Morocco Travel Blog | The First Capital - Fes

Uploaded by Mariam Shibly on 2018-02-07.

Fes is a beautiful city surrounded by the Mid Atlas Mountains. I've never seen such an industrial city so well protected with forts outlining the city every couple miles or so. It really gives you a historical vibe and makes you ponder how it was decades ago.

How do you get here?  There are direct flights to Fes and all sorts of transportation available to this industrial city. We took the sleeper train from Marrakech, which took about 8 hours to reach Fes and stayed for two days and three nights, which was enough to conquer this small close-knit city. You can purchase train tickets and have them delivered online to you here. 

Restaurant Bouyad is a local restaurant really close to our riad Palai Amani. This friendly cozy spot serves the best tender lamb tangine you'll ever find.

• When: lunch or dinner

• Cost: about 80-100 dirhams so $8-$10 for the both of us

• Who: very personable staff - his mom actually does all the cooking and all the children and sibling serve the food

• Duration: food takes about 10-15 minutes to serve

• Tips: order lamb tangine, the chicken b'stilla and some mint tea!

• My personal experience: We fell in love with lamb tangine so we came back the next day for dinner and the host was so excited to see us again. I noticed this across Morocco, but whenever we did like something and came back it would always put the biggest smile on their faces :) and yes because it was just that damn good.

Souks in Fes, oh boy. Fes has the second largest city of Souks (the first one is in Casa Blanca). If you're looking to buy authentic hand-made quality this is the city to buy it in. Things will be a lot more expensive because it is very detailed with hand work and on top of that Fes is an industrial city that serves tourism.

• Tips: You can either book a guide or go through it yourself, but warning since we did it ourselves we got terribly lost (so get a map and use as many things as you can to help you). Also note that if you do agree to a guide they'll take you to the stores that they get commission out of your purchases. So you can help out the locals if you'd like, but beware that some of them take you to the most expensive souks and try to bargain with you. Hence, feel free to venture past that and deeper into the souks for a decent price.

• My personal experience: We ended up getting help from a young boy and gave him a little tip in exchange. In the Medina you can easily end up in the poor residential area to the busiest part of the souk, there's so many turns and alleys it's hard to keep up so fair warning!

Morocco Travel Blog | Palais Amani Riad - Fes

Palais Amani is the beautiful boutique hotel we stayed at known as the riad. It is actually well known among the locals because it used to be a residence of a prestigious and wealthy family. It's located by the souks, easy enough to find by car, but definitely tricky when you're coming from the souks.

• When: Fes is up North and gets pretty chill towards the night, so I recommend coming here late Spring - Early Fall

• Cost: about $200 a night

• Who: very friendly staff - contact available at Palai Amani

• Duration: 3 nights and 2 days was plenty for us

• Tips: breakfast is usually included and very tasty, their mint tea is great. Let them know if you want dinner prepped (they'll usually ask) because kitchens close at 9-10 pm and so do a lot of restaurants in Fes

• My personal experience: The riad is gorgeous and the staff are very friendly. We stayed in the Blue Room and loved it, they probably had one of the best showers in Morocco. We had enough time to experience the luxury hamam which was really nice ($66 per person). They do try to provide everything for you so that you don't have to go through other services. So whenever you ask "where is [insert the impossible]" they'll almost always respond with "oh we have that here!" So take advantage of it, but be cautious of some the higher rates they charge. Definitely book the panoramic tour of Fes with a driver with them. The usual rate is for a full day, but ask for half a day that's plenty to see the best about Fes including what's left of the Tomb, Jewish gate, King's palaces and a textile factory.

Luxury Hammam is a special spa service known as a "Turkish bath" which consists of a body scrub and wash. You won't be able to find this kind of spa service for such a good deal except overseas so take advantage!

• When: most places can do it from 10 am till evening hours

• Cost: since this was luxury and offered by our riad it was about $66 a person for the traditional hammam experience

• Who: our riad arranged locals to come and do the Hammam on us in their downstairs Hammam sauna/steam room (which was extremely nice and hot)

• Duration: since it was luxury and just us two (simultaneously) it took them about almost two hours

• Tips: don't take a shower before hand because you don't want your body to be dry and definitely do it on a day where you plan to just relax

• My personal experience: it was our first time and I was stunned. I've always heard so much about it and couldn't wait to try it. First they took us into a room stirpped me down to your underwear (they do it for you - relax it's in an appropriate manner for both you and your husband) then they soak your hands and feet in a warm bucket of water. They lather on some type of clay mud soap on you and they put a hair mask on us and took us into the steam room. The steam room had a Moroccan fountain running with hot water and after 10-15 minutes of time. Meanwhile, they would wash us down as we lay there on hot stoned benches and then scrub us down again and continue the process for over an hour. After they're done scrubbing you (you were basically squeaky clean), they took us to showers (individually) and helped us cleanse our bodies (you do your own private parts). These ladies even shampoo'ed and conditioned my hair for me and then tied it in a braid. Afterwards they pamper you and dry you. You're given robes so you can chill in another room with your partner and some delicious mint tea. We loved it and probably slept for the rest of the day. It was amazing and very much well needed.

