Working with Mohamed and Said through kimkim ...

Morocco | Oct 17 - Oct 27, 2022

Front desk staff was pleasant, the room was clean and bed comfortable but this hotel, that aspires to look modern - is dark and dim. Rooms are spacious but plumbing was poor (sink barely drained) and tbh, in 2022 no hotel room should have carpeted floors. When we arrived in the early evening (after a long day of driving) we were told that we could get something to eat on the rooftop patio. This turned out to be essentially a smokers lounge with a pool - positioned in the middle of the patio - empty of water. Location is central. Hotel lobby and rooms were heavily scented.

This Riad and its grounds were incredibly beautiful. Unlike many other accommodations in the city it is located up on the hill with unreal views of Chefchaouen. No need to go for a hike elsewhere to see the sunset or sunrise! So, if mobility is an issue this is not the place to stay. There are about 150 stairs up to the Riad - but the view is well worth it. Rooms are sumptuously decorated and large and have amazing balconies that look out to the city. Restaurant was delicious.

The grounds of this hotel, are like like something out of a magazine. Every imaginable kind of fruit tree grows around a lovely, oversized, pool in the center of the massive garden. Rooms are comfortable, clean and have lovely touches but a little tired. As we only stayed overnight (arriving late in the evening and leaving early in the morning) we were only sorry that we did not have a chance to stay longer, to spend time in the gardens and make use of the Riad’s lovely hamam and pool.

Beautiful setting and incredible hospitality by our hosts at Tziri. In the evening we sat around the campfire with our host and had wonderful conversations with him about Berber culture, history and traditions. Breakfast and dinners were delicious and the “glamping” accommodations were lovely. Views of the desert were fantastic - scenery was beyond.

This was by far my favorite hotel on our trip. The maison is spectacular. Service is top notch and comparable with any five star hotel anywhere. Despite its size, hotel has a very personal, warm approach, and excellent staff who go out of their way for hotel guests. Facilities are beyond beautiful and the breakfast - served in a gorgeous courtyard - was fantastic. Rooms are large and bed was the most comfortable one of our trip (ditto the uber-cushy slippers and robes). I waited until we got to this hotel for my hammam and it was well worth the wait. The hammam is gorgeous, and the treatment heavenly. Yes, I’m gushing, but this hotel is gush-worthy.

We LOVED this Riad. While we stayed at several beautiful places on our trip, Samina, Greggy and the rest of the staff at Riad Chbanate were beyond wonderful. Personable and kind, they made us feel incredibly welcome - just like family. For breakfast, there is no menu, just the hosts, asking what you would like to eat and accommodating any and all requests and restrictions. Homemade breakfasts made in the kitchen (open for all to see on the main floor - just like home - what could be better?!) To boot, staff made excellent resto suggestions and very generously invited our two adult sons to join us for breakfast ( who were staying at a nearby hostel)! Rooms are spacious, immaculate, beautifully decorated and have fantastic bathrooms with huge tubs and showers. A very special place - and definitely our favourite Riad of the vacation.

Average Riad - quite outdated and worn. Staff were fine - not overly friendly. Rooms are spacious, food was average.

The Roman ruins were worth and quick stop. While our time in Meknes was short (as it seems most of the city is “under construction” til 2023) we did see the impressive Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail.

Once again, our driver was fantastic and made a long day of driving interesting and entertaining. Ultimately this day’s itinerary was packed and way too full. Ultimately we decided to not go the Rose Valley as this would have taken us far out of our way and caused us an even longer day in the car.

Fantastic experience. Staff were kind and sensitive and an excellent hamam experience. Setting is phenomenal - spectacular.

Trip of the Médina was excellent. Our guide was very nice and a great source of information.

While our guide was quite knowledgeable about Fes and the Médina, his knowledge of Jewish history was very basic information which we could have read about independently.

This was a very long trip and our driver Ilyace was Phenomenal throughout. Not only was he very knowledgeable about the landscape and history but he regularly pointed out interesting facts about the local people, the landscapes, traditions and locations which made a long day quite wonderful.

Marrakesh is an amazing city but our guide, Hannan, was not. While she was nice, Hanan lacked enthusiasm and was not engaging. Having her as a guide did not add much value to our day of touring. Disappointing.

Line ups for tickets are long and tourists should go early. Know that you can get tickets to enter the gardens both at the gardens and at the YSL museum entrance.

It would have been nice if our guide, Hanan, had asked us for feedback about the food we had eaten since we had arrived, and/or what we were interested in eating, or trying. Essentially, they were a set number of stops in the Medina which she had planned in advance, and much of the food we had during the “tour” we had already eaten during our time in Morocco. There was only one “stop” (of five) that was a unique and tasty experience. One example: our guide stopped at a bakery and selected a number of cookies for us to eat. When I saw what she was doing, I went into the bakery, and asked about some of the items, but at no point did she ask me for input or if I thought there was anything we wanted to try. Similarly, she was aware that we had drank fresh juices earlier in the trip but still ended the tour with a trip to the juice counters - as this was something she had decided in advance we were going to do. It felt very routine and impersonal.

This was a long day of driving - and while scenic, much longer than the 4.5 hours described. Ultimately, we decided to divert from the scenic coastal route and take the highway to Casablanca to save additional hours of driving. Also, it would have been helpful for Said or Mohamed to have planned a place for us to stop for lunch as Options were very limited in this regard and ended up consuming yet more time. Despite it all, our driver was fantastic throughout.

While the Roman ruins are worth a quick stop, it was the visit to ait benhaddou which was excellent. Inside the kasbah is an excellent museum which should not be missed. This was not outlined in our travel itinerary, and we discovered it on our own.