At the end of this long post, is an icon to click on for our map showing where we drove in Morocco
On August 31, we arrived in Tangier by the awful, horrible GNV ferry from Barcelona (820€ with meals and a supposedly luxurious suite).
Tangier
We drove straight to the Fairmont Tazi Palace Tangier. We stayed a week in a junior suite (about US$580). It was okay, but we decided that for our second 1-week stay in November we would upgrade to the Signature Suite One Bedroom.
Audre's friend, Brucie, and his wife, Michelle, visited Tangier and reported that they liked it better than the more well-known cities of Casablanca, Marrakech, and Rabat.
We used Tangier to get acclimated to Morocco and to get chores done before our exploration of the country. We got our Kia car serviced at the Kia dealer and other things like that. The dealer could not fix the loss of the Kia navigation feature when we got off the ferry. Evidently, a quick software update would not fix the loss. We used Google navigation instead and it worked well.
Our first Moroccan meal was at the Fairmont's Social Kitchen, and it was very good. We had a chicken pastilla. This is a dish that we particularly like and has significance for us. For our first New Year’s Eve together, we made pastilla together (it took hours), and we thought our collaboration was very good (a good sign, oui?)
In Morocco, Audre was back to practicing French and Dimitri was speaking fluently (of course), sprinkled with the Arabic that he knew. The longer we stayed, the more he was able to speak Arabic--to the delight of all.
We took a city tour of Tangier (Tanger in French and Tazi in Arabic), and we went to the medina. There is a third language spoken in Morocco, and it is Amazigh (Berber). On signs, it actually looked like hieroglyphics. In Tangier, we also had a chipped tooth of Audre's fixed, and both of us got our teeth cleaned.
We were surprised by how hilly Tangier was--it seemed that hills were everywhere (the Fairmont was on the top of one). We parked Kia car in the Fairmont lot and took Ubers everywhere. Uber is not common in Morocco, but in big cities, it exists.
While we were in Tangier in September, it was very, very hazy. The panoramic view from our suite at the Fairmont was obscured during our stay, even though it was also very windy. And it was hot--in the 80°s and low 90°s.
Chefchaouen
After a week in Tangier, we started our road trip in Chefchaouen, the Blue Pearl, a most touristic city. We tried to keep our driving times to two or so hours. Sometimes we stopped overnight in places that did not warrant a stop. Dimitri did most of the driving.
Our first roadtrip was through the very hilly countryside. There were some green pine forests but lots of brown hills. The roads were okay. In the 1990s, someone decided to paint everything in Chefchaouen blue and make it into a tourist destination. It worked! We took a guided tour of the medina, and it was definitely blue.
Our hotel in Chefchaouen was on the top of the hill (really a mountain) above the medina. When we looked down from our suite, it was a sea of blue.
After our steep descent down, we decided to take a taxi back up and to take taxis back and forth from then on. While waiting to get our first taxi, we met Zaid. We hired Zaid to drive us through the Rif Mountains (on the less traveled mountain road) to the obligatory tourist site of the Akchour Waterfalls. The route Zaid took was through the marijuana agricultural fields. It was the first time that we had ever seen marijuana growing, and that was a kick.
We definitely do not recommend anyone go to the Akchour Waterfalls. It is wall-to-wall tourists, littered with trash, and the path is lined with one restaurant after another. Yuk.
In Chefchaouen, we stayed at the Taj Chefchaouen (Bab El Mahrouk St Al Fahfouh District, Chefchaouen 91000 Morocco) in the Royal Suite (US$432.41). The people were nice, and the suite was good, but the hotel was most definitely not part of the Taj chain. Taj means crown in Arabic, evidently. We had originally planned to stay in Chefchaouen for 5 days, but after 4 we had done everything, and we wanted to move on to Fez (Fès in French).
Ouezzane
Because the drive all the way to Fez was too long for us, we stopped for a night in Ouazzane (or Ouezzane) at the L'escale Hôtel & Spa By 7AV HOTELS (QCPX+PH, Ouazzane,16200, Morocco,+212 539669904). That hotel was really in the middle of nowhere, but we had a two-bedroom, two bath apartment and it was very comfortable (about US$250 for half board). The hotel had a Jacuzzi (that, incredibly, allowed the user to set the desired temperature of the water--why don't all hotels allow that?) and a good gym. There was really nothing around except, we learned, that marijuana was grown. The only thing we could figure was that the hotel was built to service that (illegal) industry.
From Ouezzane to Fez, there was trash everywhere along the road and the terrain was brown, with haze. We decided that Moroccans are not troubled by trash. We encountered a section of the route (506) with awful potholes. Even though Morocco is third world, it looked to us as though there were electrical wires to all of the remote places we drove through.
