Marrakech is a complicated beast in equal amounts β intoxicating, frustrating, exhilarating, breathtaking, infuriating and magical. I loved it and hated it ten times a day but I will tell you one thing: I am going back.
Marrakech will NOT break me. Strap in because this one is going to be a long one,. Be prepared. Make sure you choose a Riad that will be your oasis. A place that shuts out all of the noise, the chaos and the insanity. You need a place to retreat to where you can feel pampered and cared for. A tranquil retreat where you can relax and unwind. My friend and I flew from Malaga, Spain to Marrakech a week into our trip.
It was a month-long adventure to Andalusia and Portugal. We thought a side trip to Morocco would be great. Our trip, up until Morocco, had been spectacular. We spent a magical week exploring Malaga, Nerja and Granada.
Great food was plentiful, and there were so many bars and restaurants, but it was hard to choose. It was just all so easy in Spain, from renting a car to finding bank machines, taking Ubers, buying too much linen and navigating the streets. It was smooth sailing. Then we went to Morocco. I arranged to have a driver from the riad meet us at the airport, the first smart thing I did. That was immediately followed by mistake number one. How was I to know that finding a bank machine that would actually give us money would become an Olympic sport?
When I did find one, they charged an outrageous service fee on top of the outrageous rate of exchange. Our riad was paid for by credit card through Expedia , but, once there everything else was to be paid in cash. Keep that in mind and ask about it upfront. What is a Riad? Riads are former traditional, multi-story Moroccan homes built around an inner courtyard in the Andalusian style.
