Immersed in Morocco
Morocco
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May 5 - Jun 2, 2025
i have travelled a lot and been on a number of great trips, but this one is at the top of my list. Nihad listened to us and put together a great itinerary and the riads and hotels that we stayed at were very nice. The star of our trip was, however, our driver, Abdel. He was reliable, and excellent driver, and a lot of fun. We became part of his family and he part of ours. If you are planning a trip, I would ask for him.
The company's name summed up our experience: we felt that we were immersed in Morocco. In addition, to visiting some of the most common sites, we enjoyed our off-track journey through the Atlas Mountains, we enjoyed our cooking classes, which took us into individual's homes, and we loved having tea at Abdel's parents. Tom also enjoyed his hikes, and all but one of our guides were informative and personal. We learned a lot.
I should note that our trip was longer than most. We were there for 30 days, which gave us time to see the country a leisurely pace and to see the backroads.
Hotel Reviews
A beautiful riad and a very attentive staff. In addition, the location was great. It was just outside the medina and there were lots of restaurants close by.
This hotel is just a few feet from the medina and the fort, which made it an easy place to jump off from. The rooms were nice.
This hotel felt as if it was new: everything was in perfect condition. We particularly liked that it had a pool. We just wish that we had gotten there earlier so that we had more time to use it. Because the hotel is not near anything, dinner was included, and it was very good.
The "tents" were huge, and well appointed. I was surprised that there were no limits on the use of the showers, which had great hot water and water pressure. The meals were very nice, and we enjoyed the company of the other guests. In addition, we thoroughly enjoyed the drums around the fire.
Of all the places we stayed on our month-long trip to Morocco, this was my favorite. The owners did a fabulous job refurbishing the Kasbah: our room was spacious, tastefully decorated, and squeaky clean. In addition the Kasbah had beautiful public spaces, both inside the Kasbah and outside. Adding to the charm, were the donkeys that walked by in the early morning on their way to the fields. The best part of the Kasbah was the owner, Michelle, who was from the United States, and who could help me understand what it had been like to purchase and renovate the Kasbah and now to run it. We had several long chats over tea and, while my partner went hiking, she had one of the members of her staff teach me how to make msinenmen.
While this Kasbah was fine, it did not have the character or warmth of the other kasbahs in which we stayed. Parking was difficult, there were weeds growing out of steps, and a tea set sat on a table for two days. The manager also did not interact with us in any meaningful way. Thus, although the kasbah was fine, it was not anything special.
Dar Eau Vive is an upscale hotel on a cliff overlooking the river. Because there was a large group there the weekend we were there, the hotel was not as quiet or as romantic as it might have been on a weekday. Although the rooms are nice, our was small and we ended up putting our suitcases on the balcony, which was covered. The pool is small but nice and the gardens are outstanding. On one of the nights we were there, a group of drummers was there, and we had a great time dancing with them.
Because the riad is in the medina, you have to walk in, and it took us a day or two to figure out how to get out. The staff was, however, very helpful and even walked us to the main gate to meet our driver. Our room was on the second floor (actually the third)) so we got some exercise. We enjoyed chatting with the staff about their villages.
Based on other reviews, we asked for a room with a balcony and, although there was noise, we thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the balcony people watching. The only downside was that breakfast was on the rooftop, which meant we had to walk up 64 stairs before having our morning coffee.