Morocco

Seanachai · 18-07-2019 10:43am #1

I've been asked to go on a trip to Morocco in Sep, I'm not into resorts or too much boozing on holidays, but I'd still like to enjoy a drink. Is there decent night life there and is there much of a threat from terrorism?

ted1 · 18-07-2019 11:06am

Seanachai wrote: »

I've been asked to go on a trip to Morocco in Sep, I'm not into resorts or too much boozing on holidays, but I'd still like to enjoy a drink. Is there decent night life there and is there much of a threat from terrorism?

It’s a big country where are you going?dessert or city etc?

Sr below for travel advice

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/morocco/

grimm2005 · 18-07-2019 11:12am

I was there last year and I'd say there's no more of a threat of terrorism than in any major western European city, probably less so tbh.

As for boozing, Morocco (Marrakech at least) is pretty much a dry country and while it's not impossible to get a drink (there's a few places to get a drink in the medina and as far as I know there's a club somewhere in the more modern part of the city), I personally wouldn't go there with the expectation of drinking and nights out. You'd probably be able to get a beer or glass of wine in your accommodation and I know you can get booze in the Carrefour supermarket at set hours.

I think Morocco is becoming a bit more liberal under it's current regime but it's far from what you'd expect in Europe and definitely is not somewhere to go for the nightlife. If you go over with the mindset that it's not a drinking holiday and focus more on getting up early and going sightseeing you'll get more from it and won't be left disappointed.

Seanachai · 18-07-2019 11:40am

ted1 wrote: »

It’s a big country where are you going?dessert or city etc?

Sr below for travel advice

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/a-z-list-of-countries/morocco/

It'd be city, although I'd love to take a trip to the desert too. I have an interest in the music also.

Seanachai · 18-07-2019 11:51am

grimm2005 wrote: »

I was there last year and I'd say there's no more of a threat of terrorism than in any major western European city, probably less so tbh.

As for boozing, Morocco (Marrakech at least) is pretty much a dry country and while it's not impossible to get a drink (there's a few places to get a drink in the medina and as far as I know there's a club somewhere in the more modern part of the city), I personally wouldn't go there with the expectation of drinking and nights out. You'd probably be able to get a beer or glass of wine in your accommodation and I know you can get booze in the Carrefour supermarket at set hours.

I think Morocco is becoming a bit more liberal under it's current regime but it's far from what you'd expect in Europe and definitely is not somewhere to go for the nightlife. If you go over with the mindset that it's not a drinking holiday and focus more on getting up early and going sightseeing you'll get more from it and won't be left disappointed.

Okay, I'm wondering if my friend knows this tbh, he likes to party.

rossie1977 · 18-07-2019 6:29pm

Any decent hotel thats open to international tourists should have a small bar.

Nightlife in Morocco centres more around teahouses and restaurants rather than bars.

As regards terrorism be on your guard especially in places where large crowds gather. But the same would be said if you were in Moscow or London or Paris or Delhi or Melbourne. The odds are extremely low you would be caught up in such an incident though.

votecounts · 18-07-2019 9:25pm

When I was in Agadir, there was never a problem getting a drink same when we went Marrakech for a few days. Not a place to go wild though as its a muslim country and you need to respectful.

Darc19 · 18-07-2019 9:28pm

If it's agadir think canary islands without the brits.

Plenty of nightlife, pubs, even casinos.

drunkmonkey · 18-07-2019 9:32pm

Seanachai wrote: »

Okay, I'm wondering if my friend knows this tbh, he likes to party.

If he's taking your to morroco he likes a smoko as well I bet. Was only there for a few days but we hired a guy to escort us everywhere, didn't cost much think we gave him €30 a day and a few tips for his buddies we met along the way, got to see some spots nobody would normally get into.
I think your going in harvest season as well if it's September. When in Rome : )

satguy · 18-07-2019 9:41pm

You head off hiking in the wilds of Morocco, and we'll stay here and get the "go fund me " page ready for when you get kidnapped.

ShauntaMetzel · 20-07-2019 11:14am

I am not going to say it is entirely safe to visit Morocco nowadays. But it could be a secure journey if you visit the big cities, especially under the instructions of a known tour company like this https://marrakech-sahara-tour.com/. Yeah! I would recommend you to go to big cities like Marrakech; especially you will love to see the skies there at night if you are a romantic one.

Here, I am sharing the images of Morocco Sahara desert tour from Marrakech. However, keep in mind such tours would need enough reasonable budget as well.

Otherwise, Le Bar Churchill and Cantobar could be the best places to spend nights. Don't forget to visit Casablanca particularly the nightlife scenes, Rabat and High Atlas.

Have a safe journey. I don't think any security thread can keep the enthusiast travellers away from their travelling craze.

