rhkkmk

can anyone suggest a personal guide to the many workshops, shops and warehouses of marraketch?

thanks

thursdaysd

What do you want the guide to do? While you can get a bit lost in the souk, it's not that hard to get unlost - it's nothing like as big and confusing as Fez. Any guide in Morocco will be getting commissions.

Leslie_S

There's a lot more activity on the Morocco forum on TA. Altho' difficult to read sometimes because so many of the posters are touts.

If you're staying at a high-end riad they should be able to hook you up with a guide that wouldn't simply take you to his cousins' shops.

If you're going after May I'll be writing a trip report then on a trip we're taking & will discuss guides. Hopefully recommendable!

thursdaysd

"Altho' difficult to read sometimes because so many of the posters are touts." - probably why there's more activity there. Fodors does a good job of getting rid of them.

Leslie_S

Yeah, agree. But if you take the time to weed out the junk there is some helpful info on TA. Maybe not so much the hotel reviews, as you well know!

I wish there was more Morocoo info on fodors - I much prefer to hang out here.

Marko

Leslie, a good point, not a lot on here.shame really.

kmkrnn

Leslie..we don't go until next Feb, so will look for your trip report. If you do come across any outstanding guide please get their contact info. Thanks

Marko

We will be there at the beginning of May, if we find anything we will post it.

jodo

Bob, are you planning a trip to Morocco? We're also considering. Email us at home.
jodo....Joyce and Don

Bucerias

I went to Marrakech in February 2010 and loved the souks...really didn't feel that a guide was necessary. They are fairly easy to navigate (and I was even on crutches because of a fracture sustained on the way to the airport)and getting "lost" was part of the intrigue. Many guidebooks have simple "maps" of the different areas of the souks. We were able to communicate with several craftsmen and really didn't feel hassled.

Smeagol

Bob
Don't have a guide they will take you to "their" places anyway (we have one for a short time and we actually felt he hampered our enjoyment as it was clear we were being led to all his mates places.....) As someone else said if your Riad/hotel is any good they will be able to tell you were to go. Part of the fun is just wondering anyway.

ekscrunchy

I agree--you do not need a guide in Marrakech and you certainly do not need to line one up in advance. In my opinion, a guide there would be helpful only to help keep other guides and pests at bay. For that, you can find one on the spot--perhaps a youngster..

Femi

No trouble finding guides, you'll have more of them than you want (and then some) as you try to soak up the scene. I think it may be difficult to find a guide who is not working on commission. Let us know how things turn out.

rhkkmk

thanks

rhkkmk

i'm looking for tong in morrocco

Femi

I'm sure s/he exists, but so far has managed to remain hidden. I would start with contacting the hotel.

Morocco holds the record in my books for most number of attempts at rip-offs/cons. That being said, having a guide/driver assigned to me made things a lot easier. An obvious personal relationship with a local made me less of a target.

Femi

Have you seen this thread?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...or-morocco.cfm

cquinn819

Do you mean Tong as in Bangkok? She was a great guide! We had the best trip ever. We had a great guide in Morocco too - who we will be using again when we return this year. He is Mark Willenbrock. www.madaboutmorocco.com

But I'm sure you will be flooded with recommendations.

jgg

"i'm looking for tong in morrocco" - LOL!! I look for her everywhere too!! We've found some good guides around the world, but no one quite up to Tong!!

jgg

Oh, and Leslie I agree with you, I much prefer to hang out here, but when planning trips to certain places in the world TA does seem to be more active.