Marrakech, Atlas Mountains, Casablanca & Essaouira - A Moroccan Adventure -May-June 2025
The Beginning
When I asked the husband what he wanted for his birthday and he said to go to Marrakech, I initially thought, ‘ouch, that’s not somewhere I’d want to go in the warmer months’, but as it was on my travel list for this year anyway I thought, ‘why not’. I have braved hotter temperatures in my pursuit of world travel!
This was booked about three weeks prior to travel and was a decent deal for a 5 star resort - even the travel agent was surprised. I often check back often after I’ve booked a holiday to gauge (as much as it can be gauged) how holiday prices fluctuate. Within 5 days of the booking the price had risen considerably and was more than double by the time we flew out. Anyway, if you want personal advice on how to get favourable holiday deals, get in touch with me directly.
While the husband is very happy to relax at a resort, I’m all ‘go’ when away (hence the blog name) so there had to be a degree of compromise - his birthday holiday combined with my pre-planned Moroccan itinerary.
A relaxing taxi journey to the airport, smooth check in (weighing and tagging bags myself) and quick movement through security even though it was very busy at 6.30am. There was a bit of a weight for the lounge but only around 7 minutes.
Arrival
Immigration was quick - it can make such a difference to the start of your holiday. Smooth journey to Barcelo Palmeraie Oasis Resort. While the resort was really lovely (few teething problems easily ironed out) it wasn’t quite how I imagined my first stay in Morocco. I had imagined a riad stay but booking last minute meant most of the nicer ones were unavailable.
The resort was in an Palmeraie, a beautiful area nestled in several hundreds of thousands of palm trees. The drives to the resort were beautiful, behind the palms trees I could see the outlines of the Atlas Mountains in the distance.
The resort was about a 20 minute drive away from the medina so Barcelo provided a complimentary regular shuttle to and from the resort. Not one to hang about, I was on the first available shuttle after checking in.
In retrospect, I could have taken an hour or 2 to acclimatise. The 37 degree, dry heat hit me shortly after reaching the medina. That and the locals who pounced immediately on fresh blood with their various offerings that I was not interested in. There’s a lovely Arabic phrase - La Shukran - which means no thank you. Touts back off a lot quicker than if you say no thank you in English.
I was on a mission, to find a local tour operator who could help me with my travel plans - Atlas Mountains, Casablanca and Essoauria - in that order. Once I found said tour operator I was happy to head back.
The husband insisted on a full day of rest the following day and through gritted teeth, I agreed. Rest in that I didn’t leave the resort but I did my aerobic workouts, walked around the grounds and participated in the water aerobic class.
Freedom
After my forced day of rest I was ready to hit the ground, running! First was the customary walking tour in any new city, learning about the history, customs etc. There was a stop to visit the inside of a pharmacy which was very interesting. Instead of customary boxes of pills and medicines found in our pharmacies were jars and bottles filled with natural herbs, spices, oils etc. all with apparent proven results for curing a wide variety of ailments.
Whenever I’m away from home on a Sunday, I try my best to attend a church service. There was an English speaking Pentecostal church with an evening service and it was great to worship along with them.
As the walking tour didn’t stop at the Bahia Palace I thought it would be a good idea to visit. A little underwhelming, personally, but I was glad I went. While waiting for the shuttle back I used the loo at my little ‘loo stop hotel’ and tapped into the open wifi.
Atlas Mountains
There was a lot packed into this day and I was glad it was a private tour which meant avoiding the crowds and big groups and ability to do everything at a gentle pace. Everything except the climb to the Setti Fatma waterfall - but more on that later. Lovely driver.
The first stop was for some Turkish tea and a stunning view of the Mountains. I wasn’t overly keen on traditional Moroccan tea. I’d had a few cups at the hotel and found it more manageable with sugar but as I don’t add sugar to drinks I opted against another cup. I did like the way I had seen them pour it- always from a height and so I took the chance to have a go. Having a go seemed to be the theme of the day. I had a go at carpet making, at ‘making’ wool and grinding argan seeds to make paste and oil. The latter was at a women’s cooperative where I also purchased a couple of bottles.
A lovely young man by the name of Simbo offered a guided tour of his village. He explained who lived there, what they did, and even answered my many questions about water collection from the source, education, dwellings and other things I was curious about.
Lunch was on the river. I love the sound of water, whether waves lapping the shore, a rushing river or gentle ripples, so this was perfect for me. The tagine meal was basic but I was caught up in the beautiful ambience. It’s not every day you eat next to a river in the valley of a mountain.
