Castle Hotels of Morocco (11 days)

An 11 Day Private Tour of Morocco
with a sea side extension to Essaouira
Your Tour of Morocco Includes:
Casablanca, Essaouira, Marrakech, Rabat, Meknes, Fes
And a home hosted dinner. Choose your own travel date

Tour the Imperial cities as the grand Vizier would have! The grace and splendor of the Orient, traditional Arab hospitality, and the fine service and amenities of a boutique hotel all come together in the Moroccan Riad.

This 11-day package affords a sampling of these unique accommodations, along with an array of unforgettable experiences, ranging from train and camel rides to dinner in the home of a local family. Plus the sea side stay at Essaouira. Tour starts daily, year round in Morocco.

Subject to availability, your Riad / Hotel may have a Hamam
The Hammam for the Moroccans is a traditional relaxing and restorative steam bath. Compare with the 14-day El Jadida Beach Resort Version, the 11-day Ultra Deluxe edition with luxury camping in the Sahara, or the 7 days version.

DAY 1 – Tour starts Daily in CASABLANCA. Year Round
You arrive in the Kingdom of Morocco, landing at Casablanca, our staff greets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Sample for deluxe hotels: Royal Anfa hotel or similar 5 stars.

DAY 2 – The Moroccan Atlantic Coast to EASSAOUIRA (BLD)
Morning tour of the Grand Mosque of Hassan II, before we drive along the Atlantic coast heading south for Essaouira. Lunch is included enroute. Late afternoon arrival. With the remainder at leisure to enjoy exploring with guide at hand, this sleepy seaside town: the hotel, Sofitel Mogador or similar. Dinner is included at the hotel.

DAY 3 – ESSAOUIRA (BL)
Breakfast is included at the hotel daily.Today we enjoy a tour of Essaouira, a charming fishing harbor. Renowned for generations for its production of “Murex”, a small shellfish used to make the purple dye for Roman togas, Essaouira is now a very active fishing harbor, with some Portuguese character who settled here in the 16th century. Later on Sultan Mohamed Ben Abdellah used it as a base for his corsairs. Today, protected from the sea and the wind behind its commanding fortified medieval walls, Essaouira shelters a flourishing craftsmanship in marquetry, working wood with ebony, mother of pearl and silver thread to make tables, chessboards, caskets and bracelets. We have included a seafood lunch, before heading back to the hotel. Remainder of the day is at leisure.

We were out at the port before 8 AM to see all of the activity. We have been there 3 times today, the boats and the fishermen are fantastic. The fishing boats range from small individual boats to large ones but none of these are huge commercial boats. For every one fisherman 5 more jobs are created. In Morocco…… Everyday we see “the next great thing”!
Kathy & John – Florida

DAY 4 – ESSAOUIRA (BLD)
Enjoying the spa and your hotel or venture out to explore the souks the decision is all yours.
Around noon, our local rep. will call on you and head out for lunch at a charming local restaurant, followed by a horse drawn carriage ride throughout Essaouira, with a stop at a local cafe for tea and local pastries. Dinner is included at a charming local restaurant.

DAY 5 – Marrakech (BLD)
Our local rep. will drive you back to Marrakech, lunch is included enroute or at the Riad / hotel in Marrakech and your accommodations at a Riad (sample for deluxe hotel / riad category: Riad Monceau, Riad Slitine or similar) or a hotel (based on your choices), where a traditional welcoming mint tea and a fruit basket await you. Your personal requirements and relaxation are foremost. This luxurious yet delightful Riads are usually a former palace, mansion, or large residential house restored to 1930s, 1940s grandeur. Dinner is included at a local Moroccan restaurant with Andalusian Moroccan music.

The Riad classical plan are substantial walls and orientation to a central patio with venerable trees providing a haven of peace in the midst of bustling Marrakech. Guests are accommodated in usually only five to ten guest suites, each with sitting area and the finest oriental appointments, fireplace (subject to the category you choose), air conditioning, and European-style dining room (subject to the category you choose). Some are with private terraces that provides a secluded window on the active life of romantic and mysterious Marrakech.

DAY 6 – Marrakech (BLD)
Full day today seeing Marrakech, including the Koutoubia, the landmark mosque of the city. Perhaps you’ll note its similarity to its sister tower, the Giralda of Seville, in Spain. You’ll continue to the Saadian Tombs, and the Bahia palace, built in the nineteenth century, with room after stately oriental room with intricate plaster work and finely detailed columns, and sedate hidden gardens. In the afternoon, you’ll discover the old city and always-lively Djemaa El Fna Square, populated by water sellers, magicians, peddlers, politicians, and animal tamers, who carry on an endless flurry of activities straight out of the middle ages. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. Dinner with folk dance at a local restaurant.

DAY 7 – Marrakech – Culinary Experience and a home hosted dinner (BLD)
This morning you’ll ride through Marrakech in a horse-drawn carriage. One of the special ways of understanding a culture is through its cuisines — not only sampling exotic tastes, but experiencing the preparation of dishes, how they figure in ritual and ceremony, and how they have grown out of the earth and traditions, we’ll proceed to the Ecole Hotelière, Marrakech’s own hospitality & Culinary Academy and training school, for a demonstration of the preparation of pastry-style doughs. We’ll stay for a lunch of salads, tagine of Maghdour kebab, and refreshing fruits.

