Morocco Travel Answers

I believe one month is enough and if you feel that you have had enough you can just as well so some popping on the Canary islands. I find the idea interesting. Lovely beaches and fun. We visited Fuerteventura and we loved it.

Hello....I'm also a solo mature traveller so we have something in common, except the gender!....I stayed ten days in Essaouira last April, the weather was perfect, hot during the day and cool enough to sleep comfortably at night, it only rained twice during the night and surprisingly, the famous wind had disappeared! I spent much time on the deserted north beach, and the Berber village Diabat, two kilometres south of the town, the sea was still a bit too cold for swimming, but I enjoyed the peace and tranquility in both locations. My other favourite place is Chefchaouen, a spectacularly scenic town high up in the Rif mountains with its ancient Kasbah and Medina. There are many opportunities for hill trekking in the surrounding mountains, one of the highlights of my holiday. In general, May and June are still off-season months, so I found it easy to negotiate prices for hotel rooms, I'm sure you will soon learn this skillful technique, for buying anything in Morocco.
One month is too long to stay in one place, because there is so much to see, and the long daylight evenings are ideal for this pursuit. I would only advise avoiding Marrakesh, unless you have some compelling reason to visit, it has lots of interesting historical sights, but the experience is always spoiled by the ever-present annoying and aggressive touts and street hustlers.....

Take a look through some of my travel pages on Essaouira for more detailed information, I used to live there, so it can't be too bad!............Benny.

Essaouira is certainly quiet, unhurried and unpolluted, whether you will be bored is really up to you. I lived in Essaouira for 7 years and found plenty to occupy myself with. You will need to get to know a few people, there are plenty expats (single mature ladies ) living there so getting to know a few wouldn't be a bad idea. There isn't much to do in the evening,
May is a lovely month to relax on the beach but not much fun if it is windy. You will probably be a magnet for Moroccan men looking for a meal ticket, so watch out for them. If you decide to go I can put you in touch with some nice people.

Hi as already said May is a lovely month...i am often there through various months for the good things about them. If you can drive getting around by car is great to take in the scenery and have the freedom to get to interesting places when and where you want and really make the most of your time. There are some amazingly beautiful places and landscapes in Morocco which without taking a bit of preparation people do not really get to realise.
If you are going to go by bus or grande taxi then of course you have the extra time to do a lot by that mode of transport. So the more time the better! If you have the time to spend a week or two in a place you like then move on you can have the luxury many dont to see a good range of diversity plus have the atmosphere in the lovelier areas to stay longer.

If you have alook around my travel ages you can get an idea of what I mean. My favourite ateas would tend to be Southern Morocco through the Anti-Atlas area ie Tafraoute and Taroudant through the Atlas ie Marrakech,Telouet, Dades, Imilchil, Cascade douzoud and Ait Bougoumez to the Sahara ie around Merzouga and Rissani and up through the Ziz and Draa valleys and around the coast Essaouira,Agadir and Tiznit.

I have frequented Asilah and Chefchaouen and had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time in both which are both photogenic towns that are quite different ..
But ive found dont have the same genuine friendship that ive gathered with my connections in Tafraoute.

Windcitys advice re men and their advances is a big issue...and the whole looking for the lottery situation. Take particular care where you stay...which is why I do have the information and hotel recommendations that I do in my pages. Not so much a safety issue or to be scared of but there are lots of tourists in some areas for easy pickings so youre not quite as special or the first one they will try to make out....and many particularly in the Merzouga area in the tourist industry have 3 or 4 on the go.

Have a great time...its my favourite country and i have very special people i love indeed there. I would recommend Tafraoute and meeting up with my connections there...who havr connections in many places...including lovely Essaouira

Also the first weekend in May is usually the Rose festival at Kelaa Mgouna along the Dades valley with the parade on Saturday being the highlight then the music after. There are a number of auberges up the Dades gorge Id recommend to stay at and travel back and forth to the festival. For good but cheap car prices check out my tip for Malta cars in my Marrakech page.

