Some thoughts on the fashion of travel and contemporary attitude on it. Is it only more and more that is important?!
Morocco is an amazing country that shows its beauty and abundance to visitors only when they travel through its diverse landscapes. From its fertile plains with the biggest cities, through the majestic Atlas mountains and toward the spectacular Sahara sandy dunes, Morocco grows deep into oneʼs heart more every day that they spend there.
Morocco is one of the most picturesque countries in the world. The landscape, the people, and the costumes of the locals show a plethora of colour. The country offers an inspiring blend of the Orient, the Arab world, Europe, and Indigenous Berbers. The abundance of the past and sumptuous sultansʼ lifestyles gave rise to the hospitality and refined luxury they hold for visitors who wish to experience the story of One Thousand and One Nights live. Become a precious guest to Morocco on our beautiful Elegant Grand Tour – welcome to the country where the majestic past meets the colourful present!
If you feel our passion for Morocco, and you wonder about the program we have prepared, feel free to contact us:
- by calling (we use Skype or IMO, but with prior arrangement only),
- or sending any other request or question via our inquiry form
We will be happy to hear from you, present our program to you in a live call, reply to your questions, send you the brochure of our Moroccan Elegant Grand Tour, and maybe also proudly take you on a tour to this magnificentl North African treasury of cultures, colours, and opulence.
Why we add creative hands-on workshops? Please, read here
A NOTICE ABOUT OUR TRAVEL We travel elegantly and luxurious, but we do not intend to travel isolated from the country and the culture we visit. We aim at keeping our travel real. We do not avoid the hosting cultures, their traditions, and customs, but rather explain and encounter them, and accept them for what they are. If the country's standards are lower than those at home, we understand it and learn to appreciate the efforts local people put into trying to meet our expectations.
A RIAD is a traditional Moroccan house where everything revolves around the inner courtyard that has a main fountain filled with flower petals (the wealthiest riads even have a swimming pool). A riad doesnʼt have as many rooms as a hotel, and all of the rooms feature a unique traditional (or eclectic in style) decorations such as: zellige (a geometric mosaic decorations on the floor and on the walls), woodcarvings, and marble stuccowork. Every room of the riad is a unique artistic and handicraft expression, and they have no outer windows, but are all turned toward the main courtyard allowing for a
total privacy, silence, and fresh air that could never be attained from the street windows. The wealth of the owners reveals itself only when one enters this private heaven. The riads are real palaces, an exceptional delight to visit, and even more so, to stay in! We believe a loving Moroccan tour needs to allow its guests to experience riadʼs luxury, charm, and hospitality.
Morocco is a moderately safe country – tourist crime rates are low and mostly consist of petty thievery of non-attended items, so we advise our guests to always use common sense (to keep their valuables in the safety box in the room, avoid exposing expensive cameras, and in city centres always take care of personal belongings). Every now and then, the risk of terrorism grows, so we avoid crowded places as much as we can, and always keep an eye on happenings around us. We also have a very reliable local partner who follows the latest safety announcements and news instructions.
Standard Arabic and Amazigh language (Standard Moroccan Berber). Other spoken languages: French, Spanish (in some parts) and English (tourist places)
CURRENCY: Moroccan Dirham- Dh or Mad
CREDIT CARDS: accepted in tourist places, but Morocco is a country of cash
ATMs in the cities
PRICES: 0.5l water 10 Dh (roughly 1 Eur), fresh orange juice or other fruit juices from 15 to 20 Dh, lunch in a good restaurant in the cities from 250 Dh, tea or coffee in a cafe from 20 Dh
The muslim culture is a culture of cooperation and care for others and for the society. Every Moroccan usually takes care of their extended family, elderly parents and their underaged siblings. In a country that has a low average salary and big poverty, the people appreciate tips very much and accept them gratefully.
In some areas (south of the Atlas mountains) there is a shortage on daily necessities and people are happy to receive basic food, clothes (old T-shirts), small (mini) toys for children, candles, baseball hats (for boys and men). We like the idea of presenting the (more educated) people in the towns with postcards of the visitorʼs home country (or home town). Note: not to bring: alcohol, or any kind of pork.
Wifi is available at all Riads and hotels, 5G in the phones (roaming can be quite pricey, but itʼs possible to buy a Moroccan SIM card and use a Moroccan connection).
