Hi travellers
What a whirlwind month! I hope everyone’s been keeping safe, and glad that easing of lockdown is now here. No doubt you’ll be feeling some normalcy now.
What are your thoughts on travelling still? Are you hesitant or are you trusting, and happy to hop back on that flight? This is really a huge debate. Tourism is one of the industry’s worst hit during this pandemic. Will people begin doing more staycations or will our love for travelling override our ear?
In the Benson household, I’m more up for getting re-started on our plane journeys! But the Mr is a bit more weary with our little one, so I’ll patiently sit on my hands for now, and hope we make it on our main holiday away in October!
Right, back to this months’ travel blog, as all we can do right now is travel dream! We’re off to Marrakech (Morocco). I’ve been here twice and would easily go there again and again. It can certainly be the place to frequent as it’s easy to get to, cheap, great weather, a great chill spot, with also enough activities to do, if that’s what you’re after.
I’ll combine my itineraries from both trips to give you some tips on what to do out there:
Quad biking and / or camel riding (or you could do both). I love adventure so for the mountains, quad biking was more appropriate for us. The lead wouldn’t let Remi go as fast as he wanted – typical!
Climb up atlas mountain – I can only speak for myself, but make sure to do this hike when you’re physically fit. I decided to do so when 2 months pregnant, and let’s say, I didn’t make it to the half way point! But it was a great experience. Be sure to have fresh orange juice on your way. Or if you’re like Remi, ask the guys to step aside so he can make the juice for himself! Maybe I might go back there and try and make it to the top next time!!!
Whilst you’re on your way to atlas mountain, or on your way back, check out Richard Branson’s hotel (Kasbah Tamadot) for either drinks or lunch. The views to the mountains are beautiful. Try and ask for a tour of the hotel if you can too 🙂
Moroccan dinner & show at Fantasia restaurant- haven’t done it myself but heard good reviews. One for me on our next adventure there!
Shopping in Jemaa el fnaa. Get lost in the hustle & bustle. Barter prices (of which, I’m totally rubbish at!) and enjoy the many activities going on in the square such as snake charmers.
Get a traditional Moroccan massage. It’s definitely an experience you’ll never forget! For the ladies, you walk through various rooms, with Moroccan ladies doing different things in each room (such as steaming in one room, then a top to toe body scrub in another, whilst all pretty much naked). Walking through the rooms can be dangerous as it gets quite slippy. My sister, let’s just say, felt a bit violated at one point when she unfortunately slipped, and had assistance from one of the staff to get up. We’ll leave it at that! For the men, I hope you like being scrubbed by men. You have pretty much nothing covering your private areas! If you’re not crude, I’d certainly recommend it!
Take a tour to see how leather is made. Be prepared for the stench. It’s pretty nasty. If you weren’t vegetarian before, it certainly might make you consider it! And at the end of the tour, you can buy real leather products for Moroccan prices. At this point, I was too put off from the process to be interested in shopping! You may be different. I didn’t turn veggie though, so the feeling only lasted a while (sorry!)
If you’re there to relax, book a 5* hotel and enjoy the spa and serenity of the location. Moroccans really know how to do it! Honestly, VIP service throughout.
Catch a train on to another city. We moved on to Fez and Chefchaouen on our second trip to Marrakech. Simple and easy connections from Marrakech station
If you want a comfortable trip, why not hire a private tour guide. They’re relatively cheap and they’ll take you everywhere you need to go. Why not go ahead and treat yourself 🙂
If the above doesn’t make you want to visit Marrakech, I don’t know what will! As you can tell, I love the place. You can check out the quick video on our vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jbPZVlDC_4&feature=youtu.be
Until next months’ travel dream escape
See you then and continue staying safe
Tina
T&T Consultancy
T&T Consultancy 