a fridge (didn’t work) and a small table. The bathroom had a hair dyer (very slow), mirror and shower. There was a separate toilet which was handy. We also had a balcony with two plastic chairs and a plastic table both of which had seen better days. The rooms were cleaned daily but fresh towels and clean bedding were not always provided.

Food

Breakfast

Each morning you could have fresh eggs and omelettes which were cooked outside. At the food stations inside there was scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, vegetables, cereal, and pancakes. There was also a decent selection of meats, cheeses, salads, pastries and breads.

Lunch

Each day there was cooking outside which usually consisted of pizza, burgers, chips and paninis. At the food stations there was always a fish dish, a chicken dish and a meat dish. The lamb tagine was delicious. Alongside the main dishes there were plenty of very fresh salads, vegetables, breads and deserts. There was a drinks machine for soft drinks and also a coffee machine. There was a small bar in the dining room where wine was served. The wine surprisingly was quite good, maybe thanks to the French influence.

Dinner

The food selection for Dinner was similar to that provided at lunch, minus the outside cooking. In the evening they did try and make it a bit smarter than at lunch with table covers on the tables and waiter service for drinks. We asked for a ice bucket for our wine which was willingly provided – from then on each evening our wine was brought to our table with an ice bucket thanks to a fantastic waiter called Ayoub.

Drinks

Drinks were limited to beers, wines, sangria and a small selection of cocktails. Again as we had not paid a lot we did not expect a great deal. During the day the drinks were served in paper cups which they often ran out of. There is a pool bar which serves soft drinks, beers and wine. If you want any other alcoholic drink you have to go to the inside bar. There is always a long queue no matter which bar you go to or what time of day. There are some cocktails that you can pay 80 dhr for which is around £6.30. There is also fresh orange juice and slushies available that cost 20 dhr, around £1.60. We often bought the slushies and added vodka to them which made for a refreshing drink.

Pool scene

There are two main pools at the hotel – one is a quiet pool which has a snack bar. The other is a larger pool where all of the day time activities take place. It was very easy to get sun loungers at either pool. There didn’t appear to be anyone putting their towels out and leaving them all day.

The pools are a decent size. The hotel goes to great lengths to keep the outside areas clean and there were always staff walking aound and clearing up empty cups and glasses.

Entertainment

The entertainment team were really keen and full of energy throughout the day. There were activities all day long including yoga, darts, aqua aerobics water polo and dancing. In the evening there was a children’s disco followed by dancing and music for adults. We could not fault the entertainment team especially for a all inclusive of this standard (4 star).

Every Saturday they have a foam party which is great fun. Everyone was dancing and jumping around including the entertainment team who try to get people involved but were never pushy.

Hotel grounds

The hotel is set in lovely grounds which included a small lake with ducks and ducklings. The grounds are well maintained and attractive.

Summary of hotel

We had read some rather negative reviews prior to arriving at the hotel therefore we did not expect it to be as good as it was. All of the staff work tirelessly and do their best to ensure you had a good time. It is not 5 star standard but we did not pay 5 star prices. We spoke with the manager (Saber Fajr) about the issue with the fridge and also enquired if we could have a late check out which he immediately sorted. Saber was speaking to other guests too and was genuinely interested in ensuring that guests were enjoying their stay.

Obviously there are some issues that the hotel could improve on that in our opinion would not cost a lot to rectify. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. It was fantastic value for money. We would definitely go back to this hotel if it was still available at a good price.

Tuk Tuk tour

We booked the Tuk Tuk tour through viator http://www.viator.com at a cost of £52 for 2 people.

We met our guide at the front of the Koutoubia Mosque. From our hotel this was a 30 minute taxi ride at a cost of 150 Dhr which is around £12.

Jardin Majorella Gardens

This is the first stop the tour takes you to. You have to book the tickets in advance as you can not pay on the day. There is an official site http://tickets.jardinmajorelle.com to buy the tickets on at 165 Dhr which is around £13.

Bahia Palace

There is an entrance fee of 100 Dhr per person which is around £8. As we had arrived at the Palace early in the morning it was pretty quiet but did start to fill up fairly quickly. There are lots of small rooms leading off from the main courtyard which we could imagine would be a be difficult to go in and out of during busy times.

Our driver gave us enough time to see the palace and read about its history. The Palace is very ornate. There was so much to take in and look at. You could easily spend a good few hours looking at this spectacular building.

