Khawla Elidrissi

My friend and I had an amazing eight day Moroccan Road Trip which was. planned by Kimkim. The success of our trip was definitely due to our Moroccan Immersion driver Ayoub. I can't begin to praise him enough. This young man spoke English like a Native speaker,. He was a consummate driver, provided us a better and realistic picture of life in Modern day Morocco as well as his daily kindnesses and his commitment to keeping us safe and on time. Our tour begin in Rabat where we met our favorite guide Hassania, who provided an excellent framework for the next week in terms of understanding the life of the Mortocan current King Hassan II, the role of Islam in the Morocco life, and the tradition of mosques in Morocco. Our favorite Riad was the elegant Riad Dar Chrifa in Rabat. The staff Omar and Papa at this Riad were incredibly friendly and helpful, and took care of Gray, the African gray parrot living there. Our favorite day was our road trip from Fez to Merzouga, including driving through the mountains, encountering the monkeys, the camel ride to Sahara Stars, and our lodging at this elegant glamping camp. Finally, one of my other favorite was our cooking lesson with Darr Salem in Maraskesh which involved going to market to buy the local ingredients for our meal, then my role as a sous chef and finally sitting down to have the yummy lunch in the home of our teacher!

Hotel Reviews

Sahara Stars Luxury Camp

Merzouga

We loved the Sahara Stars Luxury Camp in Merzouga. It was such a unique and wonderful experience staying in the desert. This place was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.

Riad La Croix Berbère

Marrakech

Our stay at Riad La Croix Berbère in Marrakech was a bit disappointing. We were placed on the third floor, which was quite challenging after long days of walking around the city. The room was next to a common area, making it noisy, and the bathroom was quite primitive, with leaks and even a hole in the wall.

Riad Dar Chrifa

Rabat

Authenticity & Character

The main common area is very elegant and sparkly. The rooms are comfortable, and tastefully appointed.

Location

Five minute walk out of the souk to the main road which was well signed posted

Staff

Both Omar and Papa helped us a lot! Loved Gray, the African gray parrot living in the main room, who charms everyone'

Cleanliness & Comfort

In comparison to other places we stayed thus pushing maintained a high quality of cleanliness.

Activity Review

Private Cooking Class w/ Souk Tour

Morocco

The private cooking class with a souk tour was fantastic. The host was welcoming, and it was a joy to meet her daughters who spoke English and added to the charm of the experience. Highly recommend this activity!

Our trip was wonderful! We had such an amazing time. The locations we stayed, the cities we visited, and the people we met were nothing short of fantastic. All of our local guides were so informed and our driver, Ali, was so great! He helped us pick up some local lingo which was so fun practicing as we traveled. We didn't realize how quick the time would go by with how many cities we went to and how many day trip guides we scheduled. Our last guide was a woman, and as female traveler group, it made a wonderful impact on us to be able to get a Moroccan woman's perspective. If we were to change anything it would be to help slow down the day to day activities to feel like we had more downtime to enjoy the places we were staying. Overall, I fell in love with Morocco on this trip and will be returning to explore even more :) thank you, Khawla, for being a great local specialist!

Hotel Reviews

Euphoriad

Rabat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel & Ryads Barrière Le Naoura

Marrakech

Location was great but our room was right off the entrance and was a bit loud and didn't feel as private as other rooms we stayed in during our trip. The staff was very nice but the owner/manager was a bit short and unhelpful when asking about local food recommendations outside of the hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

General staff was great

Cleanliness & Comfort

Riad Madu Premium Camp

Merzouga

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Palais Faraj Suites & Spa

Fès

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Boutique Hotel

Boumalne Dades

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dar Jasmine

Chefchaouen

By far our favorite stay of the entire trip. It isn't close to town but the staff, food, and views were AMAZING

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great views but a lot of steps between you and city central

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Horseback Riding Experience

Rabat

Guided Tour of Marrakech

Marrakesh

Our guided tour in Marrakech was incredible, mainly because of our amazing guide, Hicham! We were so impressed that we ended up sharing lunch with him and extending what was supposed to be a 3-4 hour tour into 6 hours. It was truly a personalized experience filled with lots of informative discussions. His depth of knowledge and friendliness made the tour a highlight of our trip. Really set a high bar for our entire trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Tour of Fes

Fes

Our tour guide in Fes was awesome! Getting a tour through the many alleys in Fes by a local was a real treat.

Dades Valley to Merzouga Camel Trek via Todgha Gorge & Tinghir

Morocco

The camel trek from Dades Valley to Merzouga was an unforgettable experience. We timed it perfectly, heading out in the late afternoon to avoid the scorching heat. Our guide was hilarious and took some fantastic photos for us. Spending a night in the peaceful desert tent was the best sleep we had, making this experience a special memory of our trip.