Morocco - Anyone been? Heads up appreciated
Discussion
Went Marrakech in December for a weekend (Stag Do).
Overall the place was pretty good! lots to do and loads of places to go and see.
The main square is like two places in one. its hustle and bustle during the day full of snake charmers, stalls selling allsorts and lots of tourists walking about. by evennig/night it is full of fast food stalls serving up all sorts of local food.
clubs are OK - nothing amazing, and steer clear of the women in there - most of them will come back to your place for a price.
its reasonably cheap for food/drink.
not too sure what else really.
Overall the place was pretty good! lots to do and loads of places to go and see.
The main square is like two places in one. its hustle and bustle during the day full of snake charmers, stalls selling allsorts and lots of tourists walking about. by evennig/night it is full of fast food stalls serving up all sorts of local food.
clubs are OK - nothing amazing, and steer clear of the women in there - most of them will come back to your place for a price.
its reasonably cheap for food/drink.
not too sure what else really.
we go to agadir every year all i would say is be carefull with hotels, we always stay in the riu tikida dunas hotel but next door is the riu tikida beach hotel and they are world apart.
we are off again in september for 2 weeks and are staying in the royal atlas as we have seen this being built over a few years it opened i think in 2007 we have popped in for a look and it looks stunning.
the sofitel hotel is proberly the best but all rooms have windows no balcony which is why we havnt stayed there but have done the evening meal there.
lots of things to do boat trips, quad bikes on the beach and in the mountains, camel riding etc a few big souks for bargains and about 20miles of perfect beach
any more questions about agadir please let me know
J
we are off again in september for 2 weeks and are staying in the royal atlas as we have seen this being built over a few years it opened i think in 2007 we have popped in for a look and it looks stunning.
the sofitel hotel is proberly the best but all rooms have windows no balcony which is why we havnt stayed there but have done the evening meal there.
lots of things to do boat trips, quad bikes on the beach and in the mountains, camel riding etc a few big souks for bargains and about 20miles of perfect beach
any more questions about agadir please let me know
J
Been to Marrakech a few times now - with the wife and with/without kids. It's a great place - plenty to see and do and if you like your food and drink you get everything from stupidly cheap street food right up to the finest international food at higher than London prices. Accomodation is the same - cheap and cheerful up to unadultereted luxury.
Must do/sees are;
Djemaa el Fnaa squre - a world heritage site no less, and a sight to behold especially at night with the myriad of food stalls (try the snails and the freshly squeezed orange juice), performers (snake charmers, magixcians, music groups, story tellers, dentists, acrobats, etc) and general buzz. Crazy place, and I love it.
Souqs for strolling/sight seeing/shopping - would suggest any of the entrances off Djemaa to start with for good leather - bargain hard and you will get very cheap stuff - and the dyers (which stinks) souq and blacksmiths souks as places to see how it was done 100s of years ago (and how they do it today here). If you're confident in your abilities not to get too lost in the labarynthes of the souqs, I would suggest you shop from the people making the stuff directly rather than the people only selling (who are typically around the edges of the souq area) as you will get it MUCH cheaper - you have to get right in there though!
You can do a brief (can do most in 1/2 day) history tour of the Medina (old town) including the Koutabia minaret, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia palace, the gardens (the YSL Majorelle worth a quick trip) and some of the gates to the Medina. Probably best to hire a guide - let me know and if you wish and I'll give you the number of the guy who was our driver/guide last year when we were down there - a top chap)
The Medina is not so big, so I enjoy just setting out walking and see where you get to - the sights and sounds are sooo different to the UK it makes for a fascinating way to spend time.
There is lots to do and see outside of the town including quads, walking/hiking in the Atlas, horse riding, camel treks, 4x4 treks, a good water park, plenty of good golf courses, etc. A highlight of a trip I made a couple of years back was a balloon ride at dawn over the desert watching the sun come up over the Atlas. Expensive, but truly amazing experience.
