Morocco had been on my travel wish list for years (since my mother and sister went without my Dad and I in the early 2000s, haha!) and I am so thankful to my friend Tatiana for suggesting this location for our most recent girls’ trip! I’m going to tell you what we did/what I would recommend (big thanks to Black Edge Travel Concierge for listening to our ideas and putting our itinerary together) – and then, if you want to keep reading, I will go into the complicated emotions of international travel in early March 2020 (pre-pandemic)!
We landed in Marrakesh, Morocco on Wednesday, March 4th, 2020 and we arrived in style (airport pickup was a Porsche Panamera) and checked in at the STUNNING La Mamounia Hotel. After quickly refreshing in our rooms, we met in the lobby and then walked through the gardens on property and ultimately settled by the pool for drinks (amazing service and atmosphere).
That night, we had a traditional Moroccan Dinner at Dar El Yacout (the ride there was enjoyable too, the streets were teeming with activity).
The next morning we visited the Old Town (Medina) & the Souk (traditional market). We had a tour guide and that was really helpful as he was able to direct us to find the items we were looking for in the market. We felt confident splitting up a bit too but stayed in the same general area. I bought a really cool dagger, the experience of that purchase was almost better than the purchase itself. The shop owner had great stories (possibly true, possibly exaggerated- either way, very entertaining!). After the Souk we had a quick stop at a museum. And that day we had lunch on the rooftop of the Nomade Restaurant in the Old Town (good food, cool view).
After lunch, a beautiful Moroccan traditional carriage took us (and our tour guide) to the YSL Museum & YSL Jardins Majorelle. These gardens are GORGEOUS. I am not super into photos/Instagram content but wow this was the place to get it – nature lovers will be at home here too.
After relaxing a bit back at the hotel, we got drinks at the Gallerie Bar (in our hotel) before heading to dinner (with a show!!) at Comptoir Darna around 9:00-9:30 pm. The vibe at this establishment was electric, the food was good, the servers were friendly (and funny!) and the performers were very entertaining. There were also plenty of opportunities to get involved in the show and we sure did (dare I say: we were the life of the party)!
Friday, March 6th, 2020 was a big day for us – desert day! We went to the Agafy Desert and rode camels and ATVs! We also had a FAB lunch at Inara Camp. Again, everyone we met was gracious and fun. If anything, we needed more time in the desert but we had to rush back to the city because we had prepaid for spa treatments.
We went to the spa at the at Royal Mansour Hotel and I must say it was one of the most beautiful facilities I have ever visited. All of the ladies in my group got the Hammam Treatment, I’m a little bit more conservative so I went with a boring foot massage but it was heavenly, no regrets!
That night, we had dinner at the Italian restaurant in our hotel (La Mamounia), it was actually really good. Obviously, you must try the tagine in Morocco; in fact, we had chicken tagine, lamb tagine, vegetable tagine, you name it – SO GOOD! We just wanted to try something different on our last night, also, we were hungry early. Technically, we had dinner reservations at Palais Jad Mahal that night for 9:30pm. We did go to Palais Jad Mahal but the food/entertainment was not that great compared to the other spots I mentioned. The morning of my flight home (it was a short trip, it is a blessing to recharge but I don’t like to spend too much time away from my guys) I played tennis with one of the pros at the hotel, it was fun to play on the clay courts.
The final point I’d like to make is about packing. There was a lot of discussion within our group about what to wear – a combination of the weather, and also wanting to respect the locals. Ultimately, I think we spent too much time worrying about the attire. You can see what we wore in the photos I posted and we felt completely fine/safe. It’s also advisable to have a little cash on hand for tips, we were able to exchange our dollars for dirhams at our hotel.
I hope I’ve done this trip justice. The circumstances were intense but I am so happy that we went and I can’t wait to go back!!!!!!!
Now as promised, part 2…….
This was the most complicated girls’ trip/momcation I’ve ever been on. No, there wasn’t any drama between the ladies – we travel really well together (multiple trips, multiple destinations) – rather, we were on the verge of a global pandemic which had me on the verge of a break down at the start of the trip…. Let me back up……
As February came to a close, I started to get really excited about my annual momcation, we had been booked for MONTHS and as a group we had been talking about this particular destination for years. Additionally, the holidays (November/December) are always a busy time, and I had a pretty intense January and February (volunteer event planning for MLK Day and Black History Month, in addition to my normal duties). So I was good and ready for some R&R. That’s why, when my husband suggested that perhaps it wasn’t the best time for an international trip, I largely ignored him. Yes, a nasty virus was spreading through Asia and beginning to spread throughout Europe, but I was checking the CDC website daily for updates. What’s more, most media outlets maintained that international travel was completely safe outside of China and Italy (specifically I read articles themed “should you travel” in the Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast Traveler, among other outlets). Finally, the President said that everything was fine, and many people were comparing the virus to the flu back then….. Bascially, I heard what I wanted to hear. It wasn’t until I boarded the plane in JFK and donned my mask that I began to question the wisdom of my decision. In fact, as our plane began to taxi, I said to my friend/travel buddy, “I think I’m going to get off. I want to go back to my family.” She gently replied, “Honey, it’s too late for that. They are happy for you and we are going to have a great time.” Or she might have said, “Don’t jump off the plane because they will arrest us” — details! Haha! Somehow, I made it through the flight without having a breakdown (definitely thanks to my amazing travel companion, Sheila – and the fact that I put down Assata Shakur’s biography; yes it is a good read but it is intense and my mind was already working overtime), and by the time we landed I began to relax a bit. I also called my therapist (I hadn’t spoken to her in months but she answered the call and I am grateful!) and she helped me change my perspective on the reality of my situation (on the other hand, getting calls from people I work with back in the states about the escalation of the problem in NY and NJ did not help). At the time, there were no cases in Morocco, and WOW is it a beautiful country! It’s basically impossible not to enjoy yourself in Marrakesh. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to safely explore and experience such a beautiful city/country!!!!!
Tuck Travel 