Marrakech & Fes, Morocco

Where: Marrakech and Fes

Time of year: December 2016. Best time to go for dry/ hot weather May - August. From September the weather gets progressively milder with cooler nights.

Weather: Warm during the day and cold in the evenings/ nights. Best to bring summer clothes and one or two jumpers for the evenings.

Flights: My return flight was £39.98 flying into Marrakech from London Stansted.

Accommodation: While in Marrakech I opted for a Riad (Riad Prince Ali) which I booked through Booking.com. I loved it so much, I stayed with a lovely family. I paid £14 in local currency- city tax was not included in the price but was a very small amount (5 dirhams per night). Breakfast was included in my stay and it really set me up for the day- the choice of fruit and breads was varied each day and included eggs and halal meats. My room was clean, bigger than I expected and most importantly cool! The bathroom was shared but was always clean (always a bonus).

In Fes, I stayed with friends who were living in Morocco for university.

Currency: Moroccan Dirham (MAD) £1= 12.81 Dirhams/ 100 dirhams= £8.21

Excursions: Sunset Camel Ride in Palm Grove, Marrakech. 

Bab Boujloud (The Blue Gate), Fes. Jnan Sibil (Parks), Fes.

I had a great massage and scrub at Hammam De La Rose https://www.hammamdelarose.com/en/ which was 900 dirhams (roughly £70) and included a Beldi hammam, foot massage, back massage and 30-minute facial. It was delightful, very relaxing and I felt amazing afterwards.

My camel ride included lunch and tea with locals and personalised pictures. This was my first time on a camel and was well worth the experience, this cost £20 and was paid in advance online at https://www.viator.com/tours/Marrakech/Marrakech-activities-Camel-ride-tour-Marrakech/d5408-194240P7

My first Camel ride

Lunch and Tea with locals

 

My time: I visited Morocco after leaving my job as they were going into administration. I knew I wanted an adventure but also wanted to relax, it was the perfect break as I had a friend who was living out there for university. As soon as I got off the plane however, I got scammed right in the airport. I was ushered to a counter after my passport was checked and was given a sales pitch on a travel card. You put your money onto a pre-paid card, and they glossed it up to make it sound like the rates they were providing were the best you will get. I stupidly put half of my cash onto this card, only to find out that:

1. I had to pay for the card and to activate it, so it worked in an ATM.

2. The exchange rates were terrible (found this out once I got to my Riad and WIFI)

3. ATM's and the use of card machines are few and far between. Most places prefer cash, so I was stuck with this card and only half my spending money. I ended up walking for about 45 minutes and withdrew all the cash off my card at the only ATM I could find. Utterly pointless and a waste of money.

I was solo during my first 3 days in Marrakech - I loved the vibe during the day, I visited the markets (Jama El f’na), the medina, a hammam (Hammam De La Rose) and lastly rode a camel. I loved being able to explore alone and do things on my own time. 

Entrance to a Mosque

I did have a not so great experience which is now one of my funniest stories to tell. When I made it to my destination from the airport my case was stolen out the boot of the cab and I had to chase the man into the winding Riad alleys. He demanded 100 Dirhams to give me my bag back, I refused and wrestled with him to get my bag back, as he was stronger than me that didn’t work so I ended up punching him and breaking a couple of nails. He dropped my bag to shield his face and, in that moment, I grabbed my bag back. A local came out of his home due to the commotion and gave the guy some money; he walked me to my riad and explained the guy was homeless and it was a common scam to get money out of tourists. Obviously, not so funny at the time but an experience non the less. Aside from this, most people were friendly and polite. The men can be inappropriate with catcalling and overly sexual in conversation, even going through the markets. I decided to wear looser fitting clothes and no makeup during the rest of my time in Marrakech and found that it made a difference. 

During any shopping trip or cab ride be prepared to barter, if you’re not good at it, practice because the first price of everything is usually overpriced.  You can usually get things down by at least half. Cab rides can be as cheap as 6- 10 dirhams; however, they will always try and charge 50-60 dirhams (must admire the hustle). Cabs should be on meters so try and find one with a working meter if you don’t feel comfortable bartering. The food in Morocco is also delicious, very heart warming and always leaves you wanting more!

Chicken tagine, bread and olives

My time in Fes was very simple, I spent time with friends, drank indoors, read and slept. After working for 3 years with no trips, it was lovely to have the option to do absolutely nothing while away and I took full advantage of it. I did venture out to the Bab Boujloud (The Blue Gate) 

and Bab Makina or Dar Al-Makina (A former Arms Factory)

which I would recommend to any type of traveler- history buff or not, they are worth the visit even if it is just for the beauty alone.

Jnan Sibil

Overall: I really would like to go back to Marrakech, I think it would be great for a girl’s holiday and would recommend for groups and couples. Although it hasn’t been my favourite visit, I did enjoy my time out there.

3 out of 5 stars.

★★★☆☆