Marrakesh

Food and Drink

From an online post, the best restaurants in Marrakesh:

Dar Yacout, Bacha Coffee, Nomad, L'Mida, Dar Marjana, and Naranj. 

Agadir

Agadir is increasingly becoming a popular winter location for Brits and other Europeans. Located on the west coast 185km south of Essaouira, and south-west of Marrakesh. Access is by mainly by air, or a 3 hour drive from Essaouira. See this in-depth Telegraph article.

Agadir weather

2022 Trip Notes

General Info

1. You cannot get Moroccan currency, the Dirham, outside the country. Take 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 in larger restaurants and at markets.
4. I used GetYourGuide app to get guides in Casablanca and Marrakesh. (We met at Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca and at the Hotel across from the Jemaa el-Fna 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.

Accommodations

Marrakech

In Marrakech, a good riad is Palais Sebban, 43 Derb Moulay Abdellah Ben Hseine, Rue el Ksour.

Tel: +212(0)5.24.44.02.25 / +212(0)5.24.44.02.26

Email: contact@palais-sebban-riad.com

Website: www.palaissebban.com

Some other riads in Marrakech recommended on TripAdvisor:
L'Oriental Medina & Spa, 5 Derb Lgssaba, Lmoukef, kaat bennahid
Riad Chams Marrakech, 214-215 Derb Sidi
Riad L'Orchidée, 42-43 Derb Sidi Bou Amar
Riad Dar Dialkoum, 317 Derb Nakhla Bab Doukala
Mon Riad, 4 Derb Lahabasse
Riad Karmela, 10 Derb El Ferrane Azbetz (map)
Riad Irhalne, 5 Derb Sidi Ben Aissa Dabachi
Riad Dar Zaman, 29 Derb Bouelilou, Sidi Ben Slimane

Recommended by Lucas Peters of the Morocco guide:
Riad Boussa, 192 Derb Jdid - Dabachi
Riad Les Trois Mages, N 11 Derb Jamaa, Rue El Gza, Riad Larousse
Riad Dar Najat, 18 Douar Graoua, Derb Lalla Chacho
Riad Alisma, 50 Rue de la Bahia
Hôtel Sindi Sud, 109 Derb Sidi Bouloukate. A good quality, clean budget hotel - 100Dh!

Mon Riad

Riad Chams Marrakech

Riad Dar Dialkoum

Riad Irhalne

Riad Karmela

Riad L'Orchidée

Wanderlust magazine has an article on some quality accommodations in Marrakech.

Fes

Riad Dar Chrifa - www.riaddarchrifa.com, 20 Arsat El Hammoumi Ziat, 30000 is recommended by Luke and Sabrina at Chopstick Travel.
Tel: +212 (05) 35 63 78 50     Email: riaddarchrifa@menara.ma

Riad Dar Chrifa

Riad Dar Chrifa

Tripadvisor recommended hotels in Marrakech
Hotel Sol Oasis, Douar Ben Rahmoun Prefecture Sidi Youssef Ben Ali
La Maison des Oliviers, KM 6 Route de l'Ourika, BP 429, Lagouassem
Riad Nora, 29A Rue de la Bahia

Casablanca

ONOMO Hotel Casablanca, Angle de rue boulevard Massira & rue Normandie
ibis Casa-Voyageurs, Avenue Ba Hmad Place de la Gare
Adagio Casablanca, 279 Boulevard Bir Anzarane
Grand Mogador, rue Hassan II
Le 135 Hotel, 135 Blvd Hassan II
Hotel Gauthier, rue Ilya Abou Madi

Wanderlust Magazine recommends Hotel le Doge as a beautifully restored 1930s Art Deco hotel. Nice but quite expensive - €135 and up.

Train travel - Al Boraq high speed train

After a decade of development, Morocco now has Africa's first high speed train, connecting Tangier with the capital, Rabat, and Casablanca. The Al Boraq double-decker will eventually continue on to Marrakech and Agadir.

It is operated by ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer), Morocco's national railway authority. Tickets can be booked on this site.

Travel time from Casablanca to Tangier has been reduced from 6 hours on the regular train to 2 hours and 10 minutes, often attaining its record speed of 357km per hour.

