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Review of the Tour Companies
We originally booked a tour with Sarah Tours, but we eventually learned
(after we arrived) that they subcontracted us to Relations Tours. First off,
Mohammed Masrour (masrour5@hotmail.com) made this the trip of a lifetime. I
can't say enough for this kind, smart, and extremely eager to please man.
His boss, Brahim Laaboussi of Relations Tours (b_laaboussi@yahoo.fr) was
also on top of things. He met with us in person twice and was in constant
contact with Mohammed, ensuring that all was well. Our experience with Sarah
Tours was not nearly as good. The owner is located in the USA. This made him
easy to approach before the trip, but impossible to reach during the trip.
We made our agreement in the beginning with the Sarah Tours operator that
included full board. However, this tidbit was not conveyed to anyone in
Morocco, and so we ended up paying for some of our meals. Full board on
Sarah Tours ended up translating to full board at the hotel, where the cost
could easily be charged to the tour company. We did our shopping day with a
Sarah Tours guide, and not even he was told that our meals were included. We
ended up at a relatively expensive (but ohh soo good!) restaurant, but had
to pay.
However, I would recommend Salim as a Fes Medina guide without reservation.
He hooked us up with true quality vendors. It was not the crap that abounds
at the souk. However, be prepared to spend good money to get good quality.
While in Morocco, we didn't hear from the Sarah Tours operator once.
Fortunately, Brahim was in town representing his company. Overall, I'd
recommend working with Relations Tours directly and cutting out the
middle-man. They are good enough for Sarah Tours to subcontract to, and they
gave us the experience of a lifetime on this trip. However, I have nothing
against Sarah Tours because without them, I'd never have met Mohammed, and
they made it easy to get to Morocco (though it's not that hard if you want
to try).
My Wife's Tips for Morocco
1. Bring a French/English Dictionary
2. Biodegradable camping T/P. Your bathroom may be a toilet with a bidet, a
Turkish bath, or the great outdoors.
3. Camping Towels
4. Flashlight
5. No headwear needed if you are worried about religious persecution
6. If you travel in the winter, the homes have no heat
7. When shopping, it is OK to say no and walk out. Walking out is the only
way because as long as you are there, there will be constant sales pitch.
Walking out helps negotiations.
8. When bargaining, go less than half of the initial offer. The lower you
start, the lower the final price.
9. There are no double-sheets on most beds (except the 3-star hotels for the
tourists). Consider a silk sleeping bag if this bothers you.
10. You must ate! You must ate! It is the only way to make your Moroccan
hosts happy.
11. You should stick to bottled water. You also can attempt the pharmacist's
recommendation (that worked for us) of employing a daily regimen of 2-pepto
tablets three to four times a day. However, Salads are often cooked, so no
need to worry about that. Moroccans also peel their apples, so you're fine
there as well.
12. Drink Tea. The sugar alone is enough to keep you going through the
toughest moments of culture shock and constant movement of travel.
13. Don't go to Morocco if you are a diabetic, vegetarian, or on the Atkins
diet.
14. They don't use washcloths.
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