I tried this over in Africa/Mid East and got very little response. I recall someone getting rather more help over here.

To make it relevant, after a brief trip to Latvia,

We will have about eight days in late February to visit Morocco. I've come up with this tentative itinerary.

1. Arrive Casablanca from US. Connecting flight to Fes. Early PM arrival.

2. Fes. Day trip to Volubilis.

3. Car and Driver to Merzouga.

4. Night in the dunes.

5. Car and Driver towards Marrakech.

6. Arrive early pm. Marrakech.

7. Marrakech

8. Marrakech

9. Early am flight to Casablanca, Return to US.

So, does this look like a good way to divide the trip up?

Would departing for the dunes overnight directly on arrival from Fes make more sense then leaving the next day, presuming we stay at someplace like the Desert Inn in Erfoud? Or should we spend an extra day in Fes?

It looks like driving directly to Marrakech from Merzouga would be a very long day. What would be a good place to spend the night enroute? Is it too much of a gamble to expect the mountain passes to be open at that time of year?

Would appreciate hotel suggestions. We'd like to stay in or very near the medinas in medium or larger hotels. target budget would be about $200 a night although less is welcome and we can splurge if we have to.

Car and driver suggestions also welcome.

Appreciate the help.

I would not leave out Meknès.

Rabat is a nice place to visit; the old city in Fez (the medina) should not be missed. It has been six years since I was there but then Morocco was cheap with a capital C. Absolutely facinating place to visit.

Pausanias:

Just a few adjustments....you seems to be givjng Fes short shrift..not good. It is a moist remarkabke and unique place...I would spend at least one more day there and take away a day from Marrakech if necessary..or add an extra day to the entire trip. Fes is so fascinating in and around the UNESCO medina!

As for car and driver...do it yourself...I've driven all over the country with rental cars...easy well-signed driving and complete independence. Petrol readily available.

Stay in Ouarzazate overnight rather than trying to make Marr. in one day from Erfoud...long, long day. Try the La Berebere Palace in Ouarzazate...very beautiful lodgings.

In Fes, The Sofitel Palais Jamai is tops...and probably around the $200 mark these days...the view over the medina is classic..from your balcony.

I don't think you have to worry about the passes..the only long, winding high-altitude pass will be from Ouarzazate to Marr..but it is well maintained and snow will be cleared before any of the lesser driven passes over the Atlas range. Enjoy!

Stu T.

excuse typos....in first pargraph "most" certainly not "moist"...and "remarkable"..probablyothers, too. And to think I'm a writer!

Stu T.

Years ago, I stayed & dined at Palais Jamai in Fes (not Sofiotel then). Ever since then I have been trying to find a recipe for the Chicken dish: It was cooked with lemons and currants (I believe). I tried something similar with Pheasant and it worked out fine: no 'gamey' taste.

Ifrane, a town in the Moyen Atlas near Meknes & Fes should definitely qualify for a visit in February. I drove up from Rabat and got stuck in the snow there. I found it to be really unusual when a 'local' shoveled my car out of the snow.

In Marrakech, I recommend the Mamounia!

Thanks --more responses here in an afternoon than I got in days over on Africa.

Tower --

Do you think it would be better to take a day for Fes from the Merzouga portion of the trip? In other words, drive down from Fes and immediately head into the desert? This would put two long days of driving back to back, but avoids cutting a day from Marrakech.

Nedsireland -- I believe the Mamounia is closed for renovations, but thanks.

Pausanias:

Yes, I would do anything to add an extra day in Fes at the Palais jamai...one night and one day in the Merzouga/Erfoud region would be fine.
But I would still highly recommned stopping in Ouarzazate en route Marr.

Nedsireland...Ifrane as a shocker..looks like Switzerland with all of the winter A-frames....yes, food at the Palais was superb..don't recall that chicken dish..but the pastilla...yum!

Pausanias...The Imperial Borj is a wonderful hotel walking distance from the main square and the medina of Marrakech....and by the way, Erfoud is a dusty outpost town with nothing much to recommend..Merzouga is a village near the biggest dune...Erg Chebbi..be sure to see it at dawn. Stay overnight at the Riad Salam, and rise at 4:30 to catch the sunrise on the Erg Chebbi dune.

Stu T.

Pausanias:

I left out Meknés to have somewhere to return to when I go back, but I know it will be worth the trip, so adding it might be a good idea, as Michael says.

You will definitely need a stop between Merzouga and Marrakech, which I think should be Ourzazate, a truly beautiful area.

I would use a car and driver, just because about 30 minutes away from the real desert (dunes and such), there are no roads and it is really hard to navigate. . . like sailing.

Marrakech is an amazing city and I would try to locate a hotel very near Djemaa el Fnaa plaza. Do not stay in Gueliz! Very boring compared to the Medina.

We had good luck booking riads in Marrakech and Essaouira through the following website:

http://www.riadsmorocco.com/

I used a combination of that website, tripadvisor.com and fodors travel talk to research specific riads, and then contacted riad owners through the website noted above. Everything worked out well.

Too bad you won't have time to go to Essaouira. We spent a few nights there, enjoying some luxurious and tranquil R&R, after a somewhat gritty trek through the mountains.

You people are great.

OK, so I'll spend an extra night in Fes.

Spend my one night in Merzouga in a desert tent. Anyone know a good outfit?

Spend a night in the Ourzazate area on the way to Marrakech.

I'll be checking out the hotel recs, too. Thanks so much.

P.

Pausanias, I would suggest checking out the reviews on the Jamaii hotel on Trip Advisor. It's not a bad place for a lunch/dinner splurge but quality has gone downhill since it became a Sofitel. Also, the latest craze in Fez is to stay in a Riad, Marrakesh as well where you have much more choice. But for your budget, you could stay in a sumptuous palace-like home right in the medina. Try also looking through the website of Alastair Sawday's "Special Places To Stay",a guide we've used in the past. Our favorite in Merzouga is Auberge Casbah Derkaoua, aka Chez Michel, or Kanz Erremal which has also got good reviews.

Pausanias:

I sent another OP some photos of Maroc and I would be happy to do the same for you or anyone else planning a trip there..just write me [email protected]

They're all pre-digital (1998-9)so I 've scanned and can e-mail easily.

Stu T.



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Pausanias- I received towers' pictures and they are really cool. Take him up on the offer!

I just got back from Morocco this week, and I'm with sebti on thinking you should stay in a riad rather than in the Palais Jamai. I checked it out because it's famous, but it feels like any other soulless hotel with a big pool and 200 rooms. It has a great view over the medina, but so does the breakfast terrace of most riads. For around the same price, look into La Maison Bleue

laclaire --

I did, you're right.

LaClaire and Pausanias: Thanks for kind words re: pix...my scanned photos..offer still stands for anyone contemplating "Maroc Exotique"

Stu T. [email protected]

Pausanias, in case you're looking for any other places around Fes that looked interesting, we recently booked for April with www.darseffarine.com which we liked the look of, due to the 600 yr old architecture. Then we saw it was very well rated on TripAdvisor too. They've been great to work with by email, but can't make a personal reco of my own yet (but if you go, then you can try it out for us, eh? lol). On the pics, there's a faint + or - in the corners of the pictures to advance to more pics, like the view from the terrace.