La Mer, le Canal & les Pyrénées

I have been to Morocco once....we won't be rushing back!
 
After dropping our main bags off at the Onomo Hotel we headed to the airport for our flight to Marrakech.

As noted above I had booked J seats mainly for the extra luggage allowance which we now didn't need but what the heck. At check-in we asked if there was a lounge; yes there is one for international but not domestic was the answer. As it turned out there is a small lounge at the domestic departures area but apart from more comfortable chairs and free tea or soft drinks it wouldn't be worth visiting.

20241216_151947 medium.jpg


Departing the lounge we saw there was an economy bus and a business class bus. So we hoped on the business bus and off we went following the economy bus out to our aircraft, an ATR72, where the economy pax received priority boarding and those on the business bus boarded last. As most members would know, the ATRs load from the rear so we had to fight our way through the fully loaded Y cabin to reach our seats at the front of the plane. It's hard to imagine how you could get it more wrong.

Our seats:

20241216_170014.jpg


We did get a small drink and 3 small pastry things and then it was time to land.

20241216_172914 medium.jpg
 
EXCLUSIVE OFFER - Offer expires: 20 Jan 2025

- Earn up to 200,000 bonus Velocity Points*
- Enjoy unlimited complimentary access to Priority Pass lounges worldwide
- Earn up to 3 Citi reward Points per dollar uncapped

*Terms And Conditions Apply

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Arriving in Marrakech was a strange experience as, although we had arrived on a domestic flight from Casablanca, we had to pass through immigration again along with everyone who had arrived from another country! As we entered the terminal we were asked three times whether we had come from Casablanca but were still directed to join the immigration queue.

There was no fast track and the queue I was in moved very slowly, especially when the girl in front of me couldn't find her boarding pass, accommodation booking or pretty much anything the agent asked her for. Eventually I got to the desk and he asked me where I had come from, what was my previous flight, how long I was staying, etc. Strange situation considering I had been in Morocco for a week and a half already.

So finally we left the airport and caught the shuttle bus into town (30 MAD one-way, 50 return). Took about 40 minutes into Jemaa el-Fna; overall a pretty good service.
 
Riad Mabrouk

We had made a booking at another riad some months ago but when QF Hotels put out a 9 points per $ promotion I decided to review our accommodation, cancelled our previous booking and booked a room for 5 nights at Riad Mabrouk instead.

What attracted me to Riad Mabrouk is that it is only a couple of minutes walk from Jemaa el-Fna. It also has a rooftop bar and restaurant. Our room was small but adequate; only downside was that the hot water was lukewarm at best. The place is a bit of a rabbit warren but overall it was OK, if not great. I was surprised at the cost of accommodation in Marrakech; I guess as a 2nd/3rd world country I was expecting things would be cheaper

IMG_20241216_224047330 medium.jpg

IMG_20241216_224413179 medium.jpg



IMG_20241216_224108773 medium.jpg


The rooftop bar:

IMG_20241216_222909130_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241216_222915889_HDR medium.jpg


and the view from the roof:

IMG_20241216_222930490 medium.jpg


Snow on the Atlas moountains:

IMG_20241217_090621422 medium.jpg

IMG_20241217_182223708 medium.jpg
 
Last edited:
I stayed in a small boutique riad (which was EXCELLENT) in the medina when I was in Marrakesh this time seven years ago. I was surprised at how cheap the accommodation was, so I wonder if the events of the past 5 years have had a big impact on prices.

(The riad has since undergone extensive renovations to make it ultra lux and so its pricing now will have no baring on what it was in 2017 so I can't offer a comparison.)
 
Marrakech

We had 5 nights/4 days in Marrakech; unfortunately I had picked up a heavy cold and spent a good part of the first two days resting on the bed. However, you will be pleased to know that I did make it to aperitivo each afternoon:

IMG_20241217_174935356 medium.jpg


Jemaa el-Fna

As noted previously, our accommodation was only a couple of minutes walk from the main square: Jemaa el-Fna...

IMG_20241217_132729655 medium.jpg

IMG_20241217_132735928 medium.jpg

IMG_20241217_132747408 medium.jpg

IMG_20241217_172315010 medium.jpg


On the other side of Jemaa el-Fna is the medina...