Morocco Travel Blog | University of Al-Karaouine - Fes

University of Al-Karaouine is the oldest university in the world and located right in the heart of the Medina. It also serves as a mosque so feel free to head your way there to pray.

• When: Muslim prayer times

• Cost: there is a small high suggested donation/sadaqah expected

• Who: Muslims only - Also someone there will notice you're foreign and will run to help you and direct you where to pray and where to do wudu

• Duration: to pray in jamaat go right when the athan happens or you can pray on your own

• Tips: girls cover your head as soon as you start approaching the mosque. Also, do wudu in the fountain (if you're male it's the beautiful one outside and for females its inside, but still pretty)

• My personal experience: we had a sweet elderly man run up to us and greet us. He directed me to where females go and slowly as I asked them all saying wudu and the gestures they all pointed to downstairs to a fountain. I was confused because in America fountains are for decor right, no one actually washes their face in them. Not in Morocco, after I did wudu I caught my husband doing wudu as well, but the men get to use the beautiful one that's outdoor. These fountains are gorgeous and really make you feel clean and refreshed. After I prayed, a couple of ladies were watching me and one of them started making conversation with me in Arabic. I was used to at it this point, but we both tried our best to convey messages in my half ass Arabic and French, and her understanding my hand gestures. It worked for the basics and then we laughed when it got complicated as nothing could be conveyed, but that's the fun part just two people talking with a huge language barrier and all you have are the humanity basics.

Morocco Travel Blog | Textile Factory - Fes

Uploaded by Mariam Shibly on 2018-02-07.

Textile Factory is the place to visit for one of the main industries in Morocco and mostly what they're known for. It's an interesting and very delicate process you should definitely checkout.

• When: not sure of the hours, but early morning to afternoon they're definitely working

• Cost: included as part of the panoramic tour ($44 for half day); it's hard to get to these factories without a tour guide, which your riad host can assist you with finding one

• Who: Art D'Argile

• Duration: casual half hour tour

• Tips: just to be safe don't wear white in case you want to try making some of the pottery and bring some money (and lots of it) if you want to buy the most authentic Moroccan work - this is definitely the place for it

• My personal experience: The man we met was the manager of the factory, which exists for over 30 years and is very proud of it. They got my husband to try out some of the pottery making, which was pretty cool and walked us through the delicate process afterwards. We thought we'd be able to keep the little plate he made, but it's a process that takes days so unfortunately they kept it. The workers are very sweet and be prepared for a sales pitch at the end ;)

Morocco Travel Blog | The Blue Pearl - Chefchouen

Uploaded by Mariam Shibly on 2018-02-07.

Chefchouen is hands down, my favorite part about Morocco (second favorite next to the Sahara Desert I suppose, but you can actually live here). It's a small city known as the Blue Pearl, up North in the Riff Mountains painted in all shades of blue. Yes, the streets, the walls, the homes, anything they can paint will be in a variety of blue. It's beautiful and amazing also because blue is our favorite color.

Asides from the natural beauty, the people here are the second best part about this city. They are so hospitable and chill. They aren't up tourists' butt and let us do our own thing. They patiently wait to the side for you to finish up your picture in their alleys or even offer to take one for you. Chouens give a hand whenever they can and on top of it, they're always giving their best.

How do you get here? There is no direct flight to Chefchaouen. You can take a five hour bus ride from Fes like we did or a two hour bus ride from Tangier. Either way, it's a bit of drive, but absolutely worth it.

Casa Hassan Tissemlal is a "formal" restaurant nearby Casa Perlata with probably the best food in Chefchouen or better yet all of Morocco.

• When: opens for dinner around 8:30 pm so make sure you call ahead before walking over there to see if they're open for lunch/dinner

• Cost: entrees cost around 30-70 dirhams plus dessert which is around 20-50 dirhams, so basically a meal for two of us cost a little less than $30

• Who: the restaurant is a part of the Casa Hassan hotel riad, ask the locals for directions on how to get here (it's pretty simple once you find out how to get there)

• Duration: takes about less than 20 minutes for them to fire up your food so pretty average wait

• Tips: order the steak! It was so flavorful and delicious and it's hard to find steak in general without it being in tagine so definitely take advantage.

• My personal experience: Our riad staff gave us this recommendation and we took their word on it for being the best. Once again our staff was on point and that was probably the most flavorful food we've had in Morocco. The steak was our favorite. It was so tender and juicy, ugh we really wish we had more nights to eat dinner there. We'd definitely come back to this restaurant, probably eat there every other night on our next visit.

Lecheria Sadiki is the best smoothie stand you'll ever find and I can bet probably in all of Morocco as well.

• When: we found out when we were leaving in the AM that this amazing smoothie stand does not open until evening hours

• Cost: about 20-30 dirhams so $2 or $3 (amazing!)

• Who: a stand just run by young dudes

• Duration: takes about 5-10 minutes for it to be made

• Tips: get the Zaza mixed fruit drink, you'll never taste anything as good and fresh as that!