And then came the climb up the mountain to Setti Fatma. To be fair I climbed up easily. After the steps ended it was a rumble over the rocks to get to the top. Others around me huffed and puffed but thanks to my daily vigorous workouts it wasn’t an issue. The waterfall was underwhelming but only because I’ve seen the stunning Niagara falls in Canada, the Kravica falls in Bosnia and an amazing one in Iceland which I’ve forgotten the name of. The climb down was scary due to my dislike of heights but the guide was brilliant and held my hand / arm for support whenever he sensed I was struggling.
Many of the people I encountered spoke - Arabic, Berber, French, English and Spanish. Puts me to shame… every time I travel.
Casablanca
Even though I know the film was shot in a Hollywood studio, whenever I hear the name, Casablanca, I automatically think, ‘play it again Sam.’ Sadly Sam wasn’t there because it was closed. Thankfully there was a lot more to do in Casablanca. To get to Rick’s Cafe I walked through a couple of roads definitely not geared to tourists. The streets were filthy, lined with old clothes and various other bits of rubbish. Then I reached the market area with locals purchasing live chickens from a cage, what looked like animal hoofs still attached to the leg and fruit that would have been thrown out weeks prior in the UK. It was interesting to watch but I was pleased once the street came to an end and my nostrils were able to relax again.
The Medina in Casablanca was a lot more relaxed than in Marrakech and I was able to calmly and gently make a couple of purchases.
I skipped the inside to tour of the Hassan II mosque and the Sacred Hearts Cathedral was also closed so I took photos from outside.
I purchased some local snacks from a street side vendor - which looked like mini cheese balls and tortilla chips from the photos on the outside. (very flavourful without being salty). Later, I found a larger supermarket I could wander through, getting an idea of some of the foods on offer.
The beach in Casablanca was alive with activity. People playing, chilling, or just strolling. Decided to wet my feet and the water had just reached my ankles before I had to scarper off as 2 horses (with owners trying to entice you to a ride) decided to take a poop less than an inch away. I hightailed it across the water to a safer spot.
The mall on the beach seemed very popular with teenagers but I hadn’t factored in shopping time of this trip so didn’t explore.
Essaouira
It was another very early morning start with a long drive there and back but I am so glad I decided not to give this port a miss. Essaouira is a very traditional fishing port just outside the medina. I think my holiday highlight was selecting the fish and seafood I wanted and having it cooked fresh. The platter consisted of a red snapper, prawns, king prawns and sardines. The plate looked dirty and I used my wipe to clean it. There were flies all over the bread in the bread basket so I gave that a miss and there was a cat wandering around that I had to periodically shout at but I am so glad I pushed through my germ-a-phobia (a word some use to describe my quirks). It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it as this turned out to be the best meal I ate this trip.
The medina was busy but again less manic than Marrakech. As I was leaving, I purchased a hat from a Senegalese man. I also had a conversation earlier with some Senegalese hair braiders.
Food
Most nights I ate some sort of tagine - beef (which was surprisingly good as I’m not a fan of beef), lamb, chicken, fish and even potato. At the resort each morning, there were freshly fried donuts as well as traditional monacan pancakes (very different from ours) and their local bread - why not as I was on holiday.
Missed photo opps
Despite the many photos I take, I’m not generally a fan of walking around with a camera attached to my hand while away as this can, in my opinion, spoil some of the authenticity. In fact, I do and experience a lot more than what makes it to camera.
Here are some of the memories I should have had my camera poised for: 2 men slowing riding their motorcycles side by side, deep in conversation. A little shepherd boy lying comfortably in a field as he watched over his sheep. An old lady in the medina, delicately driving a mobility scooter as a boy walked next to her with a walking stick (hers I presumed). 2 men walking along the motorway carrying very modern suitcases - by the handle, not pulling them. And my favourite - goats standing in trees! (they climb them to eat the argan fruit).m had
I always have such high ambitions and plans for my travels that I regularly leave destinations without accomplishing everything on my to-do-list which is fine because, to be fair, there is generally a lot crammed in. This trip, I missed out on a Moroccan Hamman. I have experienced Hammans in other destinations a beennd even had an amazing one in London. I also did not have time to do a cooking lesson. But, praising God I managed to do everything else I had dreamed of for my first visit to this stunning country.
My lovely open top hat purchased years ago in Vietna on its way out for my last few holidays. I had just about managed to make it to the end of this one but sadly, on my last night, I had to throw it away :(
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