Fann Linn · 20-07-2019 11:18am

Lovely photos.

biko · 20-07-2019 11:25am

Before those jihadis raped and beheaded 2 random Scandinavian tourists I would have said Morocco is on par with Turkey.
Not great for women but not very unsafe. If you do go off the beaten track, have local guides.

All that said, yes you can drink there. Morocco is very tourist dependent and will have most things you're used to.

ShauntaMetzel · 20-07-2019 11:33am

biko wrote: »

Before those jihadis raped and beheaded 2 random Scandinavian tourists I would have said Morocco is on par with Turkey.
Not great for women but not very unsafe. If you do go off the beaten track, have local guides.

All that said, yes you can drink there. Morocco is very tourist dependent and will have most things you're used to.

If a country is tourist-dependent, then on what the hell government is doing there? Why they are allowing these terrorists to destroy the image of the country. I love to explore the beauty of desserts around the world. How these so-called jihadi terrorists keep us away to explore the world?

I think it is basically the failure of the judicial system there and the failure of law enforcement agencies.

ShauntaMetzel · 20-07-2019 11:41am

Fann Linn wrote: »

Lovely photos.

Yes, they are. I love to see the Marrakech Sahara Desert at night.

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original_sahara-desert-tanveer-badal-afar-7.jpg?1515012575?ixlib=rails-0.3.0&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&q=80&w=736

grimm2005 · 22-07-2019 11:32am

Seanachai wrote: »

It'd be city, although I'd love to take a trip to the desert too. I have an interest in the music also.

I highly recommend a desert trip. While you can go all out and go the glamping route like ShauntaMetzel has done, there's also cheaper options available and I'd recommend waiting till you get there to book it as there are tonnes of tourist agencies that will give you great prices.

We went for one organised through our Riad and it was amazing. We did a shared tour and we were picked up at our accommodation and taken to a comfortable minibus with A/C and there were about 17 people altogether on our tour. It was a 2 night excursion with loads of stops at areas of interest along the way as well as lunch and break stops so it never felt like we were sitting on the bus too long. The first night we spent in a basic but very hospitable hotel near the Atlas mountains where they fed us all and played traditional music for us (we had a beautiful view of a gorge and river from our balcony as well) before setting off for the desert the next day (again with plenty of interesting stops in between).

We then rode camels to our campsite in the Sahara where we watched the sun set from one of the high dunes and we then went to one of the bigger berber tents for a 3 course dinner and we brought a really nice bottle of whiskey from duty free and shared with some of our group. The night ended with a campfire and traditional Moroccan music from the berbers. The tents are obviously basic but they're sturdy and perfectly fine for the night. As for toilets, well you pick a secluded spot in the desert and do what you need to do!! (there is a stop off at a service station before you take off on the camels where you can pick up supplies and use the loo).

We were up early the next day for sunset and rode camels back to a hotel on the edge of the desert for breakfast before the long journey back to Marrakech. The last leg is mostly just driving but with a lunch stop and several breaks. All in all an amazing trip and our driver was excellent and a bit of a laugh as well. And the whole thing cost us about €90 each with everything included bar the lunch stops when on the road and any tips you wish to give the berbers. I would definitely do it again the same way and maybe go on to Fez afterwards instead of back to Marrakech.

Muahahaha · 27-07-2019 4:53pm

You can find drink in Marrakesh but not really a party. From what I saw there proper parties for Moroccans take place inside beach clubs which are on the outskirts of the city. Expect to pay high prices as these places are frequented by wealthy Moroccans.

Definitely get to the Sahara desert but be careful where in it you're brought, some tours from Marrakesh just bring you to the closest place which isn't the best. We did it independently and got a bus to Merzouga which is a town will lots of hostels right on the edge of the dunes, so close that you dont need a guide, you can just trek into them yourself. Any of the hostel owners can organise camel rides or to stay a night out in the dunes in a Bedouin camp.

The dunes themselves are called Erg Chebbi and are the highest in Morocco, depending on winds blowing sand about some of them are almost 200m high. Its quite a hike to get to the top of them as every footstep slides backwards. But jumping off them and rolling all the way to the bottom is great fun.

Seanachai · 30-07-2019 8:54am

Muahahaha wrote: »

You can find drink in Marrakesh but not really a party. From what I saw there proper parties for Moroccans take place inside beach clubs which are on the outskirts of the city. Expect to pay high prices as these places are frequented by wealthy Moroccans.

Definitely get to the Sahara desert but be careful where in it you're brought, some tours from Marrakesh just bring you to the closest place which isn't the best. We did it independently and got a bus to Merzouga which is a town will lots of hostels right on the edge of the dunes, so close that you dont need a guide, you can just trek into them yourself. Any of the hostel owners can organise camel rides or to stay a night out in the dunes in a Bedouin camp.

