2022 Trip Notes

General Info

1. You cannot get Moroccan currency, the Dirham, outside the country is restricted. Take some U.S. cash and convert it at a bank rather than a currency exchange for a better rate.
2. Get a Maroc Telecom SIM card at the airport. Cost is 47 for 30 days phone, text and data. I never needed at top up for data even though I used maps a lot.
3. French and Arabic spoken widely, English is larger restaurants and at markets.
4. I used GetYourGuide app to get guides in Casablanca and Marrakesh. (We get at Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca and at the Hotel across from the market in Marrakesh.
5. Hawkers are everywhere in the markets and can occasionally be aggressive. Be polite but firm if you do not want to be involved.

Casablanca
ONOMO Casablanca City Centre, corner of Blvd. Massira & Rue Normandie, is a modern hotel with a very nice outdoor patio for meals, and they have a gym. I had breakfast there every day and dinner once. The Moroccan wine was excellent: a Médaillon label Sauvignon Blanc.

The restaurant in the ONOMO hotel was good. I also liked the Spanish restaurant only a couple of blocks from the hotel, call Pepe Luis, Rue Normandie (about two blocks from the ONOMO hotel) and had a very good meal, but in recent reviews on Tripadvisor it got consistent 1 star ratings. I had talked to the owner of the restaurant when I was there and he talked of wanting to move to Canada (he had relatives in Montreal), so perhaps he did and the new owners ran it down.

Marrakesh
Stayed in a family run Riad in the old section of the city. Old but well kept an tidy and served an excellent breakfast. I would not stay there again because it is to hard to find (the taxi driver had to call the Riad and have the owner walk out to the taxi). From the Riad it is to hard to find your way around the city, hundreds of side streets and alleys.

Tangier
Stayed at the Hilton Tanger City Center Hotel, Place du Maghreb, located near the beach. Excellent service but I was only there one night. I had one of the best meals of my trip at their restaurant.

Ferry to Spain
Book though Direct Ferries and is a nice 1 hour ride across to the port of Algeciras. Note that the ferries leave from the Tangier Med Port which is about 50km east of Tangier. Get there by taxi, about $30. I made the mistake of thinking is was the Port of Tangier which is located right in the city.

Casablanca region

Casablanca visitor's centre, 60 Ave. Hassan II. Tel - 0522/206 266

Take the train from Casablanca Airport. The best stop for the city centre is "Casa Port."

There are two types of taxis in Morocco: grand and petit. Casablanca's grand taxis are white and quite new. The petit taxis are red and usually in rough condition and not air conditioned, but they are cheap and are fine for getting around the city. Take the petit unless you have a group.

The buses in Casablanca are very new and air conditioned and are about 1/10 the cost of a taxi. Pay 5Dh (about 65 cents) in cash to the driver. Press the ringer button to get off at your stop.

Great Moroccan pastries at Bennis Habous, a family run pâtisserie since 1938. 2, Rue Fkih El Gabbas, Dar-el-Beida.

I ate at Pepe Luis, Rue Normandie (about two blocks from the ONOMO hotel) and had a very good meal, but in recent reviews on Tripadvisor it got consistent 1 star ratings. I had talked to the owner of the restaurant when I was there and he talked of wanting to move to Canada (he had relatives in Montreal), so perhaps he did and the new owners ran it down.

I stayed at the ONOMO Casablanca City Centre, a very modern hotel in the heart of the city. Good restaurants nearby and the hotel restaurant was very good. A bank and bus stop are nearby.
25 Blvd Massira Al Khadra (at the corner of Blvd Massira Al Khadra & Rue Normandie).
Ph: +212 520-001000 

ONOMO Casablanca City Centre

Note that ONOMO is a huge chain of hotels in Africa: Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda. I was very impressed with the quality of the hotel and service with the one in Casablanca.

You can also tour Casablanca using the trams, but only cover the very centre of the city. Get tickets at kiosks.

Things to do in Casablanca: La Bodega, a Spanish-style tapas bar; Mosque Hassan II; Art Deco Architecture; Art Deco Hotel and Spa Le Doge Casablanca;

Get Your Guide:
City Vehicle Tour - hotel PU call - text Whatsapp +212660860692
Half Day Walking Tour - meet at 248 Boulevard Sour Jdid (in front of Rick's Café) Take #56 bus (from Onomo Hotel City Centre)
Market & lunch - meet at Bank Almaghrib, facing the Mohammed V Square
Rabet: Full Day Trip -

Bus from OSOMO hotel to Rick's Cafe

Essaouira

Activities:

Cooking class - La Table Madada, Rue Mohamed Ben Messaoud, Essaouira — Tel : +212 7 00 18 90 17
Location: entering the medina through Bab Sbaa gate, take the first alley on your left. L’Atelier Madada is at the middle of the street, on the ground floor, between Dar L’Oussia and the shop Histoire de filles. map

Golf in Morocco

GOLF ACCOMMODATIONS

For extended winter stays incorporating golf, Palmeraie, near Marrakech, is the best area to stay. It is the warmest place to be in January to March. 

YourGolfTravel lists many resort/golf packages but their golf packages are only for a few days. I could just book into one of the hotels in Palmeraie myself.