Moroccans do not like to be photographed! If they do pose, they will expect some reward for it (a small tip of 5 Dh/ 0.5 eur).
For non-muslims the Moroccan mosques are off-limits. There are a few, though that open their door for such visitors. When possible, we visit one of them in Casablanca- Hassan II Mosque.
Guests should wear clothes they feel comfortable in and beautiful wearing. Keep in mind the Moroccan climate (strong sun) and a few long transfer days (for more information on the program, please send as an inquiry and we will send you the program of the tour or find the specific tour in our Departures page), and take care that comfort on the move, and protection from the sun come before elegance. Morocco is a muslim country, and we believe respect toward the visited culture brings respect toward the visitor, so we suggest modest clothes that cover your knees and shoulders (or even better – a full length dress for the ladies, especially in the rural areas) and with no cleavage for the ladies. The best fit for travel in Morocco are tunics with loose fitting pants and shirts with mid/long sleeves and long shorts for gentlemen. A nice airy and beautiful scarf is, in a sunny country, always a good protection from the sun and a nice fashion accessory, and can be altered with a sun hat.
OUR SUGGESTIONS on what to wear- dress code:
Our guest's luggage is taken care of, so they do not need to worry about carrying heavy suitcases in and out of the hotels and riads, and onto the coach.
DISHES: couscous topped with meat or vegetables, tajine, bastilla, lamb with prunes, kefta meatball tajine, harira soup. MEAT: beef, chicken, mutton, lamb, sheep, goat, snails, pigeons (in a traditional Bastilla pie) and seafood (mostly at the seaside and in Marrakesh). Moroccans do not eat pork due to their religious restrictions. SPICES: Morocco is a land of spices. They use a lot of home grown saffron, mint, cinnamon, turmeric, (oriental) cumin, ginger, paprika, coriander, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, sesame seeds, cloves, fennel, anise, garlic, and others. The traditional mixture of 35 spices is called Ras-el-Hanout (the expression means “head of the shop,” as it is the best they sell in a shop). HERBS: mint, parsley, oregano, coriander, marjoram, sage, and verbena. FRUIT: oranges, tangerines, strawberries, fresh and preserved olives, lemons. Dried fruits: sultanas, raisins, apricots, dates (from the south of the country). VEGETABLES: aubergine, tomato, onion, green peppers, spinach, potato and sweet potatoes, chickpeas, carrots, cabbage, turnip, fava beans, squash, zucchini, broccoli, and more. DRINKS: this is a land of green tea with fresh mint leaves and a lot of sugar. To learn how to properly pour the tea into a small, painted glass, read in our Blog. Moroccans also drink coffee (with milk, or black), and they also prepare very tasty smoothies (avocado, bananes, strawberries, and others) and fresh orange juice. Moroccans do not drink alcohol due to their religious restrictions, but in all the hotels, they sell imported (or some local) wines, beer, and imported spirits. OILS: olive oil and precious argan oil. OTHER: Amlou is a healthy spread or a dip made of argan oil, mixed with grinded roasted almonds and argan flower honey. Moroccans believe that Amlou is also an aphrodisiac
A TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN BREAKFAST
BREAKFAST IN THE HOTELS: traditionally mostly continental French style breakfast (tea/coffee, croissant, bread, butter and jam, cheese or omelette), in the 5- star hotels they have a vast variety of different breakfasts
In Morocco there are many souvenirs to buy, so it is a good idea to have a very relaxed kilogram allowance for the plane, or to be ok with paying for the extra baggage. Bigger items can be shipped abroad.
What to buy: argan oil, babouch leather slippers, and leather items, Djellaba dress, berber baskets or market bags, bread baskets, hammered metalworks, musical instruments, Gnawa music instruments, Ras-el-Hanout spices and other spices (saffron), dried dates, tea, artisanal soaps, or Rassoul and a hammam glove- Kiss, lanterns, berber rugs and carpets, together with matching pillow covers, woven goods, pottery and Zellige (tile work), wooden items, coloured tea cups and metal tea pots, tea sets, fossils (made into a bathroom sink), ect. - and a Fes hat.
Some thoughts on the fashion of travel and contemporary attitude on it. Is it only more and more that is important?!
Morocco is one of the most colorful countries in the World! Nature, the people, and their dresses, the homes, the national flag, even the cities have each its own color! There is no way Morocco can le...
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