We flew Air Royal Maroc from JFK to Casablanca. We booked pretty late so used the Chase Reserve portal to book round trip for only 55k points (as is there really isn’t too many options, the others being United stopping in Lisbon, BA through Frankfurt or the same ARM using AMEX points transferred to Etihad). The entire flight was around 6 hours then we had a one hour stop and headed on to the next leg of our trip from Casablanca to Marrakech for a simple 50 minutes flight.
We landed in Marrakech airport and we were greeted by Rastam’s (of Bashram Tours) partner, Yasuf, who took us from the airport straight to the Jemma el Fna, the main square to explore “Medina,” the old city of Marrakech, as well as the souks (market places).
We had an amazing time bargaining with the shopkeepers! We then continued on to the Bahia Palace and the beautiful Lazama Shul which has a Jewish courtyard and a museum with historical items from other synagogues in Marrakech and the Atlas mountains as well the kollels.
Now the real adventure came ; we went to see the full presentation of the “Morrocan argon oil collection.” They have an oil, creme or spice to cure just about anything!! We then went to see how they make the Morrocan rugs and sipped on mint Morrocan tea as they brought out about 30 rugs to display for us.
The leather market, kaftan “headquarters,” and wood making were all fascinating as well.
We then headed into the “Medina,” the main square, where we sipped on fresh squeezed juice and watched the “snake charmers, “monkey men,” and ladies giving hennas. Well the watching didn’t last for long because the next thing we knew we had 3 monkeys on our shoulders and a snakes wrapped around our necks!! These “charmers” were ready to take tons of pictures and collect their tips! It was quite the experience to say the least!
We got back to our hotel, The Four Seasons Marrakech (also booked on the Chase Reserve portal for a total of 80k points) and had dinner catered by Mrs. Oyahoun, a Jewish lady who cooks in her house and delivers a full Moroccan cuisine, waiting for us, wrapped beautifully. Everything was delicious! From the Moroccan fish to the couscous with vegetable, to the homemade macarrones, we had enough food to last us 2 nights! (We brought deli, wraps and other goodies as “back up.”). She charged $35 per person and was well worth it. We had a wonderful meal on the balcony and the hotel staff went above and beyond to accommodate.
Rasham picked us up promptly at 10am and drove us to the Atlas Mountains. On our way, we had some “traffic” from the sheep, donkey and camel crossings. We stopped by a “Berber house,” to see how the original Morrocans live and how over 60% of the population lives today, in clay and straw houses.
The Atlas Mountains were everything we thought they’d be and more. We hiked up to gorgeous waterfalls, through souks and met some very entraining “entrepreneurs!”
After our amazing and quite rigorous hike, we changed and went to the YSL museum and Majororelle Garden. It was really incredible to see YSL’s original sketches, his amazing career accomplishments and beautiful collection of gowns through the stunning exhibits.
The gardens were simply magnificent! From the vibrant colors to the detailed arch ways and interesting landscape, it was a photographers dream backdrop!
After a fun filled day we went back to the Four Seasons to relax and swim in their beautiful pool. Then it was off to bed because we had a 4am wake up call the next morning!
“ Marrakech by Air’s” driver picked up from the hotel at 4:30am and took us to literally the “middle of nowhere” to have some Moroccan mint tea before we ventured off on our hot air balloon ride to see sunrise over Marrakech. It was an incredible experience!! After the hot air balloon ride they took us to a fully morrocan decorated tent to enjoy a “Berber breakfast.” Then at 7am... we were off to go camel riding... so by 9:30am we were back at the hotel and felt like we had a full day! Nap time!!! We napped from 10-1 and then went to the La Mamounia hotel to check in for our “Hammam” spa treatment to see the magnificent hotel and grounds.
We then went back to the Jemma el Fna to be real tourists! No guide, just us and the map! It was a blast!!
Now, the icing on the cake, changing into our robes in the La Mamounia spa, waiting in the “relaxation room,” for our masseuses to come and give us the “Hammam” treatment. It was the most interesting “massage” we’ve ever received! That’s because it wasn’t a massage as all!! It was a fully body scrub that left our skin feeling super soft!!
Drinks by the La Mamounia bar with relaxing Moroccan music playing in the background, and a visit to the casino were the perfect ending to our incredible trip!
Special thanks to my wife for writing this trip report and for an amazing vacation!
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First course
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Moroccan Main Course
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La Mamounia Spa
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Hot Air Balloon