Fez, Fès
We had a good stay in Fez (or in French: Fès). We were not thrilled with our Executive Suite (US$594.94) at the Marriott (Hotel Jnan Palace, 8 Ave Ahmed Chaouki, Fes 30000, Morocco, +212 535-947250) but the people were lovely and we made it work. Our first day in Fez was a Sunday and we were surprised that so much was closed. (We learned that Fridays are half-day workdays but on Sundays people who work in offices have the day off.)
The highlight of our stay in Fez was the dinner we had at the family home of people we had met on the GNV ferry from Barcelona to Tangier (that was otherwise horrible). When we were talking to the family (in French) on the ferry, we asked what restaurant in Fez would have the best pastilla. Awatef said "at her home" and invited us to dinner.
Awatef made us a fabulous pastilla and a great tagine. She also showered Audre with gifts. The experience of having a home cooked meal in a Moroccan home was really wonderful and very special.
The medina in Fez was huge and it was a place where people worked and lived. It was not just a tourist destination. Dimitri curated a very good walking tour there and we had a very nice lunch at the The Ruined Garden Restaurant (15 Derb Idrissy Sidi Ahmed Chaoui Medina, Fez).
We liked the dinner we had at Gayza Restaurant, Riad Fès Hotel (a Relais & Châteaux, at 5 Derb Ben Slimane Zerbtana 30 100). Our taxi took us to the location closest to the hotel in the medina, Place Batha. From there we walked with a bellman to the hotel. We needed to arrange everything in advance because we could not/would not use our cell phone to make calls in Morocco--each call cost 70 US cents a minute! We really appreciated it when hotels and restaurants had a WhatsApp number that we could use to call for free.
The dining room of the Riad Fès, in the courtyard of the hotel, was lovely. We sat by the pool in the candlelight with the oud player entertaining us. (It would not have been good for us to stay at that Relais & Châteaux because we needed parking for our Kia car. No cars could drive in the medina.)
In Fez we found that women were mostly wearing kaftans or abaya or djellaba and head scarfs (hijab), or just hijab with modern clothes. Rarely were women in burqa, with a screen over their faces.
Ifrane
After a week in Fez, we were back on the road to our next destination. This section of Moroccan roads were good enough--two lane, sometimes with four lanes. The terrain was mostly scrub with some red dirt. Where there was agriculture, apples were being grown. The haze that we encountered in Tangier was still with us on this section of our roadtrip. Morocco is definitely a hilly country. And, again, we were reminded that it is third world. At this stage of our lives, we are not as excited about visiting the third world as we were 30 years ago--if you know what we mean.
Ifrane was a welcome change. It had been built during the French protectorate for a French getaway and the architecture was Haut Savoire! We liked it and it was clean and delightful town!
We had a wonderful stay at the 5-star Michlifen Hotel Ifrane Morocco (Avenue Hassan II - BP n°18, Ifrane, +212 5 35 86 40 00). Our Deluxe Suite (US $951.76) had been personalized for us by Naouar from Guest Relations. Rashid, the Front Office Manager, was always around and very personable, helpful and professional. We stayed three days, loved having two toilets in our suite, had a lovely walk in the hotel's forest and the city park, used the hotel's gym, and ate three very good dinners and breakfasts at the hotel. We enjoyed the service at the hotel; Marwan was a very attentive server.
In the
middle Atlas Mountains, the temperature was a comfortable 26° with a breeze (welcome change from 36° in Fez). The altitude was around 1665 meters (around 5400’) with no steep inclines near
the hotel.
Pre-Désert Arfoud or Erfoud
To keep our drive short enough, we stopped for a night in Midelt at a guest house called Hotel Kasbah Izorhan, Ecolodge (Ksar tabenattout Midelt Ksar tabenattout, 54350 Midelt, Morocco, +212661871736). It was very basic and our double room with dinner and breakfast cost about US$100. Mustafa and his wife, Hannah, were lovely hosts. We met an American missionary and volunteer doctor who has been coming to the Midelt area for years (in the process becoming good friends with Mustafa). He was definitely interesting to talk to. Getting to the Hotel Kasbah Izorhan tested Kia car's 4-wheel drive and staying there tested our flexibility with hotel accommodations.
On the way to Arfoud/Erfoud from Midelt, we stopped at a panorama of the Ziz Valley and oasis. Everyone stopped there to have a look at the green strip below, even the Germans we had spoken to the night before at the Hotel Kasbah Izorhan. Along the road in this section were concrete box houses that had no visual appeal at all. And, there was more scrub. But when we got to southern Morocco the construction and architecture changed. We saw many more ochre mud, brick and straw buildings with distinct Amazigh design. Much more pleasing to look at. All throughout Morocco the design of the minarets was square or octagonal. Very different from the slender, round and elegant minarets in Egypt, Turkey and the Middle East.
