A top tip I’ll share with anyone moving around a lot is to have a driver. We were recommended and introduced to Abdol last year and were delighted to meet him again for this trip! He not only drove us but also coordinated a lot of our visits and guides and he just made the trip seamless.
Flying into Tangier, we met Abdol and drove a rather grueling 4 hours; however, despite arriving bleary eyed into Fes at around 1am our moods were quickly lifted at the sight of our Riad. We stayed at Karawan Riad, centrally located inside the walls of the Medina, accessible only by foot. Our room was simply gorgeous. 20 foot ceilings, spread across two levels with three separate balconies. Needless to say we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow and we awoke bright an early in Fes to the sound of the call to prayer.
We spent our first day with an English speaking guide exploring some of the 9,000+ streets in the Fes Medina. We strolled through the narrow streets which were, you guessed it, narrow – so narrow in fact you had to turn sideways at points. We visited the tanneries and saw raw hides being dyed and explored the oldest university in Morocco as well as driving to higher points in the city for stunning views across the Medina. We snacked on local milkshakes and pastries in the medina to rebuild our strength before returning to our hotel – bags heavy with various purchases.
Dinner was spent at Palais Faraj – a beautiful white table cloth style restaurant with views over the city.
Day 2 was spent exploring the UNESCO World Heritage site of Volubilis, about 2 hours drive away from Fes. Volubilis is a partly excavated Berber-Roman city in the city of Meknes, believed to be the same age as Pompei. While much of the structure was rebuilt after a catastrophic earthquake, many of the mosaics remain intact and in exceptional condition. One particular area we both loved, was the washing station, which had grooves in the stone from years and years of people washing their clothing over the same spots. This felt pretty magical to run our hands over those same spots.
Returning to our hotel for much needed spa treatments we opted for the classic Moroccan hamman and were scrubbed to within an inch of our lives, removing any trance of fake tan either of us had applied in preparation for the trip.
Dinner was at Palais Amani, and we sat in the open air courtyard of the Riad, drinking wine and enjoying their fantastic food.
Before heading to our next stop, we spent the morning at a pottery class. We both attempted (me particularly badly) spinning the pottery wheel to create our masterpieces, which were predictably not good enough to even make the kiln. So instead we selected pre-made pieces and set about painting them in our own designs. This was much harder than it looked. We also learnt how to make a mosaic tile, placing the pieces and filling it with cement to create the world’s thickest coaster.
View from Dar Jasmine Hotel over the city of Chefchouen.
After our pottery masterclass we embarked on our journey to Chefchaouen, known for its striking blue washed buildings and cobbled medina. Originally the blue was made from indigo flowers, but today, to keep the custom alive, residents are offered incentives for painting their houses blue and the history of the town continues. We stayed at Dar Jasmine, known for its exceptional views over the city. The price for the views was a steep ascension of around 100 stairs to the hotel.
We spent the afternoon relaxing by the beautiful rooftop pool, not drinking wine, as the hotel was dry, googling where in Chefchaouen we could purchase wine. We found somewhere, all was well.
For our next full day in Chefchaouen, we explored the city with a local guide who took us to all the ‘insta worthy’ spots. I was worried it would feel touristy but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It felt largely untouched by tourism, and we saw plenty of local women selling oil and olives who had travelled down from the Rif mountains to sell their produce. It was so interesting seeing modern elements of life intertwined with such ancient practices. Our shopping flurry continued as we bought rugs (yes plural), shoes, trinkets and ceramics.
Dinner was spent at Bab Ssour, an initially terrifying restaurant from the outlook, but actually turned out to be one of our best meals of the trip. We were taken into the kitchen to meet the chef, and hand pick the fish we wanted which was all grilled and served with salad and rice. We chatted to all the waiters, snuck wine under the table and then wandered the medina a little tipsy buying yet MORE shoes.
Our next and final stop was too Tangier. On arrival, we were a little bit shocked. We’d gone from Moroccan magic to a proper city, with very few signs that we were even in Morocco and that felt disappointing – neither of us felt ready to leave the Moroccan charm yet! We checked into our hotel – Tazi Palace and headed straight to the spa. The Tazi Palace (as it says in the name) is a former Palace and feels like it. It is beautifully grand, with a stunning outdoor pool, multiple bars and restaurants and our room was absolutely beautiful with panoramic views of the city.
We spent the afternoon taking full advantage of the spa, bubbling away in the hot tub and going from steam room to sauna before ordering room service wine and drinking it in our hotel dressing gowns.
We drank fancy hotel cocktails in the ‘cigar lounge’ where people were actually smoking cigars and it made my eyes hurt, before a dinner in the city.
For our first full day in Tangier, and out final day in Morocco, we started off by heading to the Hercules cave. I was totally unprepared for what we were going to see. It was incredible. The cave was initially made naturally by waves, but then further developed by man, and at one point in time was home to some 1,000 people which is insane to imagine.
We then walked with a local guide to the old Medina of Tangier. I had low expectations of the Medina, given how beautiful Fes and Chefchaouen were but I was pleasantly surprised! The architecture is stunning – a true mix of Spanish, French and Moroccan architecture – which reflects the diverse population of the people that live there. We stopped off for mint tea and a bowl of olives at Cafe Hafa which had stunning views over the ocean.
We spent the afternoon back at our hotel treating ourselves to facials before a beautiful FINAL dinner at O’Saveur. A truly luxurious restaurant with outdoor courtyard (although it was a little chilly to eat outside) but the inside was honestly just as beautiful!
