Travel Agent Review: Morocco, Fes, Art In Marrakesh, Cooking Class, Ait Benhaddou, Shopping, ATV Ride, Camel Ride

A couple of years ago we'd been spoiled by our first trip organized by a Zicasso partner. It was seamless, spectacularly tailored to our specific interests & needs, and impressively affordable given the quality of the experiences we were offered. I realize now that this time around I trusted a bit too much to the agency...I should have studied the itinerary more closely and asked more questions.

One question that did come up was why this Morocco trip turned out to be as expensive as our month in Spain had been, though we had fewer specially-arranged and exclusive experiences, and the cost of living in Morocco is far less. This was never adequately explained before we left, but a few days into our trip the real reason dawned on me. By engaging a single driver and guide for the whole trip, we were paying for their room and board the entire time. In Spain, we had drivers and guides local to each city we visited, so we were only paying for their day-work. This is a distinction that may seem obvious, but the travel company and Zicasso ought to make it clear for any customers who happen to be as dense as I am. It would have inspired a more careful discussion about the choice of a "National Guide" and how that impacted the trip cost. Perhaps we would have made the same choice in any case---I don't know if we would have had the same capacity to communicate in English had we used local guides in every town, and as it was we were exceptionally happy with our guide and driver---but it would have been better to understand this issue ahead of time.

Just one of the hotels was a disappointment: near Ouarzazate. The courtyard and pool were pretty, but the dinner and breakfast buffets were second-rate and the dining area dreary. Perhaps that was the best available option in the area?

Travel Company Comments: 

Dear Tricia,

Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience, we very much appreciate your constructive feedback and are very delighted that you enjoyed your trip and had a wonderful time with your driver and guide.

We would like to apologize about the mishap regarding your hike in the mountains as well as the lack of time between the art destinations that you added to your plan. We wish we have heard about these issues while you were on the ground and during our several check-in calls with you, so that we can coordinate with your guide to make your itinerary more flexible to include more visits and/or more down time, as this is one of the perks of having a national guide throughout the trip.

As for your comments about the hotel in Ouarzazate, it is indeed one of the best accommodations available in the area of Ouarzazate, however, we will definitely take your feedback into consideration and reevaluate the property.

On behalf of our team, we would like to thank you again for sharing your honest feedback and also for trusting Zicasso with your trip, it was our pleasure to show you a memorable time across our country.