1st Class Seating

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Train travel

I like to travel by train and there is an extensive rail network in Morocco connecting all the major cities, and it is inexpensive, even for 1st class.

From The Blonde Abroad website:

In Morocco, it’s easiest to buy your train tickets in person. You can get information on timetables and prices on the ONCF website, then just head to the nearest train station to book your tickets. Be sure to bring cash! You might be able to use your credit cards, but don’t count on it. The Rome2Rio website is very good for find connections between cities.

Most train routes run regularly so it’s rare to have every seat sold out, but it’s good to book in advance if you want to guarantee your spot. The stations are always centrally located and you can buy tickets a few weeks in advance, so just grab ‘em whenever it’s handy.

For night trains, you’ve got a choice of sleeper cars. A four-bed couchette costs Dh370 ($38 USD), a single compartment is Dh480 ($50 USD), and a double compartment is Dh690 ($70 USD). Considering it covers your travel and accommodation for the night, it’s super affordable.

Route		Travel Time
Tangier to Casablanca		6 hrs
Tangier to Marrakech (Overnight train)		10 hrs
Rabat to Fes (Fez)		2 hrs 30 min
Casablanca to Fes (Fez)		4 hrs
Casablanca to Casablanca Airport		32 min
Marrakech to Casablanca		3 hrs 10 min
Marrakech to Fes		7 hrs 10 min
Marrakech to Rabat		4 hrs 15 min

Map of the regular train service routes and stations:

Click to enlarge

Top sites in Morocco

Some top sites in Morocco that I'm interested in seeing: Tangier, Marrakesh, Fes (Fez), Casablanca, Aït Benhaddou, Dadès Gorge, the Erg Chebbi dunes in the Sahara Desert (near the town of Merzouga), and the Atlas Mountains.

Tangier

The Medina in Marrakesh

Erg Chebbi Dunes in the Sahara Desert

Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca

Fes (Fez)

Atlas Mountains

Aït Benhaddou

Dadès Gourge — Monkey Fingers Canyon

Morocco Site Map

Weather

The climate in Morocco varies from north to south and from east to west. There is considerable variation from the coast, where the city of Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier are located, to the east and the high Atlas Mountains which can be quite cold especially in the winter months.

The weather in Marrakesh, in the south, is especially nice in the winter months:

Beginning

I am just starting to look into travel to Morocco. I discovered that there are lots of guides available through a website I discovered called "Tours by Locals". It has information on private guides all over the world, not just Morocco, including reviews by users.
I will look into this site a lot for travel to this and other locales.

Two guide services available in Morocco are GetYourGuide and ExperienceItTours. I used GetYourGuide in Casablanca and it was great.

After Arabic, French is the main language of Morocco (being under French rule for many years). English is probably the third most spoken language—but a distant third.

Interesting video of a family trip around Morocco.

The British travel magazine Wanderlust has a good article on travel to Morocco.

If you are interested in really getting into the foods of Morocco — whether just eating and nibbling or learning how to cook Moroccan food, get in touch with Moroccan Food Tour. They are available in Tangier, Marrakech, Casablanca, Fez, Chefchaouen, Meknes & Rabat. (See some videos of a couple who host a Moroccan Food Tour in a number of cities: Fez, Marrakech, Casablanca.)
Check out a video with Luke and Sabrina of Chopstick Travel having lots of great food experiences with Moroccan Food Tour.

As for moving to Morocco, read an account from The Blonde Abroad of someone who has moved there, and some cautious notes on living there from Jessa Howard, a resident. There are many Facebook groups dedicated to foreigners living in Morocco, here, here and here. 

For information on short or long term residency in Morocco, check out Blondie in Morocco. Her site has lots of information on staying and living in Morocco, and she also provides a travel consulting service.

See Morocco by Lucas Peters, Avalon Travel - Hachette Book Group, 2nd Ed, 2019.

For maps of Casablanca see CasablancaMap360°.

Valuable Articles

Wanderlust Magazine has a lot of good articles on travel in Morocco:

How to Spend Three Days in Morocco

A Long Weekend in Essaouira

Make the Most of 24 Hours in Fez