Laura and I headed to Marrakech on Valentines day for a long weekend, a lovely gift for my 39th birthday last August.
This wasn't our first visit to Morocco, we had done a one day trip to Tangier in 2007 which was the most touristy and contrived trips we've ever done. When your guide exclaims "oh look here are some local men who charm snakes" as 8 men run around the corner throwing on their costumes on some wasteland car park - you know you've been turned over.
Thankfully, our trip to Marrakech was nothing like this but our many previous experiences as tourists have now turned us into very discerning travellers and we planned our trip with these things in mind.
Accommodation
We wanted to 'experience' Marrakech so decided to avoid the sterile atmosphere of a chain hotel and stay in a Riad. We chose Riad Dubai because of the excellent travel reviews on www.tripadvisor.co.uk. Reviews here.
The reality didn't disappoint. It was authentic, clean, had great food and superb service - totally recommended.
We asked them to arrange transfers to and from the airport which worked out at €20 in total.
The City
Although we try to avoid 'tourist traps', Laura and I embrace the open-top tourist buses in major cities (previously we've used them in Milan, Rome, Istanbul & Malta). They show you around, you can hop on and off until your heart's content and (sometimes) the commentary can give some interesting information about the place. In this case it seemed like it was written as a propaganda exercise by King Mohammed VI and included the word 'modernity' in every other sentence. Nevertheless, we got our bearings and got to see the city!
Next up... Marrakech Part 2 - Souks here
Thankfully, our trip to Marrakech was nothing like this but our many previous experiences as tourists have now turned us into very discerning travellers and we planned our trip with these things in mind.
Accommodation
The reality didn't disappoint. It was authentic, clean, had great food and superb service - totally recommended.
We asked them to arrange transfers to and from the airport which worked out at €20 in total.
The City
Although we try to avoid 'tourist traps', Laura and I embrace the open-top tourist buses in major cities (previously we've used them in Milan, Rome, Istanbul & Malta). They show you around, you can hop on and off until your heart's content and (sometimes) the commentary can give some interesting information about the place. In this case it seemed like it was written as a propaganda exercise by King Mohammed VI and included the word 'modernity' in every other sentence. Nevertheless, we got our bearings and got to see the city!
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| Koutoubia Mosque from the bus |
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| Theatre Royal |
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| Outside the 'posh' hotels |
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| Old City Wall...renovated |
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| Bab Agnaou |
Next up... Marrakech Part 2 - Souks here
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ReplyDeleteThis stuff is down t earth, hats off buds out there.
ReplyDeletemarrakech
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