Thinking of catching a bit of sun in February. Haven't been there since the 70s. Questions:
Do you still get continually hassled by wannabe 'guides'?
Availability of alcohol?
Any recommendations for a budget hotel that is central?
How easy is it to get currency/cashpoints?
Does EVERYTHING involve haggling?
Best way to transfer from airport to Square of the Dead?
Do western women get hassled for their appearance?
Any informed opinions/info would be gratefully received.
yes constantly
plenty of hotels and cafes, but very expensive
stay in a riad, other than that we got a good deal on the Sofitel
we had no problems at all
Yes definately, things also alot cheaper the further away you go from the main square / market area
we just got a taxi, was cheap enough for 2 of us
a bit, but my wife didnt get too bothered by it, so long as you dress sensibly and appreciate their culture and beliefs
Yes, but they have been clamped down on and a lot better than 10-15 years ago.
Yes - in hotels
Loads in medina - Riad Magellan and Riad Slawi - google them - have stayed in both and both recommended.
Cash machines everywhere including the airport although airport ones are busy
Yes - integral to the culture.
Get a taxi. Actually quite walkable although not worth the hassle.
As above - a bit but not really. Plenty walking about in skimpy western clothes so no real hassle in the medina. Further afield, dress conservatively.
Great city - have visited many times although not so much for the city itself - more en route to the mountains or the desert.
Place Jemaa el Fnaa at night back in September
Yes
Alcohol is readily available
Can't recommend anywhere a I can't remember where we were. Sure it was a "4*" hotel. It was nice and suprisingly cheap.
Easy to get money, plenty of cash machines
You need to haggle over everything.
We were there as a group only one girl got hassle, dark skin, revelaing clothes, smoking in public. Everyone else was fine.
You can get an easy jet flight there now, it's takes me about as long to fly there as it does to drive down to London. It's lost a lot of its charm according to people I know who went there decades ago. Still nice but lots of tourists (like me).
great place but as above its always been on route to mts or desert.
its a totally different kettle of fish to 15 yrs ago when i first went- much less hassle though haggling is still mandatory. women will be fine so long as they are sensible. there are 'tourist' police that are there to protect the tourists and can issue 90 days in prison for anyone caught hassling a tourist.
personally i dont like all this - i like the world to be different, unusual and a bit scary but thats 'progress' for you
i like the hotel souria but im not into posh hotels- i cant remember the address but its right next to the turkish baths 2min walk from the square.
last time i was there was 3 yrs ago while on my way to the festival au desert in Timbuktu
Can also recommend Riad Julia. If you do stay there, make sure you eat there at least once, the food is great.
For cut-price accommodation, Hotel Ali is a popular backpackers place and is decent (or was when I last stayed there).
Well, thanks all. I shall start checking out flights and these recommended places to stay this weekend.
The last time we went I was offered 20 camels for my wife...
I am sure there's a joke about humps there..
We got loads of hassle and almost had some issues when one of our group decided to take a photo of a spice stall in the centre without asking permission - it all kicked off, but luckily a local stepped in - to be fair that was our fault though not being 'travel wise' at that time.
Great place though - we ended up going to a banquet in an amazing hall somewhere hidden down loads of narrow alleys - can't for the life of me tell you where this was or what it was called, but it was very surreal!
Funny I was just looking at cheap flights for New year.
Any one experience a Marrakesh new years eve?
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