A magical trip through Northern Morocco

Morocco | May 15 - May 21, 2025

This is a nice hotel in Casablanca but in an area that is very busy with a lot of traffic and not much to see. However the service and room at this hotel is lovely and impeccable and the food wonderful.

This hotel is an authentic Moroccan riad. It is so beautiful and elaborate. It is like walking through an art gallery. Every time we walk through, we find something to admire. It is a work of art! It is a marvel.

The hotel is lovely and symbolizes the excellence of the Hilton chain of hotels. However, it is part of the Hilton hotel chains. It can be a bit impersonal.

This is a very magical place. We loved the "birds eye" view from the hotel to the town of Chefchaouen. Our room was beautifully furnished.

It is not our driver's fault. Our flight was delayed so by the time we arrived, it was very late and during rush hour in Casablanca. The traffic was terrible and we were exhausted too so our driver agreed to drop us off at the hotel Barcelo in Casablanca. To be honest, we were not so impressed with the city- so much traffic and the area the hotel was in was not that nice. That was our first impression of Casablanca, sad but true. However on our return trip back to Casablanca from Fes, Soufain showed us the Mosque and the beach/waterside. It was a lovely part of town. We enjoyed seeing that and the lovely homes in the area. As we arrived late, we missed being able to go on a guided tour of the Mosque and to visit other places like the Rex cafe which is not a must. By the 7th day, we were a bit tired of touring, I must admit. Soufain understood and respected our decision.

We stopped and toured at Volubilis Punic-Roman ruins. Wow, we cannot imagine how they built the homes without machinery- those heavy stones and such precision - straight and perfectly aligned! We enjoyed touring on our own and taking pictures. It is well worth the stop to visit!!

The guide was very patient and wonderful. He showed us the Jewish quarter, the Jewish cemetery and many other places. The tour was a bit long and he kept wanting to show us more and more places. By then, we were tired and hungry. I asked for a tea break. He said one more place then a tea break but it went on and on. By that time, we have been touring for almost 8 hours which was too much for us. We should have been firm and say, that is fine, that is enough. But we did ask to be shown where I can purchase argan oil and oud oil. We saw so many cool things that we do appreciate the time given us. It was just too long.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and showed us the medina, artisan crafts and bazaars of Tangier as well as the Jewish quarter and synagogues etc. Shared a lot of fascinating history. We never discussed our needs prior to this guided tour, our guide was young and energetic. Since Len has to interpret what the guide said in sign language for me, it takes time for one language to another so by the time, our guide has already left for the next place- not enough time for me to ask questions. This tour has a lot of steps too. It was harder for me with a bad knee to keep up with the guide. So we feel a bit rushed and trying to keep up. We realize it was on us to clarify what we need- a slower pace even if it means missing some places to show us, which is fine. We learned so much already.

We enjoyed visiting Rabat on our way from Casablanca to Tangier. we went with a local guide in the medina at Rabat. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the area and we enjoyed the tour. We ended with a lovely tea break at the tearoom there. It was about an hour break for us which we appreciate. On the way back, it was a long ride- 4 hours so we asked to stop at Rabat again. This time without a guide. We wandered a bit then had a tea break again. It was 30 minutes this time.

We arrived at 3:39 pm due to heavy traffic. We were able to see the beautiful waterfront and the Mosque but it was closed and the next tour was at 5 pm. We did not want to wait until then so we opted to just walk around but we cannot walk around the Mosque either. I was rather disappointed because I was hoping to be able to walk around and tour the Mosque but honestly by the 7th day, Len and I were a bit pooped from all the traveling and touring all week. We enjoyed seeing the sea and the lovely homes in the area.

This is by far the best experience we had on this tour. Our guide was very patient and knowledgeable. We learned so much on this tour about the town and its customs such as painting the houses and steps blue every Spring as a rite. We get to see young girls doing that. There were many steps but because of the slower pace, we were able to keep up. At one point we asked to sit at a cafe for tea and pastries. We also met two young Deaf men who I was able to chat and learn more about Deaf education in Morocco. Our guide knew a bakery that sells gluten free cookies so I was able to enjoy the pastries, which is a plus. We are so in love with this blue and white town. The people we encounter were very friendly, the artisans and natives. The riad we stayed at was beautiful and the view exceptional. The air was pure and clean. Love it.