Morocco Luxury Travel Review: Fes, Ourika, Marrakech, Private Tour Guides, Local Cuisine, Eight-Day Trip

We had an amazing tour of Morocco and felt completely safe. The war in the Middle East did not affect our trip.

Volubilus was very interesting and we were so happy to have had that stop on the way to Fes.

We loved going to the pottery studio and learning how the mosaics are made. It definitely helped us appreciate the beauty of the walls everywhere we went.

Our guide in Fes was knowledgeable, warm, welcoming, and generous. She taught us so much about the city and its history, as well as sharing current-day customs and how they evolved from traditional customs. She didn’t take a single wrong turn in that maze of a medina and made sure we felt no pressure from the salespeople she introduced us to.

Our guide for our first hike to the Berber home for lunch was able to lead us through the woods despite rain and fog, and without a clear trail. He was respectful and personable. He told us his first degree was culinary and shared a recipe for pastilla, which we told him had become our favorite dish. The family we ate with was equally warm, even though we couldn’t communicate, and the food was wonderful. The lamb was the best I’ve ever eaten and hubby is still talking about the potatoes!

Our guide in Marrakech was very funny and personable, and also knowledgeable about the city and its history.

He was incredibly friendly, saying hello to everyone we passed and sharing with us the strong community ties he has to two villages. He helped us understand the extent of the earthquake damage in that area and his humanity came through beautifully. Lunch in the High Atlas was also great. He gave us options for easier routes or a “Berber taxi”. (We didn’t take either, but it was nice to have options!)

We loved the YSL museum and Majorelle gardens.

The staff and lovely family running the perfectly located riad took great care of us. The riad was beautiful and a five-star experience.

Scarabeo was amazing! A really truly great experience. Glamping is an understatement.

Ourika was a five-star setting, but the hotel was probably 3.5 stars. The furniture in the room was a bit shabby and at breakfast, there was a huge, dead cockroach on the floor next to our table. It hadn’t been swept. The food and wine options were good, and there were lots of beautiful spaces inside and out in which to sit. The staff were very responsive to problems we raised (the bathrobe in the room had dirty tissue in the pocket) and that was great.

I’ve saved the best for last: our last guide was amazing! Better than that! Incredible! He made the whole week go smoothly and ensured we were comfortable and felt safe and cared for every step of the way. The never-ending supply of water and snacks was appreciated. He checked in on our comfort constantly and made sure we knew we could call him at any point if we needed help, even at night. He gave us advice and tips, and was so lovely to spend time with. He let us leave our purchases in the car (which I’m sure meant he was lugging them into his hotel room so we didn’t have to) and made us feel good even when we got the car covered in mud after the rainy mid-Atlas hike. (Of course, it was spotless again the next morning!). Mostly, it was his personality – warm, caring, passionate, and ever-smiling – that made the trip so wonderful. When (not if!) we come back, we certainly would want to be with our guide again!

The following are things we would have liked to know that you may want to share with future travelers:

Lots of places did not take credit cards. Our first riad served us dinner, which was pricy in comparison to other places (1100 MAD without alcohol), but required payment in cash. (They were willing to wait until check out.)

ATMs won’t give more than 2000 MAD at once, so we needed to go often.

I didn’t bring a bathing suit because I was so concerned about modesty, but the places we stayed at were obviously comfortable with Westerners in bathing suits! I also didn’t know if I needed a bathing suit for the hammam.

Again, overall we were so very happy and cannot wait to return!