As for eating and drinking - as a Muslim country the consumption of alcohol is actually illegal - however there are two state-owned brewerys - go figure... You can't buy or drink beer everywhere and the majority of restuarants are 'dry'. However there are plenty of bars and restuarants that do serve beer and wine - most are outside of the medina in the new town/ Gueliz. There are one or two jems in the Medina tho' again I can supply details.... The Hotel Grand Tazi is just off Djemaa and you can get a beer there - it's an 'experience'. Avoid Ramadan when most bars do shut...
You can get just about every cuisine you want in Marrakech - we tend to eat all sorts from very cheap and tasty local food right up to very equisite Japanese and Thai. As good as you'll find in any other interbnational city!
I could go on, but I won't, sorry for the wittering on - let me know if you want more.....
Must do/sees are;
Djemaa el Fnaa squre - a world heritage site no less, and a sight to behold especially at night with the myriad of food stalls (try the snails and the freshly squeezed orange juice), performers (snake charmers, magixcians, music groups, story tellers, dentists, acrobats, etc) and general buzz. Crazy place, and I love it.
Souqs for strolling/sight seeing/shopping - would suggest any of the entrances off Djemaa to start with for good leather - bargain hard and you will get very cheap stuff - and the dyers (which stinks) souq and blacksmiths souks as places to see how it was done 100s of years ago (and how they do it today here). If you're confident in your abilities not to get too lost in the labarynthes of the souqs, I would suggest you shop from the people making the stuff directly rather than the people only selling (who are typically around the edges of the souq area) as you will get it MUCH cheaper - you have to get right in there though!
You can do a brief (can do most in 1/2 day) history tour of the Medina (old town) including the Koutabia minaret, the Saadian tombs, the Bahia palace, the gardens (the YSL Majorelle worth a quick trip) and some of the gates to the Medina. Probably best to hire a guide - let me know and if you wish and I'll give you the number of the guy who was our driver/guide last year when we were down there - a top chap)
The Medina is not so big, so I enjoy just setting out walking and see where you get to - the sights and sounds are sooo different to the UK it makes for a fascinating way to spend time.
There is lots to do and see outside of the town including quads, walking/hiking in the Atlas, horse riding, camel treks, 4x4 treks, a good water park, plenty of good golf courses, etc. A highlight of a trip I made a couple of years back was a balloon ride at dawn over the desert watching the sun come up over the Atlas. Expensive, but truly amazing experience.
As for eating and drinking - as a Muslim country the consumption of alcohol is actually illegal - however there are two state-owned brewerys - go figure... You can't buy or drink beer everywhere and the majority of restuarants are 'dry'. However there are plenty of bars and restuarants that do serve beer and wine - most are outside of the medina in the new town/ Gueliz. There are one or two jems in the Medina tho' again I can supply details.... The Hotel Grand Tazi is just off Djemaa and you can get a beer there - it's an 'experience'. Avoid Ramadan when most bars do shut...
You can get just about every cuisine you want in Marrakech - we tend to eat all sorts from very cheap and tasty local food right up to very equisite Japanese and Thai. As good as you'll find in any other interbnational city!
I could go on, but I won't, sorry for the wittering on - let me know if you want more.....
had ham said:
The Medina is not so big, so I enjoy just setting out walking and see where you get to - the sights and sounds are sooo different to the UK it makes for a fascinating way to spend time.
I love foreign markets. Just wandering about, immersing yourself in the atmosphere. Although you do need to perfect getting rid of unwanted attention in the more touristy ones (IIRC "la shukran" is "no thank you" in Arabic, which is surprisingly useful.) and the butchers' area can take a bit of getting used to
Spent a long time working with a company doing gas exploration around Meknes & Fes, really rural areas and almost medieval villages except for the old cars. About 4 hours drive inland from Rabat. Rabat and Casablanca are worth a visit and if you DO have to go to Marrakesh then get there by train from Casablanca. You will never forget the sounds, smells and sights on that trip.
Marrakesh is too tourist route stuff now!
The food is great if you like lamb or chicken.
Oh, and I hope you can speak rustic French or better still North African Arabic. Berber is like nothing you have ever heard spoken before!
Marrakesh is too tourist route stuff now!
The food is great if you like lamb or chicken.
Oh, and I hope you can speak rustic French or better still North African Arabic. Berber is like nothing you have ever heard spoken before!
Edited by hog 1 on Wednesday 29th April 13:38
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