The photo upload facility wasn't working too well earlier on Google Chrome, so I switched to Internet Explorer and all is well!

 I found some photos of Chefchaouen, taken at Easter last year, which gives you an idea of the terrain, The white mosque (Bouzafaar) on the hillside is an interesting recently-restored building, also known as the Spanish Mosque, dating back to 1926, but no muslims ever prayed there, because it was built by the hands of "infidels"!

 The mosque is an easy climb from the waterfall at Ras el Ma, from where you have a splendid view of the town and the surrounding hillsides............Benny.

Hi there

I travellled to Morocco by myself last year.
Although I had a tour bus that took me from A-B. I got to do what I wanted at each place which was lovely.

I would really recommend Chefchaoeun as well as Essouria.
Chefchaoeun was a favourite. Their was just a nice relaxed vibe and the shop owners were lovely and allowed you to "just look" with out getting pestered. In the evening in the Mediana....the place comes alive. I sat there and had a lovely dinner and people watched.

I would also have to agree with Windcity about the Moroccan Men. They are such charmers. I got given roses and lots of hugs...and told I was a beautuful lady (alot). It was great for my self esteem.. :0) There was only one time when I felt a little bit threatened. But if you keep you wits about you will be fine.

How to thank everyone?

I have rarely- if ever- received such helpful, informative, nice, clear replies from people here. I am so grateful to you all!

I have learned a lot and I must add that you've attenuated my fears. Yes I admit to have heard that people can hassle you in the streets, which can be so exhausting you want to run to the border. And I recall the unpleasant experience-in Egypt- of having to negotiate endlessly to buy even an apple. I hate that! As for men, no worries. (Just spent 3 months in Turkey practicing my crispy leave-me-alone look. Actually I avoid eye contact and never answer them so it's generally not an issue).

My concerns are with bad bus drivers and accidents (know several tourists who died there).
and costs.

What about costs, can you provide some comparisons?

And yes, yes, I'd like to meet expats living there. Send me a private message please telling me where to go to meet them.

I hope this thread will help future readers as well. I've really enjoyed all your suggestions. Thanks a million to you all!

Hello again.......I see you are nervous about the bus driving standards in third world counties, you are not the only one, there were two fatal bus crashes in Morocco last year, some of the bus companies employ real cowboy drivers, so I advise only travelling by the ex-Government company CTM, they only employ the best drivers, who regard safety as paramount instead of attempting to adhere to an unrealistic time schedule, especially on the dangerous mountain highways.

You can download and print out their timetable and fares information on this website.....

maroc-adresses.com/horaire_t...

Another safe bus company is Supratours, they are a subsidiary of the railway company ONCF, and operate mainly in the southern regions where there is no rail network.

http://www.oncf.ma/Pages/Accueil.aspx

Benny.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Read your travel pages with interest. Also retired and travelling slow. Basically after so many months of bad weather (in Split at the moment, daily rains and chilly winds) I've been tempted to fly to Morocco earlier. But still convinced 1 month is enough, since there's no swimming weather there either. Some people complain Morocco is a difficult and tiring country because people won''t leave you alone. Hence my concerns.
Thanks Benny!

Hi i would still recommending leaving your options open to stay longer...as you have not uet been to pick up the addictiveness of the place yet!

May is often swimming weather in Agadir which is a place Ive grown to like and appreciate a lit more, nice beaches up around the coast, through to Essaouira. I wouldnt assume its not swimming weather as it can be pretty warm to hot through the day! We swim in our cooler countries in 25'C just as its likely to be in various areas in Morocco when its sunny weather!
If you are going to stick to buses or grande taxis they do go from Marrakech and Fes down to Merzouga which is where I also like to hang out for a week or so

Also to the men there are a lot of genuinely nice kind men around Morocco...to my thinking you dont necessarily have to give them a cold stare! Just be yourself, be ftiendly, be firm you know who you are and not getting in any other way than be friendly on the street...Moroccans are well known for being opportunists...any opportunity and will suss out what they can get and where they can go but its 2 sides so whatever you choose to accept or give, including the price is your choice

The thing with Essaouira is once the locals see your face a few times they leave you alone. Generally the men are quite pleasant and will just say hello or bonjour. Good places to find expats are Cafe du France in Moulay Hassan square, usually before mid day. And La Cantina which is owned by an English lady, Her name is Sharon and if she is not rushed off her feet will introduce you to some regulars.

