Last thoughts - Morocco

Usually a two week holidays goes by very quickly and time literally flies. In this case, I feel like I have had such a long vacation, I've managed to see a lot, experience new things, new cities, and met some incredible people. I was expecting my first week to be hectic, busy and not relaxing at all. Luckily, I had one week in Marrakech to be able to slow down for a little bit. 

I was definitely expecting the locals to be pushy, beg for money and even be aggressive at times. This I have experienced on many occasions. It feels sad that the locals only wants to help if they get something for their kindness, and if someone kind enough reached out their hand to help the visitor will decline due to the thought, "If I accept the help, I need to pay". 

Bargaining, what a tiresome event. If you have the energy for it, it's always fun to see how you can manage to negotiate to a price that suits you and feel like you are a winner. At times, it's exhausting. For every small thing, you will have to negotiate and come up with all kinds of tricks and small lies in order to get the lowest price. Sometimes it's such a relief to enter a store or restaurant and the prices are clear. 

All in all, I had a good time. It was perfect to spend some time alone but also be able to catch up with Annika for the 2nd week of my vacation. During my first week I realised how boring it is to go out for dinners by yourself and not being able to share it with anyone. 

To summarise everything, here are some pictures that has yet to be posted. Thank you Morocco, I might be back one day!

Last day - Morocco

The last full day and we managed to see both Bahia Palace and the Bab Aganou, both in pictures below. We also did some shopping and walking around new areas.

Last day in Marrakech was mostly about relaxing. Annika and myself decided to do a full treatment session at the Hammam De La Rose. The treatment started with a proper wash, or as it's called hammam, and after we enjoyed a one hour massage. It has been a while since I felt this relaxed. 

Le Meridien N'fis

During my holidays I managed to use 3 different hotels within the Marriott brand. Tempting to start thinking about work when you are staying at a hotel which promotes the same loyalty programs as you are used to. In Marrakech we spent 6 nights and booked it all with points, because as SPG says: "The best nights in life are free". The property is located close to the airport, closest mall was just across the street and the medina was approximately 30min away by foot. The hotel had an amazing pool area, the garden was beautiful and especially the concierge was out of this world. Attentive, remembered our names without introducing ourselves on our first day, that's just great. We did not spend much time at the property, but for the amount of points that were used, it was definitely worth it. 

Zagora Desert - Morocco

Two long days and finally back at the hotel. Our tour to the Zagora Desert started on thursday with a pickup at 7AM. The Atlas Mountains delivered some amazing views during our very long drive to the desert. On our way to the Zagora Desert, we made a very interesting stop at the little town called Ait Ben Haddou. What's so interesting about this small village is that it's been recognised as a UNESCO Heritage site due to the TV productions that has been created here since 1960. To mention just a few: Cleopatra, Prince of Persia, Gladiator, Indiana Jones and most recent Game of Thrones. As I'm a fan of Game of Thrones, the village was used to represent the slave trading city of Yunkai. 

Our journey continued and we were finally able to ride into our small camp in the Zagora Desert. At the camp we had some tea, a Moroccan dinner with live music. After a long night sleeping in the extremely hot tents, we got up at 5:30 to watch the sunrise. Breakfast was served and soon after the journey started back home. Our driver was apparently a huge fan of Celine Dion because this was the only music he was playing during our trip to the desert and back. 

A lot of hours spent sitting in the car, and I would definitely recommend to do a longer tour in order to possibly spend more time at the camp, riding the camels or see proper sand dunes. 

Morocco - Marrakech

Marrakesh is definitely the most visited city in Morocco, and tourism is nothing new here. Marrakesh has been the hub for business, pleasure and local visitors since thousands years back. The ancient bamboo-covered souks, the endless array of bazaars, snake charmers, fortune tellers, you name it - all found in Marrakech. 

I have been travelling solo until now, and finally my dear friend Annika will arrive to Marrakech. It will be way more fun experiencing things together, enjoy the delicious cuisine together and just spend quality time. 

Our first day was spent just wandering around the souks, the medina and we stopped for a quick lunch around the Jamaa El Fna Square. We also had time to discover restaurants and different hammams that we would like to try. Most of our conversations today were mostly about what's the plan for the rest of the week, where to eat and how to schedule everything. The day ended with a quick dip in the pool before heading out for dinner. 

Sheraton Casablanca Hotel & Towers

Isn't funny that whenever I arrive or stay at a Sheraton property, I get such a good feeling. Not that I've ever been a regular guest at a Sheraton hotel, but I guess it's because Sheraton was the first property within Starwood and Marriott that I worked at. Therefore, it has a special place in my heart. As I arrived to Casablanca and the Sheraton, I felt so good. The building it huge, the hotel has several restaurants, a spa, rooftop pool and a club lounge. The hotel mostly accommodates business guests, but also larger groups from Asia. My check in was amazing thanks to Karima, who I had the pleasure to spend more time with. I definitely made a friend for life and for sure someone that I will never forget.

The location of the hotel was quite good, fairly close to the main attractions and walking distance from the medina, and the train station Casa Port. On the day of departure, I spent a few hours at the pool, which was great. However, it does feel a little awkward walking around in a bikini in an islamic country.

Morocco - Casablanca

After the wonderful evening with Karima yesterday, we decided to meet up today again. We headed to the Hassan II Mosque, since it is the most important attraction of Casablanca. The mosque is the largest mosque in Morocco, 2nd largest in Africa and the 13th largest in the world. The rest of the day was spent wandering around the city, the medina, the beach and in the evening we enjoyed a nice meal together before Karima had to go to her hometown, Meknes. If I decide to return to Morocco, I will make sure to join her to her hometown.

It has been a true pleasure getting to know her. I will definitely miss her laughter and our amazing conversations about life, religion, family, and more about life in general.