The highlight of our stay in Arfoud/Erfoud was going to the Fossiles d'Erfoud, Gran de Exposition Chez Mohamed Achour. Ibrahim, the grandson, was a delight and we learned a thing or two.
Hotel Palais Du Désert (Route de Jorf (vers Ouarzazate), 52200 Arfoud, +2125355-78291) was supposed to be 5-star. It was not. On the property there were lots of fresh dates that were ripe during our stay. That was special. The construction was in the southern Moroccan kasbah style. Our Imperial Suite (908), was 50 m² and had lots of things wrong with it (296€ per night). On the other hand, we did meet nice people at the pool to talk to and that was good. One evening, at the hotel’s restaurant for dinner, we sat next to another couple we had met at the pool. It was fun and the food each night was good enough.
In Erfoud, we ate Kalia tagine which is a unique. Moroccan meat dish originating from the southeastern desert around Tafilalet oasis and Erfoud. With it, we had Madfouna, the famous Berber Amazigh stuffed pizza. Neither is going to become a worldwide staple.
Erg Chebbi Desert Luxury Camp
Erg Chebbi Desert Luxury Desert Camp (Merzouga, Kser El khamlia, Taouz Merzouga, Khemliya 52202, +212 6 62 34 48 16), https://desertluxurycamp.com/Merzouga). Our stay in the desert may turn out to be our best Moroccan experience. We travel now to have new experiences and to eat new food. We don't shop or buy things and we have limited tolerance for visiting churches and museums.
Staying in a luxury tent in the Sahara sand was a unique and wonderful new experience.
We met lovely people to talk to and we had great fun driving the dune buggy up, down and around the sand dunes. Our tent was comfortable enough and air conditioned at night. The wi fi in the camp was okay and it even sometimes worked in our tent. Alexa found enough bandwidth to play! There was an air conditioned lunch tent with wi fi where we hung out one afternoon. Two nights was the correct amount of time to stay.
Monkey Fingers and the Dades Gorge
Our next stay was overnight and we probably should have/could have skipped it. We stayed in Tinghir at Hotel Tombouctou for about US$100 demi pension. It was quiet (we did not hear the muezzin) and Kia car was in a garage.
In the Dades Gorge we stayed at the extraordinary Eden Boutique Hotel. We were upgraded to the Prestige Suite and showered with attention by the owners, Ismail and Lahsan (US$790.87 per day with meals). We were unusual because we stayed 5 nights whereas most guests stay one or two nights. The hotel was designed and built by Ismail and Lahsan and every detail was theirs. It was built in the southern Moroccan kasbah style and pleasing to look at. The area is touristic but remote--everything has to be brought from bigger places.
Our wonderful suite made a great first impression although it was, as Dimitri often says, more form over function. It had a terrace and a view of the Monkey Fingers. To get to our suite we had to climb up, and up, and up without an elevator.
One day we hiked in the Monkey Fingers Gorge with Abdula, a guide that Julie and Greg (who we met in the Sahara Desert Luxury Camp) recommended (212 666 193 829 Life wont last Forever). It was a good 2-hour hike (50€) that we could not have done on our own. Abdula told us about his Amazigh culture and about family life. We learned about (and saw) women's (backbreaking) work in the fields. After the hike we went to Abdula’s house and his wife, Soukayna, made us a chicken tagine and salads for lunch (30€). We met his daughter, Siman, and mother, Fatima. When we came into their house, Fatima was sitting on the floor doing women's work with corn which she would crush for cornmeal. They kept chickens and goats in the back of the house. Since there were no grocery stores nearby we decided that the chicken for the luncheon tagine came from the back of the house.
Soukayna's food was very good as was the food everywhere in Morocco. It is typically spiced well (with ras el hanout, perhaps) and flavorful. Sometimes the chicken or meat is tough, other times surprisingly tender.
We ate our breakfasts and dinners at Eden. The staff in the restaurant was very special. Each one: Mimoon, Aziz, Said and Mohammed was personable, professional, and very helpful. The food was very good. For lunch we had a salad and, for our 5 dinners, we ate well. We were allowed to share one 5-course menu and it was plenty of food for us. The dinners started with an amuse bouche, then soup and a salad. There were five choices for main courses, all good. Then came the dessert. Breakfast was fixed and served by our personable staff.
We drove the snake road and went to Dades Gorges. We didn't find hiking trails other than the one we did with Abdula. Another day we sat by the pool and talked to other guests (but the flies were too annoying). Hanging out in our suite was good for one day.
At 1400 or so meters in elevation in the High Atlas Mountains, the temperatures, day and night, were pleasant. We didn’t use the air conditioner in our room at all. We had cross ventilation (with flies) instead.
