This was a wonderfully organized trip. We wo...
Morocco | Sep 17 - Sep 23, 2022

C
Colleen T.
Boardman, OR | Reviewed on Oct 06, 2022

This was a wonderfully organized trip. We would have never seen as much of the country without KimKim and Original Travels help. Our only negative is that the trip cost more than our requested budget but we could have eliminated some items so that is on us.
Our driver, Ilyace, was the heart and soul of our trip. He was extremely knowledgeable, personable and it was very fun spending long hours in the car with him. He was an excellent driver and we always felt safe with him, even on the crazy one lane, winding roads.
Our guide for the tour in Fes, Hafid, was fine but we felt the emphasis of the tour was to sell us local crafts, not experience Fes. We felt way too much pressure to make purchases.
Hanan, our guide for the Marrakech half day tour and the food tour, was excellent. She was very knowledgeable, kind and we enjoyed spending time with her. She answered many questions about local customs. The food tour was fun as we tried several items we would not have tried otherwise.

Hotel Reviews
Inara Desert Camp
Marrakech

This was one of our favorite nights. The Glamping was amazing. We enjoyed the pool, camel ride, fancy (and delicious) dinner in the outdoor tent. The sleeping tent was above and beyond our expectations with shower and bathroom included in the tent and 5 star linens!

Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Lina Ryad & Spa
Chefchaouen

This was the smallest Riad we stayed in and we loved it. The location was central to everything although we would not have been able to find it on our own. A porter met us at the drop off location and we walked 5-10 minutes to the riad. The staff was wonderful. Breakfast was delicious. We enjoyed a couples Hammen at the spa and strongly recommend it. (It was a full body scrub with a very stiff loofa).

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Riad Salam Fes
Fes

This Riad was spectacular with very impressive design/interiors. Our room was very large with a separate bedroom and living area. (We noticed many rooms were smaller like a normal hotel room.) There was a rooftop area that we discovered the second night and enjoyed spending time under the stars. The breakfast was fine but they brought out trays and baskets of items, many being types of bread, and we could only eat a small fraction of the food. Seemed very wasteful.

Authenticity & Character
Location
10-minute walk to the Medina once we figured out how to get there.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Palais des Princesses
Marrakech

Very nice Riad but not as impressive as the others. Location was inside the Medina so very convenient for restaurants and central plaza. Breakfast buffet was excellent.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Journey of Colours: Roman Ruins of Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes
Journey of Colours: Roman Ruins of Volubilis, Moulay Idriss & Meknes
Morocco

This is a long drive so a stop somewhere is needed. However, the Ruins were only so-so interesting as we have seen many Roman Ruins elsewhere.

Transport
Our driver was amazing for the whole trip.
Fes Unveiled: Unravel the Riches of Morocco's Ancient City
Fes Unveiled: Unravel the Riches of Morocco's Ancient City
Fes

As mentioned before, the tour was too focused on trying to sell us 'stuff'. The tile factory and leather tannery were interesting but the sales pitches after were annoying. The carpet showroom was over the top annoying; we didn't actually see anyone working on a rug! It was straight to the salesroom and after saying a dozen times that we weren't interested, they brought out more carpets. I felt so much pressure to buy that I considered a small, 20" x 30" rug until I found out it was $200 US$. I finally got mad and said 'we are done' and we walked out. The rest of the tour was hurrying through the Medina at a fairly fast pace.

Quality of Experience
No sales pressure and a slower pace.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Again.... our driver, Ilyace :-)
Transfer to Marrakech
Transfer to Marrakech
Morocco

We went off script and asked our driver to stop at a beach a little north of Casa Blanca, which was right off the route to Marrakech. It was the perfect stop to stretch, get some fresh ocean air and a little sun. My husband also viewed the nearby golf course and wants to go back to play golf someday!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Mystical Marrakesh: Unveiling the Allure of Morocco's Vibrant Jewel
Mystical Marrakesh: Unveiling the Allure of Morocco's Vibrant Jewel
Marrakesh

This tour had a nice variety, beautiful mosque, amazing Palace tour and great overview of the Marrakech Medina including the square.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Tasting Marrakesh: A Private Gastronomic Adventure
Tasting Marrakesh: A Private Gastronomic Adventure
Marrakesh

We had the same guide, Hannan, for this tour as the previous tour so it was nice to see the friendly face again. We enjoyed trying some new foods that we hadn't tried yet.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Marrakech to Agafay Desert with a 'Camel ride'  & Berber Lunch in the high Atlas Mountains
Marrakech to Agafay Desert with a 'Camel ride' & Berber Lunch in the high Atlas Mountains
Morocco

This was actually two separate trips: hiking in the Atlas Mountains and the Camel ride at the hotel. The hiking with a guide was a fun adventure. It was about an hour and a half and we had some great views of the mountains and a waterfall. We choose not to do the Berber Lunch but in hindsight we should have. The camel ride was just as expected, a little corning but so worth it. Got some great sunset pictures that included the camels.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Local specialist: Mohamed El Asely
Mohamed
Mohamed El Asely
Local specialist in Atlas Mountains | Replied on Oct 18, 2022
Hi Colleen, Thank you so much for sharing this 5-Stars review with us, we really appreciated it, as we love hearing from our customers and we’re always looking for ways to improve our services. Our staff always do their best to provide the best possible service to our guests and live up to their expectations, and we are glad that this commitment was reflected in your visit. We are, however, sorry to hear about your experience in Fes. I have contacted Hafid and he promised that such a... Read more

Hi Colleen,

Thank you so much for sharing this 5-Stars review with us, we really appreciated it, as we love hearing from our customers and we’re always looking for ways to improve our services. Our staff always do their best to provide the best possible service to our guests and live up to their expectations, and we are glad that this commitment was reflected in your visit.

We are, however, sorry to hear about your experience in Fes. I have contacted Hafid and he promised that such a situation wouldn't take place again. To answer to your note regarding our pricing, kindly note that we certainly value your comments, but we also believe in the value of the service we provide, we invested a lot of time to design a great trip for you, answer your questions, and make the adjustments you have requested any time, efficiently, and quickly. So, we hope you appreciate the value of our service in terms of organizing all the reservations and transportation, providing 24/7 on-the-ground support, and, most importantly, focusing rigorously to provide you with a great overall experience.

Sorry again for any inconvenience and looking forward to having you again in our country.

Best Wishes,
Mohamed