I can understand the revisits.

I have never seen anywhere so extremely different to our normal environment.

It’s disappointing that some locals see treat visitors as a cow to milk. I know it has been on people’s list since the 60s but Marrakesh is another example like Venice. It is busy for a reason.

We stayed at El Fenn for a very special birthday. It is owned by Vanessa Branson (Richard’s sister). It has the first impression of being very unwelcoming but it isn’t the staff are very warm people. If you wanted to visit book first or they will not let you in ! Also very good for star spotting if you are into that sort of thing.

How’s the weather in The Dor Dog Na ?

You mean the Dor Doyn? Miserable, frankly. Rainy, sleety, cold, gray, windy. We went from drought to floods almost overnight. But when the skies clear, if only briefly, it's a colorful place this time of year. We're going through piles of firewood.

The last time I was in Marrakech was also for a very special birthday, and I booked 4 nights at La Maison Arabe, which looks to be sort of on a par with El Fenn. I was absolutely bowled over by the level of hospitality Moroccans can provide. It was during Ramadan, which made for some interesting twists, but interesting twists is, to me, a lot of what Morocco is about. I took my one and only cooking class at La Maison Arabe, and it was the first time I'd ever plucked a pigeon - no doubt the last as well. Speaking of star spotting, not really my thing, but it was impossible not to notice at dinner at La Maison Arabe, especially with every delivery of the wine trolley, that the American Ambassador was having a torrid affair with the owner. Even the waiters were embarrassed.

I will certainly call El Fenn in advance for breakfast reservations. My BFF, who will be traveling with us, has a birthday during our stay and deserves a nice surprise like that.

In addition to Marrakech we will be visiting Essaouira and Taroudant and venturing up into the Atlas mountains and out to an oasis or two. Not sure what to expect as far as weather, but we'll be prepared and are always willing to re-arrange plans. I am looking forward to showing this magical land to my DH, who has never been.

Yes Dor Doyn!

But Dor DOG Na in our household after our silly dog.

Your trips to Morocco sound great.

The evening meals at El Fenn aren’t outstanding. For my wife’s birthday meal we ate at......Maison d’Arabe. The most enjoyable meal we have ever had. Not the best food ( that’s Hostellerie de Plaisance in Saint Emilion) but the setting round the pool and the service edged the overall lifetime exeperience.

We would love to go up to the mountains but the next two years of February half terms are planned.

Just one thought : does the Dordogne flood or is it controlled by the Hydro electric system?

It appeared to be very vulnerable to flooding.

There are 9 hydroelectric facilities along the Dordogne (Dams and lakes along the Dordogne River - Dordogne Valley Travel), but that doesn't mean it doesn't flood. Water can rise so fast no facility can quell it. I can remember crossing the narrow little bridge at Lalinde some years back and seeing a massive tree trunk come hurtling down the river and slam into the bridge just in front of me - the bridge was at that point only a couple of feet above the top of the water...and that wasn't far from one of the hydroelectric plants. EDF, the major electric company, tries its best to explain how these plants may minimize, but don't eliminate, flooding - https://www.edf.fr/en/edf/safety-0

The Vézère is another story. It floods easily and often. One of our workers this morning had to rush off to help someone who'd driven down to the banks of the Vézère to go fishing. The river was rising rapidly, so he turned back, only to find that the brakes on his car were malfunctioning and he couldn't drive out to the main road. Further, barriers had already been placed across the main road barring drivers from using it. Our worker managed to tow him out to dry ground, get him past the barriers, and temporarily fix his brakes.

We'll probably just do El Fenn for breakfast. I've got a list of much less elegant places in Marrakech I want to try for lunches and dinners (though those Moroccan breakfast sometimes last me pretty much all day). I'll be happy to have a bowl of harira in the jemaa el fna, a kefta tagine at the Henna Café, or whatever the Café Clock or Kasbah Café is serving.

I really like Lalinde, it feels as it is .., on the border of the Dordogne and the posh vineyards of the Gironde. We may base ourselves there next summer. We just need to find the perfect area to go to the vineyards, Dordogne and the coast of the Gironde over a two week trip.

i just don’t think that place exists!

I’m not sure when you last visited Marrakesh but here’s my trip report :

1. Don’t eat at Nomad : it’s a tourist trap with cold food.
and that’s it.
2. Don’t take photographs of Muslims, it is deeply insulting to some of the older generations, no matter how photogenic they appear.

The rest was really great fun.

If you want to be near Lalinde, I can suggest a few places, including a wine ch teau run by a friend of ours. But they're not near "the posh vineyards of the Gironde," but rather near the not-so-posh vineyards of the Bergerac area. Not sure such a place exists, either.

We do know about photography customs and will avoid the Nomad. Thanks.

Or buy one ahead of time e.g. the Dutch Vodafone SIM from eBay. For use in Europe, anyway...

We use google maps for driving and walking. It has taken us down goat paths and to the wrong place upon occasion, but so what? Overall it is pretty reliable. I esp like having Siri provide the directions as we drive. It allows me as the navigator to actually enjoy the scenery instead of having my nose stuck in a map. Even with gps availability, I must have a paper map. They are esp useful when planning the routing to ensure you arent taken to that goat trail, unless you want to go.

StCirq--hi there! We were in Marrakech as well as Essaouira and Taroudant & driving the Atlas mountains thru Tizi n'Test this past spring. Surprisingly the gps did fairly well in most of Marrakech including in the medina, not so great in Fez. Driving with it was fine with a few exceptions. Have a great trip.

Thanks, yestravel! We are SO looking forward to Morocco! We won't be driving on this trip, so no need for gps, and if we get lost in the souks, we don't care! There's always a minaret as a landmark:)