Saadian Tombs

Built in the 16th century, the tombs, walls and ceilings are decorated with colourful tiles, mosaics and carvings. The architecture of the buildings is amazing. Again there was an entrance fee of 100 Dhr which is around £4. This is only a small place so does not take much to look around.

Tannery

When we arrived at the Tannery we were greeted by an elderly gentleman who gave us some fresh mint. He advised us that this was to mask the smell of the tannery which it did thank goodness! He explained to us what happens at the tannery and how the leather is treated and then made in to goods such as belts, bags, shoes and clothing.

He advised that all the workers live on site but the owners live in a big house elsewhere. At the end of the tour he took us to the leather shop. There was no hard sell we were able to just browse at our own time.

Souks

Marrakech is home to three main Souks ( Souk Semmarine, Souk El-k and Souk Nejjarine) The Souks are a hive of activity with lots of vibrant colours and the pleasant smells of food. It was great fun on the Tuk Tuk taking in the sights as he weaved in and out of the crowds. We managed to see so much and cover a lot of ground in the Souk. Not only were there people walking around the Souks but we also saw many other forms of transport including donkeys, bicycles, motor bikes, tuk tuks and vans all trying to make their way through the narrow streets.

As we were on the Tuk Tuk we did not get hassled as much as we would have done on foot. It appears that you can buy almost anything in the Souks. The main attraction in the Souks for the English tourists is the fake branded shops.

Main Square

This area attracts a lot of both tourists and locals. In the main square there are a lot of traditional street food places to eat at, serving an impressive range of dishes and many local families visit on an evening due to the quality of the food and the cost.

In the main square you will also see the traditional snake charmers who ask for money to have your photo taken with them. We opted out of this as don’t agree with the way the snakes are treated. There were also men with monkeys on chains who asked for money to have a photo taken with them but again this is very cruel and we do not agree with this therefore we did not have our photo taken. We appreciate that they have a living to make but we felt this was morally wrong.

Street Food Tour

We booked the street food tour through Viator https://www.viator.com/tours/england at a cost of £25 each. We were met by our guide Abdul at Argana Café which is near the main square. Abdul was very engaging as soon as he met us. As we walked through the narrow streets he was explaining about the area and the customs of the people. The bread shop he was going to take us to was actually closed therefore he took us to our first food tasting which was snails.

Babouch (Snails)

The snails were served in a small bowl with a sauce to dip them in. Abdul called the dip snail juice. It had been a long time since we had tasted snails therefore we did not know what to expect. Although the snails did taste ok it seemed a lot of effort for such little mouthfuls. Abdul advised that this was very popular with families during the evening.

Magic Bread

This was amazing and very filling. The bread is similar to a pitta bread. To begin with they open it up and spread olive oil on it. It is then filled with potato, cheese, onions and egg. This is then served with a chilli sauce to add yourself to your taste and tea. As it was getting towards evening time it was very popular with locals. Each person serving was working non-stop due to the amount of customers. There weren’t many tourists eating here but that’s the point of the street food tour – to try local food, and we like to eat where the locals eat.

Harira

This is a soup-like dish again popular with the locals. The nearest thing we could compare it to was that it was similar to minestrone soup. This was served with sweet pastries and dates. Due to the popularity of the street food the quantities cooked are vast. The Harira was cooked in very large pots.

Masamen

Masamen is very similar to pancakes. It can be served as a sweet dish with honey or savoury which is stuffed with cheese. We ate this at a café style venue served with tea. Abdul informed us about the art of pouring the tea. He advised that tea needs to be poured from a height to create a froth. With out the froth the tea isn’t prepared properly.

Olives

We went to the madina to try some local olives. There were many stores selling the olives in one street. Abdul advised that there is no competition between the stalls as they all sell at the same price and know each other well. He advised that all of the stall owners are friends and socialise together. The variation of olives available was something we had never seen before nor did we know there were so many varieties.

Nuts

Again we ate them in the madina. Lots of stalls were selling the nuts. A vast variety of nuts from some that were quite salty and others that were in a sweet coating with sesame seeds. Abdul our guide asked the stall owner to put a mixed variety in a bag for us to try – they were delicious.

Panashi

Panashi is a smoothie type of drink made with a mixture of fruits. It is so full of flavour and if we had not eaten so much already we would definitely have had another of these. As it was getting later in to the evening the food places were becoming very full. There were queues at most of the street food vendors.

