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Marrakech and Essaouira

  • 20-05-2018 9:07pm
    #1
    domrush
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    My OH and I are heading to Morocco on Thursday (4 nights in Marrakech and 2 in Essaouira), could anyone recommend some activities or general tips about Morocco ? Is an overnight desert trip worth it?

    Also I've just found out Ramadan has started, would this have any impact on us regards restaurants/bars being open?

    Thanks a mil


Comments

  • #2
    MayoSalmon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,338 ✭✭✭MayoSalmon


    Essaouira great for water sports...ramadan only followed by locals so plenty of cafes open. Bars not easy to come bar but few around. Great country enjoy


  • #3
    grimm2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,899 ✭✭✭grimm2005


    Just back from Morocco last month with the OH. We did 2 nights in Marrakech, then a 3 day/2 night desert trip and then 3 nights in Marrakech before flying home. We were thinking of doing either an overnight in Essaouira or a day tour somewhere else after the desert trip. We opted for a day tour to Ouzoud waterfalls as we had heard there was very little to do in Essaouira but unfortunately herself got quite sick on the last 2 days so we had to cancel this.

    My advice would be definitely to do a desert trip, but I'd do a 2 night package as opposed to overnight if you can make the time. I've heard the 1 night one isn't as good as the desert they take you to (Zagora) isn't nearly as impressive as the one in the 2 night trip (Merzouga). With the 2 night package we stayed in a small riad/hotel in Dades Gorge the first night before going on to the desert the following day so you get to see a lot more of the country this way. It's a lot of travelling but there are tonnes of sightseeing, lunch and rest breaks along the way so it's nicely broken up. It was an incredible experience and was easily the highlight of our trip.

    Marrakech is a crazy city, a definite culture shock when I arrived. There's a lot going on and it can be intimidating but if you go in knowing what to expect you'll be fine. My advice would be to stay in a nice Riad in the medina, they are like an oasis in the middle of all the chaos on the streets and a definite must when staying in Marrakech.

    It was a great trip but by the end of the week I was a little sick of Marrakech and all the people trying to sell you stuff or get you to follow them but it probably didn't help that the OH was ill and we had to cancel an excursion.

    If I was to do it all again, the one change I'd make is to go to Fez after the desert tour as a lot of the packages offer the same trip we had except they drop you off in Fez afterwards as opposed to going back to Marrakech. I think if we stayed there for 1 or 2 nights it would have offered a bit more variety but all said and done it was a brilliant trip.

    One thing I'd say is, I'd treat it very much as a sightseeing trip and don't expect to be doing much drinking while you're there. We enjoy nights out etc when we go on holidays but having spoken to friends who had been before and doing a bit of research, there's not much nightlife and drinking just isn't something they do much of over there. You can get drink in certain places and in your riad or a supermarket but we kind of accepted it wasn't going to be that kind of trip beforehand so only had the odd drink with dinner.


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