The dunes themselves are called Erg Chebbi and are the highest in Morocco, depending on winds blowing sand about some of them are almost 200m high. Its quite a hike to get to the top of them as every footstep slides backwards. But jumping off them and rolling all the way to the bottom is great fun.

Is there much hassle from hawkers trying to sell you stuff?

grimm2005 · 30-07-2019 9:58am

Seanachai wrote: »

Is there much hassle from hawkers trying to sell you stuff?

You'll get a lot of that in the Medina alright, it's pretty much unavoidable, particularly as you approach the main square and throughout the square itself as well as people trying to get you to follow them, presumably to one of the souks to buy stuff. You just have to be firm but polite with them that you're not interested or just keep walking. It can get exhausting towards the end of the trip as there are also scrambler type bikes constantly zipping back and forth through the medina on the same paths as pedestrians and so you need to be constantly alert.

The desert trip was the best part of the week in Morocco hands down and if I was a week in Marrakech alone I think I would have been driven nuts to be honest. A few days in Marrakech is plenty tbh, it's definitely worth the visit as an eye opening experience and the riads are amazing but it can be exhausting.

Seanachai · 30-07-2019 10:34am

grimm2005 wrote: »

You'll get a lot of that in the Medina alright, it's pretty much unavoidable, particularly as you approach the main square and throughout the square itself as well as people trying to get you to follow them, presumably to one of the souks to buy stuff. You just have to be firm but polite with them that you're not interested or just keep walking. It can get exhausting towards the end of the trip as there are also scrambler type bikes constantly zipping back and forth through the medina on the same paths as pedestrians and so you need to be constantly alert.

The desert trip was the best part of the week in Morocco hands down and if I was a week in Marrakech alone I think I would have been driven nuts to be honest. A few days in Marrakech is plenty tbh, it's definitely worth the visit as an eye opening experience and the riads are amazing but it can be exhausting.

I'll only be in Marrakech for arrival and departure, I'll be in Agadir or the desert for the rest. Is there much scope for maybe hanging out with the Berbers away from the tourist trail?

Thesiger · 30-07-2019 5:02pm

Seanachai wrote: »

I've been asked to go on a trip to Morocco in Sep, I'm not into resorts or too much boozing on holidays, but I'd still like to enjoy a drink. Is there decent night life there and is there much of a threat from terrorism?

I’ve lived in Rabat for six months, and traveled all over the country on a couple of other occasions. There are definitely nightclubs to be found, in Rabat and Marrakech at least. However as above, it’s not a reason to visit the country and you’re unlikely to be all that impressed. There are more bars to be found, including the ubiquitous ‘Irish’ variety in one or two places. As always, a good place to watch a match, although Moroccans (who are addicted to Spanish football) tend to watch matches in the cafe. You can also find off-licenses, from what I remember they don’t open for very long in the late afternoon/early evening, so there tends to be a mad rush to get booze. As noted above, Moroccan culture revolves a lot more around hash/kif than alcohol.

Like everywhere these days there is a terrorist threat, and plenty of young Moroccan guys made the journey to Syria and Iraq in recent years, though probably not so many as from Tunisia. There was a recent case of a couple of Scandinavian hikers beheaded in the Atlas, but so far nothing comparable to the carnage experienced in France and the UK since 2011. The culture is generally quite laid back and tolerant (relatively to most other Arab countries), and they’ve been receiving so many European tourists for such a long time now that they have a relaxed approach to problems relating to cultural insensibilities and what not.

Seanachai · 30-07-2019 5:09pm

Thesiger wrote: »

I’ve lived in Rabat for six months, and traveled all over the country on a couple of other occasions. There are definitely nightclubs to be found, in Rabat and Marrakech at least. However as above, it’s not a reason to visit the country and you’re unlikely to be all that impressed. There are more bars to be found, including the ubiquitous ‘Irish’ variety in one or two places. As always, a good place to watch a match, although Moroccans (who are addicted to Spanish football) tend to watch matches in the cafe. You can also find off-licenses, from what I remember they don’t open for very long in the late afternoon/early evening, so there tends to be a mad rush to get booze. As noted above, Moroccan culture revolves a lot more around hash/kif than alcohol.

Like everywhere these days there is a terrorist threat, and plenty of young Moroccan guys made the journey to Syria and Iraq in recent years, though probably not so many as from Tunisia. There was a recent case of a couple of Scandinavian hikers beheaded in the Atlas, but so far nothing comparable to the carnage experienced in France and the UK since 2011. The culture is generally quite laid back and tolerant (relatively to most other Arab countries), and they’ve been receiving so many European tourists for such a long time now that they have a relaxed approach to problems relating to cultural insensibilities and what not.