Khodnjal

This a tea which is made from thirteen different herbs. The tea is said to help the locals stay healthy and keep coughs and colds away. This is a very strong tea with a lovely herbal smell.

Mixed Sandwich

This was our final stop on the food tour. It was so busy with queues to order the food and wait for it to be cooked. The mixed sandwich was similar to a kebab in the UK. It consisted of meat or chicken, onions, peppers and cheese in a bread similar to a pitta bread. Unfortunately by this time we had eaten so much we could not eat it therefore we got it to take away.

Summary of tour

Abdul was an excellent guide who told us all about the food, the ingredients, the origins and the customs. If we hadn’t gone on the tour we would not have known where to eat to experience the variation in the Moroccan food. They always say eat where the locals eat to have the best traditional food and this was definitely the case with this food tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Breakfast and camel ride in Agafay Desert

We had booked the excursion through viator https://www.viator.com/tours/england at a cost of £18 each. On the day we booked to do the activity we got up at 6am as we were being picked up at 7am. We waited until 8am but nobody turned up. We tried calling a number which we were given for the tour operated but this did not exist therefore we contacted Viator who also couldn’t get in touch with them. We sent several emails but still no response. Later that day we got a whatsapp message apologising.

We arranged to do the trip the following day so another early start! Thankfully the transfer arrived on time. The journey to the camp took around 40 minutes. Part of the way there we had to change vehicle to an off road vehicle due to the terrain.

Breakfast

When we arrived at our destination we were shown to where we would eat our breakfast. This consisted of pancakes, soft cheese, bread, jams, cake, water, tea or orange juice. Other people had eggs but they had run out by the time we got there. The surroundings and breakfast were nothing like the photo on Viator (see above image taken from Viator website). The pancakes/bread was so hard it was difficult to chew them.

Pool

The owner of the camp advised that we could use the swimming pool due to the error with the booking and the no-show from the driver the previous day. The swimming pool is in a lovely setting therefore we were looking forward to having a swim in it. The pool is well maintained with nice sun loungers.

Camel Ride

After breakfast we were taken for our camel ride. The saddles for the camels were made of an hessian type of material which actually rubbed your legs. One of the camels was very unruly and tried to throw me (Debbie) off on more than one occasion. It also tried biting the guide several times. We were taken by camel to the top of a large hill with views over looking over the desert and camp. We were able to feed the camels too, however we were a bit apprehensive regarding the camel which had tried several times to bite the guide.

After the camel ride we were taken back to the camp. The owner stated if we wanted to use the pool we would have to stay until 4pm when a driver would be returning to Marrakech. As we were going home that day we were not able to stay until that time. Originally the owner advised we could use the pool for an hour or two then someone would take us back to the hotel – he then changed his mind for what ever reason.

Summary of Breakfast and camel ride in Agafay Desert

Although we did not expect a lot due to the cost we did expect the driver to turn up. This could have been a fantastic experience if they had put a bit more effort into to the breakfast offering and included time in the pool. If they charged a bit more then this could be added to the experience. We were obviously disappointed when we were told we could use the pool for a short while but then told we needed to stay all day if we wanted to do this. Our advice would be to read reviews before booking and pay more for a better experience. Unfortunately we booked before realising there were no reviews.

Things to do

• Visit the Atlas mountains and the 5 valleys.
• Do a camel ride.
• Do a street food tour.
• Visit the medina and main square.
• Grab a bargain in the Souks.
• Do a balloon ride.
• Ride the quads and dune buggies.
• Take a Tuk Tuk ride around the main sites.
• Visit Ouzould waterfalls

Top Tips

• Book excursions prior to visiting Marrakech and read reviews.
• Local currency can not be taken in or out of the country therefore ensure you know where to get your currency.
• When booking an hotel try comparison sites for the best deal. We used Trivago https://www.trivago.co.uk/hotels/comparison
• Research the hotel prior to booking.
• Check out the dress code for certain tourist attractions.
• Check out the UK Government website for security and safety advice when visiting Marrakech http://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/morocco
• Morocco can get very hot in the summer months – check out the temperatures below for best time to visit Marrakech.
• Check out the other destinations we have visited in Africa

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	19	22	25	27	30	35	39	38	33	29	24	20
Low Temp	7	9	11	13	15	19	21	22	20	17	12	8
Rainfall	33	38	38	39	24	5	1	3	6	24	41	13
Number of days	8	7	7	9	5	1	1	1	3	6	7	6

Average daily temperatures and rainfall