Morocco: Will We Go Back?

Read more to find out…

In 2016, Denise and I spent 15 days in China. Of course, we couldn’t see all of China … but enough to get a feel for the massive changes that were taking place in the country. After 15 days, we were pleased to move on to Japan. It is a country we both love and look forward to visiting again. China, not so much…

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We didn’t intentionally dress in blue, but it turned out apropos, as we visited Chefchaouen (the blue city).

Spoiler Alert

The preface for this post may give you a hint at the answer to the question posed in the title. Like China, we enlisted a private tour company, Morocco Tours, for this trip. They insisted we needed 10-12 days to “see” Morocco. I insisted we didn’t want to spend that much time. Besides, we are nearby. (More on this below.) We agreed to concentrate on the north. After arriving in Tangier, we would spend one night in Chefchaouen, then 2 nights in Fez, and finally one night in Rabat. While we are glad we went to Morocco, we are fairly certain we won’t return.

Yep, it’s blue. Denise and our guide in Chefchaouen.

Chefchaouen

We arrived in Tangier at 9:00. Our driver, Zak, met us at the port. He drove us into town so we could check out the local market and visit an ATM. When we visited, one Moroccan Dirham was worth a little less than 0.095 Euros (0.11USD). As many of the merchants only accepted cash, and tipping is commonplace in Morocco, we knew we would need cash.¹ We then drove to Chefchaouen, about 2 hours by car, stopping for lunch along the way.²

The view from our private balcony at Bar Jasmine.

Upon arriving in Chefchaouen, we ascended 150 steps to our hotel, Bar Jasmine.³ We had requested 5-star accommodations throughout our stay, and this hotel did not disappoint. Zak had called ahead to have the porters meet us at the base of the stairs. We were traveling with only two small suitcases, and they made quick work of the stairs. We stopped halfway up to check out the view (aka catch our breath). After settling in, we met our guide at the bottom of the stairs for our 2-hour tour of the blue city. This was certainly the most charming city we visited. Various hues of blue decorate nearly every wall.

Spanish and Portuguese influences in this Moroccan city.

Founded in 1471 by a distant descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, its fortress was erected to help defend against Portuguese invaders. Its population swelled as Jews and Islamic Spaniards fled after the fall of Granada. You can see the impact on the city’s architecture. We learned that at one point, Portuguese prisoners were sent to this city to serve out their sentences. Their exceptional building skills survive today. One example is the bridge you see above. We even found wall art by a Portuguese artist.

Fez

The next morning, we drove to Fez, stopping at the Roman ruins in Volubilis, then to Meknes to have lunch. As everyone in the restaurant looked like us and most spoke English, I commented to our driver after lunch that we would prefer to eat at a “locals’ place”. He explained that he wanted us to remain healthy throughout our stay. ⁴ The restaurants were chosen to ensure our safety. We then drove to Fez, the home to over 1.2 million people today.

The city consists of the really old medina, the old medina, and the more modern Ville Nouvelle, founded during the French colonial era, all surrounded by suburban sprawl. Within the 9th-century medina, you will find the oldest continuously functioning university in the world. A maze of narrow alleyways that lead to different shopping areas (food, cloth, coppersmiths, jewelry, tanneries, rugs, etc.). Interspersed, you will find small cafes, apartments, a hardware store, or a woman stretching dough on a hot orb. It is an assault on your senses.

We LOVED the Palais Amani.

We stayed at the Palais Amani, inside the walls of the old medina, for two wonderful nights. We were booked in a Junior Suite. With a large living room, spacious bedroom, huge bathroom, sitting room with stocked complimentary bar, and private rooftop terrace, I wondered how large the Real Suite might be. We enjoyed dinners and breakfasts in the hotel garden. We even ordered drinks at the bar!

A new shopping, office and residential skyscraper; a modern airport, and a bit of history.

Rabat

On Day 4, we drove to Rabat, the capital city with 1.8 million residents, and drove by the primary residence of the King. I write “primary” because I learned the King has a palace in every city. Most have 500 staff on hand in case he visits. We visited the Tour Hassan and the Mohamed V Mausoleum. We spent that night at Villa Mandarine, a French-inspired hotel surrounded by gardens.

Returning to Tangier and Finally Home

The next morning, we drove north along the coast. We had asked our driver to stop at the coastal town of Asilah, which had been settled by the Portuguese, and to allow time to visit the Cave of Hercules. He also suggested we stop at the spot where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean (above). By 14:30, we were back in Tangier waiting for our 16:00 ferry back to Spain.

In Case You Go

There are two ways to travel to Morocco from Algarve. You can fly on RyanAir from Faro to Marrakesh in about 1.5 hours. You can find a flight for as little as €60. Or you can drive to Tarifa, Spain, and board a ferry to Tangier. The route we chose. At first, we found the process a bit confusing as we had our passports checked twice before boarding and then had to clear Moroccan border control both on the boat and upon landing. But as Morocco is on Portuguese time, you leave Spain at the same time you arrive in Tangier.

One final note: though Denise’s stomach was fine throughout our trip, she did spend the day after our return dashing between the bathroom and bed. We think it was the tuna fish sandwich she had on board the ferry. I doubt it was the Spanish beer we enjoyed on board that day.

Tchau, fica bem

Nanc

1. Within the pre-trip briefing package provided by the tour operator were suggestions for tipping. 125-200MAD/day for the driver, 250MAD/day for a tour guide, 10% for meals, 15-20MAD for housekeeping, 2-3 MAD to use a restroom.

2. The couvett in Morocco is a sampling of small salads (eggplant, tomato and pepper, chick peas), olives, and bread.

3. I tried to provide a link for the hotel, but I am unable to find it on either Booking.com or via their advertised website.

4. As it turns out, my stomach was a bit queasy on day 3, and I only consumed bread and Diet Coke that day.