Marrakech Morocco In March

[kmac30 416]

Heading to Marrakech in March with my wife and two BILs. I’ve been so busy with a house remodel that this trip seems like it isn’t happening. But it’s coming quick. Any tips or restaurants? Places to go and to avoid?

[RoundRobin 828]

Taking the train?

[kmac30 416]

Taking the train?

Guess not. Am I missing something?

[DoobieWah 1374]

 

[ohchaucer 1443]

19 hours ago, DoobieWah said:

 

User name almost checks out.

[Borachio 416]

I'm interested in this topic as well.  I'm heading to Marrakech for a few days in April.

I plan on taking a day trip to the Atlas mountains one day.

Half day tour of the Medina and other historical points of interest including the Majorelle gardens and YSL museum.

Evening food tour in the Jemaa el-Fnaa

Hammam scrub and massage.

This restaurant looks interesting, https://www.alfassia.com/our-restaurant/  employs mainly women.

I'll be staying in the Medina at Riad Les Clos de Arts.  The Riad has been very helpful booking and planning some of my excursions.

Looking forward to the trip!  New continent for me.

 

[staboner 4938]

its awesome. hit up the souks as much as possible. i stayed in the medina too, which was awesome

the main square is amazing. go at night and eat there. like every night. i've never been anywhere in my life like that. 

 

[Zepol87 9015]

Jealous as hell!!! This is a trip I want to take like a mfer

[kmac30 416]

Lite recap. It was awesome. I learned a lot. The people were amazing. We went to the souks too much as far as I was concerned. The first days we went we had guides and we’re pretty much left alone. The next couple times we went (and at night) we didn’t and it was a different experience. I’m glad we went without the guides to get that experience, but it got old.

Food was good. Atlas Mountains were amazing. I’m a rug collector now. My wife is a terrible negotiator. My BIL got so pissed at her it was awesome. Her “mom will like that, you should buy it for her.” As he’s trying to negotiate for it “she’ll love it, just buy it.” I thought about pulling her away but it was too entertaining.

Buying the rugs was an experience in its own right. Store was Dar Mejbar. I had looked it up and read about 3 rug shops and the guide took us to this one. We eventually walked out after no deal on 3 rugs. Came back an hour later. We pulled them back out, changed some out. Ended up coming together on 4. If they would serve alcohol, they would have more success. Negotiating is a sport to them. Signed the rugs and they made it home a couple days after us.

If you need a guide, Youssef was our favorite and I have his info.

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

After nearly two years of no real vacations, finally getting around to planning one in mid-September and thinking about Marrakech/Atlas Mountains.  Tentatively looking at 3 days in Marrakech (looking for a very local Riad as opposed to a hotel), 2-3 days in Atlas/Foothills and 4 to 5 days back in Marrakech to just unwind and relax with soon pool time at one of the nicer hotels - Mandarin, 4S, Royal Mansour, etc.

Anyone have advice on how much time to spend in the Atlas Mountains - 2 nights vs. 3? Looks like there is quad biking, some mild hiking/walks, etc. to do but wondering how difficult it is to fill 3 days there.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by Doug E. Fresh

[PenelopeWitherspoon 18303]

Following.  This is a place I really want to go to.

[Spoosner 86]

We stayed at this riad in Marrakech: http://www.riadkniza.com/

It's just inside the walls of Old Medina, so all the old city stuff (souks, historical sites, main square, etc) is very walkable, and it's also easy to leave the walls to check out the "modern" side of things which you'll likely want to do for some dining options. We did the hammam experience on site which was really cool, and they have a nice rooftop.

The owner was very nice and served as our guide on a walking tour (not free, but worth it). I would not say he helped much on the haggling front. That was left to us. That can get stressful, but we had fun with the experience for the most part.

Last thing I'd say is 7-8 days in Marrakech sounds like a lot to me unless you really are just planning to sit by the pool for a good portion of that, or if you plan on doing a ton of shopping.

We were there during Ramadan. I would recommend trying to avoid that. It's weird eating and drinking during the day in front of people that can't.

We didn't go anywhere else in Morocco as this was the end of a month on the road (spent mostly in Spain), so I can't help with the other questions. 

[Grimas 652]

We stayed at this place outside of town : Sirayane Boutique Hotel https://www.sirayane.com/en/ a few years ago with the kids and we loved it.  It wasn't in town but they had a shuttle when you wanted to go in to the Medina and het hassled to buy crap...  Took the train to Casablanca to visit friends living there after a few days in Marrakech which was pretty cool as well...

[Rudiger 1144]

I liked Fez over Marrakech. Also, avoid snail soup. It’s nasty. 

[Grimas 652]

55 minutes ago, Rudiger said:

I liked Fez over Marrakech. Also, avoid snail soup. It’s nasty. 

Agreed other than the smell of the leather tanning pits...

The Roman ruins at Volubilis west of there are pretty cool as well.

[Borachio 416]

I went to Marrakech in 2019 and stayed here,  https://www.leclosdesarts.com/ just inside the medina. It was really nice.   I enjoyed staying in the old quarter, but damn that place is a maze.  Great experience though!  The people whizzing by you on their scooters in the narrow alleyways takes some getting used to. 

There appear to be no traffic rules near the medina.  Cars can be 8 across on a small street and you might have a horse and carriage on one side and a dump truck on the other.   

I only did a day trip to the Atlas mountains with a driver.  Just stopped at various overlooks and took pictures.   Also did a private tour of the medina, which was really nice.   The Majorelle Gardens are worth a stop. 

Eat a bunch of weird shit!  I used to watch Bizarre Foods, which did an episode in Morocco.  I had my riad make me khlea (preserved meat) one morning for breakfast.  Sheep's head, including the eyes, cooked right in the ground close the Jemaa el-Fnaa square.  And of course a bowl of snails.  

I did a food tour through the medina one evening which I highly recommend.  https://marrakechfoodtours.com/

I also did a hammam, which was a cool experience and would do again. You basically get a napkin to cover yourself. 

Have fun!

[staboner 4938]

i was there 20 years ago so i am sure shit has changed quite a bit. i would add what another poster said - that much times seems like quite a bit. i would do like 4 or 5 nights max. 

If i was to do that trip again i would figure out how to buy and ship shit back with you. so much fun shopping there. i am sure with some google searching you can get some tips on what to buy, what not to buy, etc and end up with a fun time on your hands.

in the area i thought that Essouira was the coolest place i went to. lovely little fishing village with an artistic culture. 

 

 

[staboner 4938]

On 2/13/2019 at 12:56 PM, staboner said:

its awesome. hit up the souks as much as possible. i stayed in the medina too, which was awesome

the main square is amazing. go at night and eat there. like every night. i've never been anywhere in my life like that. 

 

lol said the same thing re: shopping. just so much fun in the souks

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

Thanks for the feedback, all great stuff.

We have done Fez before, around 10 years ago, so are familiar with the vibe (and chaos) inside the Medina. We are also looking into Essaouira or other beach area but haven't researched it much yet. The main goal would be to avoid anything that is a bit of a tourist trap (lower risk during Covid, probably) with pretty nice accommodation. I guess we need to decide how much pool/resort time we want in Marrakech as that will determine 4/5 days versus 8. Part of the goal of the trip is just to get away and unwind for a bit without being on the go and sightseeing all the time.

 

 

[Doug E. Fresh 452]

And Morocco just extended their curfew hours to 9pm. Time to find plan B for holiday travel. What a shitshow.