Last year (as in every other year) when I arrived at Gare Routiere, bus station in Essaouira, I encountered the  usual approach of wheel barrow touts wanting to carry my bags down to a hotel in the Medina and the key-waving apartment rental touts, all of which I dismissed with my usual wave of the hand and reply " ana whoos-neesh shareef " ( I don't need it , mister ) they quickly lose interest and move along to the next prospect........

 For my next two days, while walking around the Medina, in Rue Allal ben Abdallah, a polite young shopkeeper asked me if I wanted to buy "good hashish". He spoke good English, so I enjoyed a few moments of social conversation, the conclusion of which was to reject his kind offer, as I preferred to drink Flag Special in the local Bar Hafra.

On my way back from the bar that evening, I was aware of a voice emanating from the shadows " you like nice girl like my seester?".......again, my dismissive reply "la shookran, ana bag-eesh" ( no thanks, not interested) was enough to terminate the conversation.  When the purpose of your visit has been locally established, the regular street touts leave you alone, all of this information equally applies in Chefchaouen, Moroccans are always curious to know why a lone foreigner is living in their "world".

In the big cities the touts and hustlers are more aggressive and persistent, simply because there is more competition. Every time I enter Gare Routiere Tangier, I' m assailed by a volley of " in your face " ticket touts, working on commission for the different bus companies, my standard technique is to pat my hip jeans pocket and reply " I HAVE ticket", then stroll confidently to the CTM office to buy my ticket, this action gets rid of them every time! The Gare Routiere at Oulad Ziane, Casablanca, features even more aggressive ticket touts, but CTM have their own private bus station in Rue Leon L'Africaine in downtown Casablanca, so if you are passing through, this is the place to buy an onward bus ticket.

So, after your first few days in town the initial distractions disappear, everything falls into place, and you can start to enjoy your holiday.......

 Benny

I just noticed one of the enquiries which has not been answered is cost comparison in Essaouira....

The CTM bus from Casablanca was Dh140.

My hotel,  Beau Rivage in Moulay Hassan square was Dh220 without breakfast, clean, comfortable with ensuite bathroom and endless hot water. The restaurant is on the roof, breakfast was Dh30,  three course dinner ( of variable quality) was Dh90, and the manager's wife washed my clothes for a tip of Dh50.

A cup of coffee (actually a glass) in Cafe de France ( if you can find a seat amongst all the rabid horse punters) is Dh6, same price in Cafe Sicilia, across the square. In late afternoons many of the street restaurants in Avenue Zerktouni an L'Istquiqlal sell a bowl of Harira soup and a chunk of Hoabs (bread) for under Dh10. There are many other restaurants all with varying price menus, I personally avoid the "Grillades poissons"  an open air fish restaurant at the port, specifically aimed at day tripper tourists, prices are displayed on boards, but I got ripped off here fourteen years ago (yes, Benny has long memories for injusticies) so I've never been back since.! If you visit the Jimi Hendrix cafe in the village Diabat, it served me a cup of coffee in a cracked cup for Dh10 ( you just have to accept these minor imperfections in Morocco!)

Another good idea is to walk up to the new supermarket, Asswak Essalam at the top of Avenue Al Aquaba and buy your own food, they sell everything except alcohol, chocolate-covered Magnum ice cream bars were my addiction in the hot afternoons, walk past the police station and continue for half a mile to discover the north beach, you can swim there if the breaker waves are not too strong, the area is deserted, except for a few fishermen.