IMG_20241217_152529163_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241217_153635036_HDR medium.jpg


The motorbikes are a real PITA:

IMG_20241217_154210328_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241217_154305109_HDR medium.jpg


I found the medinas in Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech to be very similar in that they all had the same types of shops/stalls, selling the same stuff, although the one in Marrakech is probably the biggest of the four we visited. (The medina in Fez, which we missed after cancelling our visit so we could retrieve our missing bag, is the world's largest.) The medina in Tangier has a different feel as it is built on a hillside overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar.
 
Is that an abandoned sea pool complex? Left over from the French colonial days?

When I visited Casablanca a few times abt 10 years ago, there were 'beach clubs' dotted along the foreshore. Maybe JV saw them too, but if not I wonder if they have closed and now just rotting away?

1736109662567.png

As noted previously, our accommodation was only a couple of minutes walk from the main square: Jemaa el-Fna...

The square and souq looks less manic than when I was there - downturn too? (But maybe you have the night to come!)
 
When I visited Casablanca a few times abt 10 years ago, there were 'beach clubs' dotted along the foreshore. Maybe JV saw them too, but if not I wonder if they have closed and now just rotting away?

View attachment 424345

That certainly looks like a possibility. The place where we had lunch would have been one of those, could even be the same one. The pools are abandoned but the restaurant was operating and the food was reasonably priced, plus a pleasant view. Of course, no alcohol.
 
Cascades d'Ouzoud

For our last day in Marrakech we booked a day trip to the waterfall at Ouzoud. Turned out to be quite a long day; we had to be at the place to meet our bus at 8AM and by the time they fluffed about picking up other passengers and we were on our way, it was around 9AM. After a three-hour drive we arrived at the waterfall. One of the disappointing things about the drive was the amount of rubbish strewn about, not only in the towns but in between towns as well.

In fact, for the first couple of hours the roadside was strewn with rubbish, most of it plastic bags...

IMG_20241220_102942787 medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_164307625_HDR medium.jpg


It wasn't until we started the climb into the Atlas Mountains that things improved...

IMG_20241220_114333825 medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_114616093 medium.jpg


The waterfall at Ouzoud is the highest in Morocco and the second highest in Africa. (The highest are, of course, Victoria Falls and while Ouzoud are not nearly as spectacular, they are certainly very picturesque and worth a visit.)

IMG_20241220_130754070 medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_133139860_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_134842558_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_150724496_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_150730914_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241220_151947470 medium.jpg
 
Lunch was included in the price of the tour but I forgot to take photos. We were fortunate to have a good friendly group on our tour and we enjoyed the day despite the long bus ride there and back. That night we had a light meal and a bottle of wine at our hotel and prepared for our flight the next morning.

We again took the shuttle bus to the airport. AT402 was a B738 for the short 45-minute flight to Casablanca.

IMG_20241221_093540941_HDR medium.jpg

IMG_20241221_113831544 medium.jpg

IMG_20241221_114346975 medium.jpg


The shuttle bus to the Onomo Hotel arrived shortly after we walked out of the terminal so we were soon reunited with our bags and had a nice lunch before spending a relaxing afternoon at the hotel.
 
Last edited:
AT910 CMN - IST

Of course we started in the lounge:

CMN Lounge 5.jpg

CMN Lounge 3.jpg

CMN Lounge 1.jpg

As we were there around 8AM there was no alcohol in the lounge although being Morocco there may not be alcohol at any time of day.


Then to our aircraft, a 789...

IMG_20241222_093314646 medium.jpg

20241222_093725 medium.jpg

20241222_093739 medium.jpg

IMG_20241222_093811289_HDR medium.jpg

20241222_110533 medium.jpg


The Canapes. Sorry about the photo quality, we were bouncing around a bit

20241222_111114 medium.jpg


We both had the chicken which we enjoyed:

20241222_112856 medium.jpg


and the cheesecake:

20241222_122839 medium.jpg

Finally, the important stuff:

20241222_110417 medium.jpg
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top