A few resorts they mention (prices low to high):

• Kech Boutique Hotel & Spa, Avenue Mohammed VI ($125)
• Jaal Riad Resort Marrakech ($140)
• Hotel Du Golf Rotana Palmeraie ($150)
• Iberostar Club Palmeraie ($165)
• Be Live Experience($175)
• Hotel Kenzi Club Agdal Medina ($225)
• Be Live Collection
• Kenzi Menara Palace
• Movenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi
• Sofitel Marrakech Lounge & Spa
• Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech

Other accommodations in the area (price per night based on 2 week stay):

• Jaal Riad Resort ($180)
• Palm Plaza Hotel & Spa
• Palm Auberge
• Selman Marrakech
• Résidence Ennaim
• Villa Sunstone

GOLF COURSES

Morocco has many golf courses from high-end resorts (and matching high round costs) to lower end public style courses. I have noted the winter rates for 18 holes and converted Dirham to Euros.

Al Maaden Golf Resort, Marrakech (€70)
Amelkis Golf, Marrakech
Assoufid Golf Club, Marrakech (€85)
Atlad Golf Marrakech, Merrakech
Concept Parcours Golf Maroc, Marrakech
Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech Golf & Country Club, Marrakech
Palmeraie Rotana Resort, Marrakech
The Montgomerie Marrakech, Marrakech
Noria Golf Club, Marrakech
Palm Golf Marrakech Ourika, Marrakech
Royal Golf Marrakech, Marrakech (€90)
Samanah Golf Club by Nicklaus, Marrakech
The Tony Jacklin Marrakech, Marrakech

Agadir Golf Training Center‬, AGTC is rated on TripAdvisor as an excellent place to get golf lessons.
Golf de l'Ocean, Agadir (€70)
Golf du Soleil, Agadir
Golf les Dunes, Agadir (€65)
Royal Golf Club in Agadir, Agadir
Tazegzout Golf, Agadir

Plage des Nation Golf, Rabat
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat
The Montgomerie Rabat, Rabat

Golf El Jadida, El Jadiad
Mazagan Golf Club, El Jadida

The Tony Jacklin Casablanca, Casablanca

Bahia Beach Golf, Bouznika (€56)

Cabo Negro Royal Golf Club, Cabo Negro, Tetouan (€56)

Golf de Mogador, Essaouira (€70)

Take a look at the booking site TeeTimesForYou to book times at golf courses around Europe as well as Morocco and Cyprus. They list 21 courses in Morocco. 

Marrakech Golf Club map

Agadir Golf Club map

Winter Stay in Morocco

It looks like Marrakech is the best place to stay in January with daytime temperatures around 70°F (20°C) and night time temperatures around 44° (10°C). Being predominantly desert, the night time temperatures in most areas of Morocco are quite cool.

Blondie in Morocco has a few suggestions for places to stay for short to long term stays. Though people imagine living in a classic riad, it is probably more comfortable to stay in more modern sections of the city. She considers Gueliz with its French-influenced Art-Deco architecture to be one of the better places to stay. The Hivernage districts more modern and quieter than Gueliz. Of the two, I would probably prefer Hivernage.

She mentions two more upscale neighbourhoods that have villa rentals: Targa and the more expensive Palmeraie (palm grove). In Pameraie a villa with swimming pool is about €1,500, and with a community pool about €750 per month. This sounds very reasonable.

But another of her favorites in the more expensive areas is Marrakesh Golf City Prestigia, located only 4km from city centre. Apartments from around €650 per month. Secure with lots of walking area and a golf course.

I found a rental on Tripadvisor for an Atlas Golf Resort Apartment in Pameraie for $85 per night.

Oriental Desert Express

Travel into the desert of eastern Morocco near the border with Algeria aboard a private luxury train. Starting out in Oudja it runs 300km south to Bouarfa. See their website and a short video.

If the train and scenery look familiar it's because the railway was one of the locations for the James Bond movie Spectre.

 

Click to enlarge

Rail map showing connection to the ODE

Visiting or long term stay

The Moroccan government has light restrictions on travel for Canadians travelling to the country. The entrance details can be found at the Visit Morocco website. Entrance is allowed without restriction for those who have had any of the major vaccines. If a person has not had a vaccination then a COVID test result must be presented that was taken less than 72 hours prior to arrival.

Mobile phone plans

According to one website the best mobile plan to use is Maroc Telecom. The others recommended are Inwi and Orange.
You can get a Moroccan SIM card in Maroc Telecom's, Orange's, and Inwi's official stores. You can also get them from third-party resellers such as tobacco stores. They are also available at the airports in Casablanca and Marrakesh.

You can expect to pay the following for a Morocco SIM card:

• Maroc Telecom: 30 MAD (~$4.50CAD)
  
• Orange Morocco: 30 MAD (~$4.50CAD)
• Inwi: 20 MAD (~$3.00CAD)

The Morocco international dialing code is 212.

A completely different method of having phone access around the world is to use a mobile portable WiFi hotspot. The TEP Wireless Hotspot allows you connect your phone or laptop to the internet through the hotspot. The advantage of the device is that it can be used in over 130 countries, so you don't need to buy a new SIM card every time you travel to a new country. (There is a Europe plan that covers Europe, including eastern Europe, and the UK.) It comes preloaded with 1GB of data. For use in Morocco, 8GB of data for 30 days costs $77US. See all data plans here.