I always  look up this useful website....

http://www.xe.com/currency converter

It's updated several times daily.

 Benny.

Thanks for those tips. I had no idea there were expats living there. Retired? And which nationalities?

You lived there. May I ask you if the wind is cool and pleasant or rather very strong and annoying?

I appreciate your helpful advice.

Many expats living in Essaouira including Brits, French, Americans, Italians and many others. Essaouira is known as "Windcity Africa" and is popular for windsurfing, kiting etc. The wind is often just breezy but on occasions can knock you off your feet. I lived in Essaouira for 7 years until last year but have now moved back to the UK, We just went back for a holiday which was very relaxing, and great to catch up with old friends.

A lot of the expats are retired but many have riads (guest houses) and restaurants. Without causing offence I would say that a lot of the expats are a little bit excentic, some are old hippies and the rest are just trying to escape the rat race.

Benny, thanks again for your generosity and kindness in providing all those helpful details. I feel more confident to embark on my Morocco adventure. Will buy my ticket in the next few days. Have I confessed that I've gone around the world without ever buying or using a Lonely Planet or other such guide? No better guidance than that provided from travelers who've been there before us.
Blessings!

I don't know of any expats living in Essaouira, I generally keep to myself, and prefer to socialise with the indigenous Moroccan population, if circumstances demand. I only drank with one English expat woman in Parador Bar, Chefchaouen, sadly she is now deceased. Essaouira always seems to have a predominantly French expat presence, possibly a legacy of the colonial occupation, almost everyone communicates in French, although Moroccans involved in the tourist industry all speak English as well. The wind is unpredictable, but determined largely by Atlantic depressions, if high pressure dominates, there will be little more than a breeze, on my ten-day stay last year there was no wind at all, but during the winter months it can howl for days, confining fishing boats to port, blowing down Paraboles (satellite dishes) from the flat rooftops and clogging up the beaches with driftwood and assorted rubbish, which has to be bulldozed annually before the summer tourist season, especially before the June international music festival Gnoua. The kite surfers on the south beach all love the wind, I once saw one surf across the bay, on his "planche `a voile " (plank of wood with a sail) to the Mogador island, rather risky, and it's prohibited to land there, being a Falcon sanctuary and breeding ground.

 The photo shows the crumbling Borj el Berod lookout post with the Mogador island in the distance, where there is a 17th century dungeon and disused mosque, unfortunately  inaccessible for exploration...............Benny.

Great pictures. Love those coloured sands. Thank You!

If I could do one thing differently, I would only stay at riads and avoid the "5 star hotels"- yes the rooms are "pretty" but the service is awful, and even disrespectful to women. Look for riads with good reviews, especially from other women.

I think it all depends on where you drink and with whom ! If you are staying a while it would be good to rent a self catering appartment, Outside the Medina is much cheaper and also more choice, not as damp and with more light. Contact Salwar at Jemma el Fna Immobilier 0644090000 she has some very nice short term rentals .

I also think you will find that your experience with the local men will be better than with the local women. The men know how to take a "no" and leave it at that. The women will look at you like trash because you don't cover your hair and pray five times a day. Their children will say "bonjour" to you and they will yell at them for acknowledging you...

Your Moroccan experience is certainly different from mine, Cutie, for whatever reasons, I can only speculate. In my case Moroccan men don't always take "No" for an answer, the beer hustlers in lowlife bars (my favourite watering holes) can be quite persistent and even offended when I always refuse to "pay for them one beer"! Sometimes, in fits of pique, they try to make me feel uncomfortable by playing the race card "you no like Morocco people?".........it's all harmless banter, and just part of the landscape.

Moroccan woman have a more subtle technique, they regard me as a marriage prospect, simply to gain access to the desirable European passport, which will enable them to travel to Spain and France to seek better-paid work in the "black economy".........after dumping Benny, of course!

