Yes, we are home safe and sound after a fascinating and enjoyable trip. Many highlights: One certainly was spending time on the desert in and near the dunes and watching the sunset and then the full moon. We enjoyed the staff at the tent and the musicians, and dinner was one of the best we had in Morocco. The “luxury tent” was certainly adequate, especially with bed and hot water bottles and piles of blankets, but it was quite chilly and lack of hot water and adequate shower facilities made it feel like camping. They did give us a heater when we requested it, and that helped.
The ride over the High Atlas mountains was outstanding for the scenic beauty and change in terrain and glimpses of different ways people lived in these mountains.
Since he is a city person and doesn’t mind crowds and small spaces, Craig especially enjoyed the medinas in Fez and Marrakech. I also found them fascinating, although the density was a bit overwhelming for me. Neither of us like Casablanca very much. I enjoyed the day at Volubilis and Moulay Idryss and seeing the beautiful countryside.
I would say that the biggest highlight was traveling with Khalid for two weeks. I found him to be a delightful, responsible, considerate person, and I don’t think we would have learned nearly as much about Morocco were it not for our conversations with him. He’s very well educated and informed, and I enjoyed hearing his opinions, even if I did not always agree with them. We had some very interesting discussions about cultural differences. I felt very safe traveling with him in this exotic country.
We like our city guides, especially Hachim in Rissani, Hamid at Volubilis, and Khalid at Moulay Idryss. I liked the guides in Fez (Aziz) and Marrakech (Jalil), and thought they were very knowledgeable and pleasant but was uncomfortable with what I felt was pretty strong buying pressure I experienced at several places (the tannery in Fez, the carpet place in Fez, the carpet place near Risani) and, in the end, bought some things that I now regret purchasing. Perhaps I’m just not very good at saying no.
The hotels were all lovely, especially the riads in Fez and Marrakech, although a bit chilly given the cold weather. The Riad Kniza in Marrakech was outstanding for service and food and felt quite luxurious. The food in the hotels was very good!
We have found working with Kit and Ruth to be a great pleasure. Your company seems well-organized, friendly, enthusiastic and very responsive to our questions. We will definitely recommend your company to our friends and on TripAdvisor!
Joanne & Craig (USA), December 2013