We had a wonderful 8-day trip through Morocco, led by Noureddine and Yassine from Original Travels. We started off in Tangier and spent the next week on a tour through Chefchaouen, Fes, Merzouga, Ait Benhaddou, Marrakech, and Casablanca. Along the way, we explored the Instagram-worthy sites of the blue city, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the thousands of alleys—and dead ends—in the Medina of Fes, the towering sand dunes of the Sahara, picturesque hillside kasbahs overlooking green oases below, the snow-covered heights of the Atlas Mountains, the contrast of the lively markets and peaceful gardens of Marrakech, and the enormous scale and beauty of the Hassan II Mosque.
The KimKim team worked with me on crafting a customized itinerary that incorporated all of the sites and activities we wanted and none of what we didn’t. They very graciously worked with me on changes to our travel plans and also were able to work around the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament being hosted at the same time in Morocco as that necessitated adjustments to hotel bookings. I’ve never used a travel agency before and I have to say that it was so nice not to have to worry about researching locations, figuring out transportation, working out agendas, etc. It was all taken care of for me.
We met our guide, Nourredine, and our driver, Yassine, at the train station in Tangier and they really were a part of what made the trip work so well. Our mini tour bus provided ample space for all our bags in addition to 4 rows of seats to accommodate 5 people! Needless to say, it was a comfortable ride. I’ve never liked the idea of going on tours as I preferred to avoid the big crowds, so this was a perfect way to get the convenience of the tour with the private feeling of traveling on your own. Nourredine did an amazing job of ensuring our activities went smoothly and were set up to be ready to go as soon as we arrived at each location. We would pull up to a location and a guide would be waiting to escort us on our tour or we’d pull up at the next hotel or riad only to be ushered to a seating area to enjoy mint tea and cookies while our bags and check in process were taken care of for us. Nourredine handled curve balls without ever indicating that there was any problem, including a reschedule of our guided walk through Chefchaouen from the afternoon of our first day to the morning of our second when we told him we were simply too tired. Same thing for the next day as our tour of Volubilis was pushed back when we stayed longer than planned in Chefchaouen. Nourredine would make calls on our drive to the next location and ensure that the timing was worked out. We didn’t even have to worry about getting a table at the restaurants we stopped at on the road; Nourredine would walk in and arrange for our table, then we’d be escorted in to be seated. Definitely royal treatment that I could get used to having!
As for Yassine, it was a pleasure to not have to worry about getting to our various stops safely. I’m usually pretty adventurous when it comes to driving in other countries, but road conditions in some of the more remote areas were not great, and it was comforting to have the confidence that we were being driven by an expert. When going through one small town at the edge of the desert, we encountered a flooded main road and had to navigate through the back alleys of the town to make it past and let me just say that Yassine really knew the dimensions of the vehicle quite well as there was not much room to spare to get through a couple of spots. Nature also threw us a wrinkle of heavy snow in the Atlas Mountains and Yassine had already taken this into account and planned an alternate route. Finally, when my daughter woke up not feeling well the morning before the last pass through the Atlas Mountains, Yassine was absolutely wonderful to her, taking a seat out of the bus so she could sit and admire the view at one of the roadside stops and then driving at a slower-than-usual speed in the mountain switchbacks to keep her comfortable. The driver is often forgotten on these sorts of trips, but our experience showed that having a good one can be quite critical.
Overall, I will sum up by saying that from booking to execution, this experience was a wonderful one and I wholeheartedly recommend KimKim, Original Travels, Nourredine, and Yassine to anyone who is considering a trip to Morocco.
Hotel Reviews
Barceló Casablanca
Casablanca
Standard big city hotel. We were happy with it.
Riad Laz Mouassine & Wellness
Marrakech
Loved this riad and it was my favorite place to stay of 6 hotels we stayed at in Morocco. Great location in the Mouassine neighborhood, beautiful inside, updated well-appointed rooms that still had character, comfy beds, heated rooftop pool, and lovely staff. I would definitely stay here again.
Kasbah Titrit
Ait Ben Haddou
Honestly not my favorite hotel. Beautiful location and the place had a lot of character with a lovely entry and dining area and some of the rooms built into the towers. Staff were very friendly as well. So, there were a number of positives.
That said, the rooms didn’t feel very clean and were in need of some sprucing up. Sheets, pillows, and towels were a bit ragged. Lights were either dim or not working well, Bathtubs needed a really good scrub. One cracked window and others with a pretty heavy coating of dirt/dust. One of our two rooms would not lock from the inside (used real keys here, but the key wouldn’t turn the lock from the inside). Also, worth noting that my daughter had food poisoning after eating dinner here. While this could have happened anywhere and may not have been the hotel’s fault, it was the only time this occurred on the trip and combined with the relatively strange way dinner was served (5 chicken tajine orders were served in 3 tajines and 2 on plates, with French fries in the tajines and rice on the plated versions), this just felt like it was worth noting. We rolled with it, but there was another table that was clearly very upset with how their meal came out and they sent a few dishes back.
I don’t think I’d necessarily stay at this hotel again.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Needs good deep cleaning and some upkeep.
Tiziri Luxury Camp
Merzouga
Amazing experience. This is “glamping” at its finest.
Location
Right at the edge of the Sahara desert and you take a camel ride to get there. You feel like you’ve been transported to a whole other world. What could be better in terms of location!
Staff
Staff were super friendly and played songs by the campfire after dinner.
Cleanliness & Comfort
This was a campsite, so keep that in mind. That said, it was cleaner than some hotels we’ve stayed at. I was also amazed that the shower was nice & hot and the heater was adequate to keep the tent from getting too cold overnight (keeping in mind this was winter).
Absolutely beautiful riad. The space was stunning from the inside!
Authenticity & Character
Tile work and decorations inside were stunning!
Location
Toward the edge of the Medina. Not too hard to reach from the car.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Very hard beds and showers were cool to lukewarm at best. Maybe not an issue in summer, but in December this made for unpleasant showers!
Taj Chefchoaune Luxury Hotel and Spa
Chefchaoun
Nice location at the top of the Medina with nice view overlooking the rest of the town. Accommodations were modern, the restaurant was very good, and the staff was friendly. I would stay here again.
Authenticity & Character
Not as much character as some of the places we stayed, but the trade-off was modern and nicely appointed rooms.
Location
Edge of the Medina at the very top. Very good location in terms of being dropped off by a car and having your bags brought to the hotel.