Do they smoke much grass as opposed to hash?, just curious

Thesiger · 30-07-2019 5:13pm

Seanachai wrote: »

Do they smoke much grass as opposed to hash?, just curious

Only smoked hash there my first couple of visits. It’s years now since I’ve touched the stuff so I wasn’t exactly conducting a survey last time I was there, but while I know that both are readily available everywhere and excellent quality, my impression is that hash is favored. It’s possible it varies from place to place though.

grimm2005 · 30-07-2019 9:59pm

Seanachai wrote: »

I'll only be in Marrakech for arrival and departure, I'll be in Agadir or the desert for the rest. Is there much scope for maybe hanging out with the Berbers away from the tourist trail?

Ah okay, I can't speak for Agadir but I imagine it would be more like a resort as it's on the coast and probably more chilled out. On our trip, our driver left us in the hands of the berbers for our evening in the desert and they looked after us so there probably would be a chance to speak with them although there were maybe 35 in our campsite altogether to maybe 6 berbers I reckon and they cook for you and all and then make a campfire and play some tunes later in the night so they're kept pretty busy and tbh were pretty quiet and kept to themselves so perhaps not so much on a shared trip. There might be more scope for hanging out with them on a private trip though.

Muahahaha · 31-07-2019 8:24pm

Seanachai wrote: »

Is there much hassle from hawkers trying to sell you stuff?

In Marrakesh on the main square lots of hawkers yes. And be careful of the snake charmers, if you so much as look at their snakes they'll be demanding payment. Also everyone wants to sell you desert tours but as said we resisted and did this independently by just staying in a hostel on the edge of the desert and then booking a one night stay with camel ride in the desert itself via the hostel owner. If we had of booked off one of the hawkers it probably would have ended up as twice the price with half the service. Better to book as direct as you can imo.

All that said the hassle from hawkers in Morocco isnt as bad as other countries like Egypt where they'll physically try to drag you into their shop.

If you're going to the Atlantic coast consider Essaouria over Agadir, its much less developed compared to Agadir which deals in a lot of one week resort holidays with golfing and expensive western shops. Essaouria is a fishing town only about 2.5 hours from Marrakesh whereas Agadir is a fair bit further, close to five hours.

Another highlight of Morocco for me (apart from the Sahara at Merzouga) was the town of Chefchaoen, google image it and you'll see its a really pretty place with every building painted in some shade of blue. Theres not a massive amount to do there but stroll around but it is worth the trip for at least a one night stay.

ElPseudonym · 15-12-2022 4:12pm

Hey man. What was it like to live in morocco/rabat. Rent wise and language wise. Although things are probably changed dramatically due to the rising prices over the last year or so. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Im thinking of going for about a two month stay and would love some insight from someone with experience such as yours. Thanks in advance.

Thesiger · 15-12-2022 4:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120000257#Comment_120000257

Rent wise I can’t remember exactly, it was almost ten years ago. But it was very cheap in the Medina. I found a Facebook page for foreign residents in Rabat where rooms were regularly advertised and ended up getting a basic room in the Medina, living with a local guy and a Spanish girl. Something to think about if you end up in the Medina is the call to prayer. There are loads of mosques in a fairly small area competing with each other to see who has the loudest speaker. If you’d rather not get that 05:30 wake up call every morning you should look in the new city, which has more modern accommodation for extra cost.

In terms of language, the local dialect of Arabic is called Darija, any Arabic you might know from other places won’t be much use on the street as Darija is significantly influenced by local Amazigh dialects and French. French is widely spoken, and it’s usually not a problem to find someone in your proximity who knows enough English to understand you. Certainly every Moroccan in the tourist industry knows some English.

galwaybabe · 17-01-2023 10:44am

Hi all. Myself and my (adult) daughter have booked some flights to Morocco in March. We're really looking forward to seeing the country but as it's our first time, we're not sure on an itinerary. We are flying into Tetuoan on the 11th , where we have booked accommodation for one night. From there we are taking a bus to Chefchaoen where we have booked two nights. From there on, we're open to options. A rough plan is go to Fes from Chefchaoen by bus, from Fes to Rabat by train, Rabat to Marrakesh by train, Marrakesh to Essouria by train and then on to Agadir, where we are catching flights to Tenerife on the 24th. Does this sound like a feasible itinerary? What are the buses like?

Thesiger · 17-01-2023 7:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120118856#Comment_120118856

Sounds ok with 2 or 3 days in each place. If you feel it’s a bit much I’d probably skip Rabat as a tourist, much as I like the city. You could then devote a few extra days to Marrakesh and the surrounding area.

The buses are fine, and the trains are good value, first class is worth the few extra quid for comfort. There are also shared taxis that go between destinations, sometimes they can get a bit cramped but you can pay for an extra seat if you want a bit of extra comfort.

galwaybabe · 18-01-2023 7:43pm

Would anyone have a recommendation for guides in Fes and Marrakech? Would be great to have someone show us around the souks!

Morocco

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