If you ever decide to re-visit Morocco, Cutie, try to adopt a relaxed couldn't care less attitude, and let the occasional downsides pass you by, the world is not a perfect place and many Moroccans, as elsewhere, are suffering financial hardship, because of declining tourist numbers over the last few years, a consequence of the global economic disasters.

I recently read in a Moroccan publication on the Internet, that 40% of Moroccans are desperate to leave the country, maybe you just bumped into an unusual number of unhappy people?

So. this year, I guess I'm going to be more paranoid about those Moroccan marriage propositions, I'll have to turn my "hustler radar" up to MAX!......(phew!)

Benny.

Hi there

I would have to agree a little bit with Cutie. I had some wonderful encounters with Moroccan women especially away from the bigger cities. But I also had some fiesty encounters. In Fez I was walking in the Medina..hugging the wall to kept out the the way when this women came barreling along and pushed me into the wall!!!
The worst moment was in Casablanca airport even getting off the plane was a mission with one women, shoving her shopping bag between my legs as we were waiting to get off the plane. (I think it was a hint to move forward...which I couldnt do). After giving her a "do you mind" look....I then started to walk backwards until she got the message. In the airport, although I was standing next to a pillar I still got pushed around...by the women.
I put most of it down to being a huge culture shock for me. As a Kiwi our personal space is huge...so going to a place with crowds takes a bit to get use to.

But that being said...some of my most precious moment where some of the charade type conversations I had with the women. And sharing a laugh is a quick way to bond...with both the men and the women. The Morcocan sense of humour is very similar to the Kiwi's

I find it useful to learn and use a few essential Arabic phrases to deal with situations when you might encounter a rude Moroccan, "shooma" means (shame) "shooma bezaaf" (great shame, ) I find my response in Arabic takes these pests by surprise, especially when spoken loudly for all bystanders to witness, another of my favourites when served a crap dinner is "koolshee haa-eeb" (everything is bad), the waiter's face instantly falls, knowing there will be no tip!

As you said, sharing a laugh is absolutely right, and breaks the ice, overcoming language difficulties, when meeting strangers..........Benny.

I forgot to add, there is no such thing as a queue in Morocco, you have to immerse yourself in the impatient crowd and push forward against the body in front of you, because the body behind you will be performing the same manoeuvre. This is all normal procedure when buying tickets, passing through Immigration controls and boarding buses, trains and taxis.

In these close contact situations, always beware of the pickpockets, this is their opportunity to go to work!

Benny.

hi i think pretty much Benny your experiences are different because of the hanging out in cheap bars - I had a Moroccan fiance once who said the same and wouldnt take me to them - the cheap and rough bars are different though to the mens cafes and women\family cafes scene

- and Ive been for years going around various places and in cafes, truck stop towns and wherever its all or predomintly all men but they are still open cafes and decent enough just for the way social order works between the genders they are not places that Moroccan women would go for their outings with their female friends and children...its not really particularly complicated or offensive either that men and women have their different places to go...its not a lot different to pubs in many country places around Australia. men want places to go to have a beer with their mates, Moroccan men go to have coffee with their mates and watch football. and not have to worry about the social propers of when Moroccan women are around.

as for horrid Moroccan women well no different to anywhere else in the world - we have our share of particularly horrid women in countries around the West but generally the women Ive been involved with in Morocco are warm, funny, interested and very kind....Ive had and have Moroccan women who are like family from both the ARabic city side of life and the Berber population in north and south and though they may cover their hair when they are out or when men that are not friends or family are in the vicinity no one has ever in 9 years asked or implied it would be better or neccessary to cover my hair - in their homes or when out on the streets with them....might be different if I expected to go out to the souk with them in a spaghetti top and shorts or mini skirt which I never have put myself or them in that position.

the thing with Morocco is there is a higher percent of liberalism and liberal and peaceful people. but it takes understanding and respect from the visitor to Morocco too for 2 way friendship as in any good relationship....