• My personal experience: we were talking to our riad host, Simo who was just gulping this smoothie down so we asked him where to get that. Turns out you can also get egg and cheese sandwiches there too where were pretty good, but the drinks are way better! I've never had avocado milk smoothie before, but this is definitely now my favorite smoothie! They put other fresh fruits in there as well with some chocolate syrup, you can't beat this. I was determined to get this drink again before we left Chechouen, but that's when we found out the hard way they're only open in the evening :( so get as much of it as you can!

Morocco Travel Blog | Casa Perlata Riad - Chefchouen

Casa Perlata is the boutique hotel, also known as a riad, that we stayed at. They're owned by two young brothers who are extremely hospitable. Actually everyone in that riad is very personable and generous. 

• When: open year round

• Cost: double room for about 55€ so about $62 a night (this price includes breakfast and taxes)

• Who: feel free to contact the awesome hosts Simo or Ismail at info@casaperleta.com

• Duration: we stayed here for 2 nights and 3 days, but you can easily stay a lot longer especially if you pack light!

• Tips: pack light for this small city, pack a pair of hiking clothes, a jacket or cardigan for the chilly nights and summer outfits for the sunny days

My personal experience: It's a really cozy and a cute riad. It's not luxurious, but it's very homely and we loved it. The rooms are tiny, but what do you expect in a small city up in the mountains? The staff are extremely personable, we actually adored the hosts Simo and Ismail who are brothers. We would come to them with our questions of where to eat, how to get anywhere, our problems of when the bus station ran out of bus tickets and we needed a driver, and especially a favor they helped with the most, a hike to the Ackour Waterfalls in the Rif Mountains. Simo and Ismail basically said either of us will come with you guys along with a driver and do the hike with you! Yes that's how sweet and hospitable they are. (Follow up with the Ackour Waterfalls post for more details). All their recommendations were on point and they left us with the best driver to take us back to Fes' train station. I just have to put a short spiel about the driver because he was absolutely the coolest. Both on the way to the Rif mountain hike and to Fes, he pointed out everything that we should know about. He even stopped on the way to grab us fresh pomegranate from the locals. He was a speedy, yet very cautious driver. We even had a bit of car trouble on the way (bless his car with our obnoxious luggage) and he had a convenient tool box to manage us to get us to the next gas station and resolved it. Bottom line, we were beyond content with our stay here and would definitely come back to this riad!

Morocco Travel Blog | Spanish Mosque - Chefchouen

Spanish Mosque is one of the most historic monuments of this city sitting on top of a ruined hill. The trail begins near the Eastern gate called Bab Al-Ansar.

• When: open all year long as long as there's no snow covering the trail

• Cost: free

• Who: the Spanish built the mosque for the local population during the Rif war when they seized this city. The people refused to use it and now is it just an abandoned building, no one has actually prayed in it

• Duration: it's a steep incline path to get to the Spanish mosque takes you about 20-30 minutes starting from the beginning of the trail. It's a great workout

• Tips: sunglasses for the bright sun, maybe even a sun hat and a water bottle

• My personal experience: I casually walked up there in a dress and leggings so it's not a real hike. The path is basically made for you, it's just some incline to battle with. We had fun walking up there and got some great pics overlooking the blue city. It is truly one spectacular view of Chefchouen.

Morocco Travel Blog | Ackour Waterfalls - Chefchouen

Uploaded by Mariam Shibly on 2018-02-07.

If you're visiting Chefchouen, you must make a trip to the Rif Mountains or else you're missing out on half the beauty. It's about a half hour drive from the blue city and very easy to find drivers especially through your hotel or riad.

• When: Spring or Summer is the best time to visit so you can take a dive into these waterfalls!

• Cost: the drive there and back will usually cost you around 400 dirhams and a guide which you will definitelly need, costs 400 dirhams as well. So about $80 total for the both of us

• Who: we went with our riad host, Ismail and his reliable driver

• Duration: usually takes about 4 hours, but our guide told us we were the first ones to make the whole trip in 2.5 hours (because we didn't take our sweet time with lunch at the top)

• Tips: learn the city's secret and wear blue to avoid insects, old gym shoes and a spandex hiking outfit - incline is high, be ready to slip left and right

• My personal experience: I was really psyched about this since we heard a lot of interesting things about Rif Mountains, how beautiful they are and how crazy the hasish plantation owners are. We definitely experienced the beauty of the Rif Mountains throughout our drive and hike into the waterfalls, but definitely no hostility from the locals - maybe because our guide knew them pretty well. This was probably one of the toughest and steepest hikes I've ever done. I've never had to river hop so often, but it was so much fun! Each river was so beautiful and exciting to cross with the vast stepping stones to choose from. I slipped a couple times so make sure you bring gym shoes with good grip! I've also never climbed sand before so that was interesting and quite hilarious. It's a great workout and every part of the way is just gorgeous and filled with surprises. You hike up a couple levels and suddenly you find yourself in a cornfield (yeah so random but this is what I mean!). We got to the waterfall pretty fast and we went early in the morning so we on the way there we had it all to ourselves and I'm glad. The waterfall is stunning! I wish it was warm enough for us to take a dip, but it was still beautiful to experience. Enjoy the hike, it's worth all that effort!