Later, we’ll call on you to take you for your sunset camel ride, in the 13,000 acres of palm groves around Marrakech. You’ll finish the day with a memorable experience of Moroccan hospitality, dinner in the home of a Marrakech family in the old Medina.

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals. You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (T shirt, small souvenirs of your home town). This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Marrakech! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 8 – MARRAKECH, CASABLANCA, RABAT, MEKNES, FEZ (BLD)
We’ll pick you up in the morning and take you to the Marrakech railroad station. Tickets in a first-class compartment and lunch are provided. You’ll roll in comfort through stunning mountain scenery to Casablanca. Once you detrain, we’ll escort you to visit the Hassan II Great Mosque, a monument to Moroccan artisanry and architecture. Then we’ll continue to Rabat, the capital of the kingdom, where we’ll stop at the mausoleum of Mohamed V, built in the Spanish-Moorish style, and at the nearby Hassan Tower. We’ll continue by way of Meknes to arrive in the evening to Fez, and your accommodations at the Dar Ghalia Riad. A welcome mint tea and a fruit basket await you. In the heart of the Medina, the old city of Fez, Dar Ghalia is a palace that dates back to the seventeenth century, restored and selectively modernized to provide both traditional surroundings and modern comforts. The architecture of Dar Ghalia has been respected, resulting in a range of accommodations, from double rooms to apartments to suites to a Douiria, or separate guesthouse, with its Hammam, a traditional steam bath. A Moroccan-style breakfast is included, and other meals may be taken in the dining room, or on the terrace, with its superb panorama of the Medina. Dinner is included at the hotel. Sample deluxe hotels/riads: Riad Fes/Relais & Chateaux, Dar Ghalia Riad or similar hotel / riad.

Oh my gosh we just checked on to the Riad Fez, it is stunning and our suite looks like the bridal suite with fabulous lace curtIns and silk drapes. Pictures to follow. The planning of the itinerary has been perfect from the charm and sophistication of Riad Monceau to the natural elegance of Gazelle D’Or to the mountain beauty of the Cascade Hotel to the sounds of the waves crashing and the seagulls calling at the The Remparts to this exquisite hotel, Riad Fez. What a place to conclude our trip.

Akmed our guide and Moncif the driver are both outstanding. Akmed is the most caring, attentive and well informed guide we have had and we thought the Turkey and Egypt guides were fantastic. Moncif our driver has been just as great in his role as Akmed.

Thanks so much. Kathy and John

DAY 9 – FEZ- Volubilis (BLD)
Full day tour of Volubilis, once the capital of the Roman province of Mauritania Tingitania. Volubilis used to be one of the Roman Empire’s most remote outposts whose well-preserved and partially restored ruins date largely from 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, although the site was originally settled by Carthaginian traders in the 3rd century BC. Brief stop at the Moulay Idriss picturesque village before we head back for Fez. In the evening, you’ll enjoy dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in the old medina.

DAY 10 – FEZ- Walking Tour (BLD)
Put on your walking shoes this morning for a trip in time back to the ninth century, as we explore the old city of Fez. Its Medina and its labyrinth of souks have been declared a world cultural treasure. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

Your afternoon is free for relaxation or shopping or further exploration as you wish. Later, you will savor the benefits of the Hammam (included), the traditional relaxing and restorative steam bath at Dar Ghalia or similar. Dinner is included at your hotel.

DAY 11- Departure Fez – Casablanca Airport – (B)
We’ll call on you early in the day and escort you to Casablanca Airport. Bon Voyage.

Rates are per person in US $
	Deluxe Riad’s/Hotels	First Class Riad/Hotels	Tourist Class Riad/Hotels
In Triple Occupancy	US$ 4350	US$ 4040.	US$ 3690.
In Double Occupancy	US$ 4480.	US$ 4165.	US$ 3790.
In Single Occupancy	US$ 5720.	US$ 5188.	US$ 4860.

Your tour includes:

• Accommodation as described, three nights in suite at Riad Malika in Marrakech, and three nights in traditional room at Dar Ghalia in Fez, and the new Sofitel Mogador in Essaouira breakfast included. Dinner hosted in a local home in Marrakech
• Continental (B) or full breakfast (B) daily; set-menu dinner (D) as shown in the itinerary.
• Escorted guided sightseeing tours by air conditioned private motor coach as indicated in the itinerary, including all entry fees. Half-day horse-drawn carriage tour in Marrakech.Camel ride in Marrakech palm grove.
• All transfers within Morocco.
• First-class train ticket from Marrakech to Casablanca.
• Tea, mint tea or coffee upon arrival at your hotel in Casablanca on Day 1.

Not included:

• International airfares.
• Domestic airfares in Morocco.
• Drinks at meals
• Personal expenses
• Gratuities for local personnel
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance

What a great last day. We went to cooking school and yes John did it too! We got there and they promptly handed us our shopping baskets and off to the local market where we bought all of the ingredients including a live chicken the our chef picked out and had de-feathered and made ready for cooking.

John learned to chop!! It was a great way to spend out last day, thank you Omar for the itinerary!