2 weeks in Morocco with Family
Morocco
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Aug 7 - Aug 24, 2019
Everything about this trip including planning it with kimkim and Yassine was great from start to finish.
I liked that kimkim allowed me to peruse multiple 5- to 10- to 15-day itineraries for Morocco prior to engaging with my local specialist, Yassine, so that I could get an idea of what was feasible in what amount of time and familiarize myself with all options which enabled me to better brief Yassine.
Yassine (from Morocco Off the Beaten Track) was wonderful to work with from Day 1 - prompt, accurate, friendly and patient. Our trip was complicated - we were three parties flying in from separate international locations, we were planning to stay in Morocco during Eid holidays (everything is closed), and we had very strong preferences in the group - the trip he planned exceeded our expectations and went off without a hitch.
Mohammed, our driver throughout the trip, was an indispensable member of our travel crew - he was everything you'd wish for in a driver (prompt, polite, safe, reliable, flexible) but also far and beyond: he was incredibly open to sharing stories and information about life in Morocco, we always laughed together on drives and he made great impromptu recommendations. Plain and simple, we would not have enjoyed our trip nearly as much without Mohammed.
Similarly, all of our guides (we had guides in Rabat, Marrakech, and Imlil) were very knowledgable, enjoyable, showed us hidden gems (where locals buy argan oil, neighborhood bakers, etc.) and gave us great context to the cities we were visiting. Our guide, Hicham, in Rabat kept us busy all day (bring sunscreen!) and kept us laughing with his great story telling skills - we left feeling we had really seen Rabat's history and learned the "fun facts". In Marrakech, we had a Moroccan cooking class, and the ladies of Cafe Clock were extremely friendly, warm and had wonderful knowledge to share on Moroccan food from selecting ingredients, to cooking, to the dishes orgins, etc. Our guide, Ibrahim, in Imlil welcomed us into his home for a meal with his family and guided on us on an unforgettable hike through Toubkal National Park (truly an amazing experience, we'd highly recommend).
All of our Riads were beautiful and different - difficult for me to say which was my favorite, except that I'd recommend staying in a few different ones so you can experience the variety. All were clean, comfortable and had excellent service, though varied in modernity and spaciousness. Same to be said for all our hotels - everything was lovely (all 5-star rated, so not surprising, but neither did they disappoint).
All there is left to say is THANK YOU to Yassine at Morocco off the Beaten Track and kimkim for planning an amazing trip for my family and I!