Day 1 – 22 December
Flight was slightly late departing Gatwick. No delays going through passport checks and customs at Marrakech Airport. Kech Boutique Hotel and Spa is quite close to the airport which was nice as no long coach transfers involved. Met in the bar for the welcome drink before going to dinner. The hotel is really nice with great big rooms and bathrooms and each room had a balcony either facing the swimming pool, the main road in the front or the buildings and a bit of wasteland in the back. There was no noise at all and most rooms had lovely views of the Atlas Mountains which were covered in snow. The only slight problem was there was no heating in the dining room so you did need to wear something warm or use a shawl. All meals apart from Christmas dinner were buffet style with plenty of choices.
Day 2 – 23 December
Today we had sightseeing tour of Marrakech, departing at 09:00. We stopped at the 12th century Koutoubia Mosque, for a photo shoot as non Muslims are not allowed in. We then walked through the Medina souks (old town). It was amazing to see all the artisans working in very small spaces. No time to either ‘stop or stare’ or shopping. We then visited Ben Youseff Madrasa (University), which is really a beautiful building. We saw the small dormitory rooms used by the students in the past. You just had to imagine the hustle and bustle when it must have been full of students! Again, we walked through the souks to reach the coach which made a brief stop at the Square famous for its snake charmers and other entertainers. After a lunch stop, we had a quick stop at a shop to buy water and other drinks before visiting Bahia Palace. One has to see it to appreciate its beauty. The day ended with a walk through the abandoned Jewish Quarters.
Day 3 – 24 December (Christmas Eve)
Today was a day of leisure, but an afternoon trip was arranged to visit the Jardin Majorelle gardens and view the Square in the evening – completely different from what it looked like during the day time. Everyone came on this optional trip. Filomina, the tour manager had organised a quiz by the swimming pool at 11:00, included lunch at the hotel was at 13:00 and we left for the gardens, spice shop and the Square at 15:00. Most of us purchased a few things. We departed for the Evening show ‘Chez Ali Fantasia’ at 20:00. Had dinner in the Berber tents where we were entertained by various dancers and musicians and this was followed by the show, which was held outside in the arena. One had to definitely dress warmly for this.
Day 4 – 25 December (Christmas Day)
Today was a visit to the Ourika Valley departing at 09:00 and returning at 15:30, with a delicious lunch included at a lovely restaurant where we also stopped for a coffee/comfort stop in the morning. Due to heavy rainfall a few weeks ago (apparently they have not had this much rain in 30 years) there were lots of hanging bridges and roads destroyed. Ourika Valley is really lovely and the 30 minute walk toward the snow capped Atlas Mountain was really enjoyable and relaxing. It was 30 minute to the end and 30 minutes back to the coach.
Day 5 – 26 December (Boxing Day)
Today was a very long day – start at 08:00 and not back till 19:00. This was a trip to Essaouira by the sea. On the way we stopped at a place demonstrating the making of Argan products and selling them. I ended up spending quite a lot of money! Lunch was included in Essaouira and then we had plenty of time to wander around or shop. To be honest, a few of us thought that half an hour less would have been okay and this would have meant us getting back to the hotel a bit earlier.
Day 6 – 27 December
After a relaxing morning we departed the hotel at 14:00 for the return flight. Some of us had lunch in the café next door to the hotel where the food was delicious and quite reasonably priced. There was a slight problem at the check in as the Agents (I am assuming Just You) had not downloaded the e-tickets and we had quite a wait for the full list of Just You passengers to be downloaded! There were plenty of lovely shops for last minute shopping. It was strange to note that the duty free shops did not accept Moroccan dirhams – only Euros and credit cards. Shops selling just Moroccan goods accepted all.
This was a large group of 34 and most of the people mixed in very well and a few friendships were formed. Zahir was the local guide and the driver was Ibrahim, whose driving was very good and smooth. He was very quiet as he did not speak English! We were very lucky with the weather as well. It was chilly first thing in the mornings and evenings, but the sun shone the rest of the day and we had lovely sunshine every day and no rain at all.
Would I recommend this holiday - definitely.