Skoura in the Dades Valley
Our next stop was unnecessary--it was too close to our previous and to our next stop. But we were using Chatgpt for the first time in planning this trip. We learned not to trust Chatgpt entirely. We drove through the valley of roses which, of course, wasn't blooming. It was fall, not spring.
We didn't like the hotel, Hotel Les Jardins de Skoura (Oulad Amirha Province de Ouarzazate, 45502 Skoura, Morocco 45000, Ouarzazate Maroc +33 609382775). It was difficult to drive to it on the narrow, rocky dirt roads and each time we drove to or fro Google Navigation navigated us on a more difficult (but perhaps more direct) road. Two nights there were two nights too many and it was also too expensive for what was offered (US$400 half board).
Skoura is a small oasis town with not much to offer. There was a bike shop that had e-bikes but did not have one small enough for Audre that was in good enough condition to rent. We walked the oasis--palmeraie--we had a good self-guided tour of the Kasbah Amridil (40 MAD/US 4 cents, entry fee)--featured in the original Lawrence of Arabia movie. This kasbah museum was very well done and we learned about the different sections of the kasbah houses.
We visited another hotel in Skoura, Ksar El Karbaba. Ali, the front desk man and the concierge, told us the hotel’s kitchen was not working but he suggested that we go to a genuine family home where we could have lunch. He told us it was a 400 year old kasbah and 9 generations had lived there. We followed him and got to the home of Abdul Rahim and Dauya who served us lunch, with other tourists from Germany.
We were definitely visiting small towns in Morocco but they all seemed to have schools. We saw girls going to school on bicycles! Why is that worth mentioning? Women in Morocco seemed to adhere to defined roles that revolved around the home and children, not education and careers.
Ouarzazate and Aït Ben Haddou
We stopped in Ouarzazate because there was a 5-star hotel there (servicing the movie industry and the movie studios there). Hotel Le Bebère Palace (Rue Al-Mansour Ad-Dahbi, Ouarzazate 45000, 212-52488310) was nice but our junior suite was too small for our five night stay (US$550 per night) but we made it work with the help of the housekeeping staff. The air conditioning in the suite worked but, after the rain, we didn’t need it. We kept the windows open that that was cool enough.
We were supposed to go e-mountain biking with a guide in Ouarzazate, but at the appointed time and place, our guide was nowhere to be found. We didn't re-schedule (and it rained in the high desert plateau so it's good we didn't go).
Ouarzazate was a town to get things done in before heading out to the desert or to the mountains to hike. Each day we walked the town racking up kilometers and re-stocking at Carrefour. On our first day, while we were waiting to arrange our e-mountain bike rental, we had our hair cut next door by Ibrahim. He was very good and charged us 100 MAD; that’s US$5 each! We were going to get our flu shots at the pharmacie near the Carrefour but on the appointed day, the young woman was sick and didn’t come to work. One day, Dimitri needed a sick day himself and stayed in bed all day. Audre used the gym at the hotel and it was adequate (and air conditioned).
We ate out for only one dinner at a restaurant in town called Le Jardin des Aromes where we had an excellent pigeon pastilla. The roads in town were poorly lit at night so for the rest of our dinners we at at Focaccia at the hotel. Our dinners were good and at about 500 MAD, reasonably priced.
Our next stay in Aït Ben Haddou, was very close to Ouarzazate--shame on Chatgpt for that one. We had booked and pre-paid for two nights at Hotel Ksar Ighnda (Douar Asfalou, Aït Ben Haddou) so there we stayed. It was good for Dimitri to have some more days of rest.
Audre was very glad that we stayed in Aït Ben Haddou. To get there we drove the Famous Highway 9 which Gemini said was "one of the most stunning and dramatic engineering marvels in North Africa" (but we did not have to go over Tizi n'Tichka Pass so we didn't experience that). Gemini also said it has "cinematic landscapes" and that is on "international lists of the world's best road trips". In any event we passed by the town where UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ksar of Aït Benhaddou is located. It was wall-to-wall people and mini vans for tourists. Looking up to the top of the ksar, we could see wall-to-wall people standing cheek to jawl. We vowed that we would not visit it--it was a place to avoid like the Akchour Waterfalls near Chefchaouen.
Then we got to our Royal Suite at Hotel Ksar Ighnda and the view of Ksar of Aït Benhaddou was perfect. We did not have to visit it to experience the magic of the site.
We can't wait to see the new Odyssey movie with Matt Damon because the Ksar is in it!
Audre loved the views from our suite at Hotel Ksar Ighnda--they reminded her of the fabulous views in Northwestern Argentina. We had one big room with sections: a sofa area in front of the TV, a desk area, an area for keeping our suitcases open and armoire for storage. We had a mini bar and a bathroom with two sinks (which we really like having). We were left gifts of fruit and nuts; Audre was very happy with the hotel. The suite was very well outfitted and equipped (except for the lighting).
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