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Chapter 1: What are the essential travel tips for visiting Marrakech?
The Last Word on Today FM. For The Last Word on travel, as ever, we're joined by Sarah Slattery, thetravelexpert.ie. So, you were recently in Marrakech in Morocco for the Easter holidays. How long did you go there for, Sarah?
I went for five nights, actually. Yeah, I started looking at all the different things to do over there and I realised a weekend break probably wasn't going to cut it. And I'd say for anybody going, you probably really need the five nights because it takes you a day or two to kind of adjust to, I suppose, the culture shock and the whole city.
So I would say definitely four nights minimum, even five or six if you can, to experience it properly.
Okay, who's flying to Marrakech out of Ireland?
Aer Lingus and Ryanair. Aer Lingus are flying now. I think they stop in the height of the summer. They might stop in June and then they start back in September again. And Ryanair are going right through. But the flights, I know, are on sale already for the winter. So we'll make a really good kind of autumn winter destination as well.
Yeah, what sort of temperature is it like when you went at Easter?
Yeah, it wasn't great, actually.
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Chapter 2: How many nights should you stay in Marrakech for a proper experience?
We landed and it was 30 degrees and we were like, happy days. You know, if anything, it was nearly too hot. But it literally dipped to like 10, I think, at one point. So, yeah, the weather changed dramatically. But I suppose like many places, it was...
freak, it was unheard of the locals just couldn't believe the weather we were experiencing or that they had experienced for the last month so usually you would kind of have maybe slightly cooler temperatures to the Canary Islands but still relatively warm in the winter period but we were probably a little bit unlucky now to be fair.
Now it's inland in Morocco isn't it? It's not by the sea?
No, no, it's very much a city and like it is a big bustling city. So, you know, it's worlds apart from your typical holiday resort. I'd say try and think of it more like a city break than a holiday resort.
Now, you will get some lavish hotels, big resort style hotels on the outskirts of the city that you can stay in if you want to do that and just kind of go into the centre and have a look and see whether it's for you.
But I would say if you want to experience the kind of authentic, real Marrakesh, it's best to stay inside the city in one of those traditional riads, they're called, which are like a traditional Moroccan house. Usually they'd have like between six to ten rooms or even some only have four rooms to ten rooms.
But real kind of traditional welcome, like your Irish B&B, you know, and small little courtyard pools, rooftop terraces right in the heart of the Medina. It's a really, really cool way to see it, I think.
Okay, I believe even going in from the airport was a bit of an experience, was it?
Well, do you know what? I had preconceived ideas before I went. I wasn't sure if it was going to be my kind of vibe. And when we landed, it was a bit of a culture shock. I mean, you'd see the motorbikes whizzing past with three and four and five people, babies hanging off the back.
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Chapter 3: Which airlines offer flights to Marrakech from Ireland?
And I've seen that in rural Africa. I've been to some amazing places in Tanzania and Rwanda and all that. But you don't see, I was kind of shocked to see it on a busy high street, like with trucks and cars and And motorbikes all going side by side. I think there was three crashes on the way from the airport. And the taxi driver was just, ah, no problem. It's fine. It's no problem.
You know, everything is just relaxed here. So, yeah, that was a bit wild. And then when we got into the centre, I think both flights, actually, for anybody who is visiting, the flights land around six o'clock, but it can take you about an hour to get through the airport. And then your supposed 15 minute transfer will probably take you about 45 minutes.
So I'd say pre-book a restaurant that night and allow yourself plenty of time. Because when you land and you're walking through the crazy Medina and you've got this whole culture shock, you're like, you don't want to be wandering around aimlessly looking for a restaurant. So I'd say book a restaurant, which we did have in fairness.
But then when we got to the rooftop restaurant, it was like a completely, it was like this trendy, amazing, fabulous rooftop, stunning interiors. like great music playing, real kind of trendy and modern. And you're kind of going, it was such a contrast from walking up through the streets before we got there. So yeah, the whole city is, I suppose, is just so different and so diverse.
But I suppose that's what makes it so appealing as well.
I think you took a guided tour as well on your first day.
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Chapter 4: What is the weather like in Marrakech during Easter?
I would say 100% if it was the top tip, I would say, particularly for anybody who was a little bit apprehensive, book a city tour. I mean, I do that in most new cities anyway, but the morning you arrive, they'll take you through that main square, Gemma Elphina Square, which is the kind of beating heart of the city. It's one of the most iconic squares in Africa. And it's just like street...
performers, traders, snake charmers, fruit stalls, musicians, everybody's coming out of everywhere. And your guide will just walk you through it and kind of, you know, just go through etiquette, go talk about haggling, talk about whether you should take photos and pay people, all that sort of stuff. So you feel like completely relaxed then.
And so much so that we come back at night time the next day, following days, and it was just great. We were just completely relaxed. The people were actually really nice, really friendly. And there was obviously a few people on that particular square trying to, you know, get money from me for taking photos and things like that.
But otherwise, you know, through the souks and everything, we just found them really, really friendly, lovely people.
Do they take euro or do you have to have transferred all your money or do they like taking euro?
Yeah, and they will take euros in some of them, cash, but mostly, well, you need to have, you definitely need to have the currency anyway. It's dirhams and you can only get it when you land. It's a closed currency. So I would say definitely change the money at the airport when you land because there are big queues for the ATMs in the centre and it's good just to have the cash with you.
Most places will let you tap or take card, but cash is definitely worth having some cash on you, absolutely.
The souks are the main thing. Did you do shopping? You didn't come home now with any carpets, did you? Or fake handbags or other things?
Oh, we might have come home with a few of those. All right, the kids were having a great time with their designer t-shirts, shall we say. Yeah, to be honest, the souks, I was really surprised at... The quality, actually, like we ended up coming back three and four times shopping in the souks. It was really good. Great fun, too. The haggling was good. They were very nice.
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Chapter 5: What type of accommodation is best for an authentic Marrakech experience?
Moroccan dinners where you can have dinner under the stars with a show and camel rides and all that kind of thing. And again, they're very, very reasonable. They usually pick you up from your hotel. So there's lots of, if you want to get away from the city, you can definitely do that as well.
Is coffee a big thing?
Coffee is a big thing. And the coffee house, the Basha Cafe, is the place to go. Although when we stopped by the queue, the wait was four hours, which I just thought, I don't know how anyone would queue for four hours for coffee, but people were. But if you get there early or if coffee is your thing, it is the place to visit. Now, the interiors are stunning. And that's one thing about Marrakesh.
Some of the hotels, there's ceramic tiles, the decor, they're absolutely gorgeous inside. So you can just pay a euro and go into the cafe and buy the coffee. They also sell it in the airport. There's a little shop in the airport. But if you want to go into the cafe itself, you need to basically queue.
Okay, restaurants. Are the restaurants good?
Yeah, well, they're really trendy and they're gorgeous rooftops with views over the city. But I personally found them a bit style over substance for the price. So I'd say maybe book one or two of the trendy ones. I have them listed on the website. But just, you know, I'd say book your first night or two because that's the night you're going to be not really sure where you're going.
And then you could probably be a bit more relaxed after that. Like they are expensive. You're paying basically for the view, like a view tax that somebody took. But yeah, they are very cool. There's DJs, lively entertainment. But if you want a sunset booking, you need to book well in advance.
I know you've lots more details on thetravelexpert.ie, but did you regard it as value for money, Sarah?
Absolutely. Yeah, really, really good value. I think the only thing I found expensive was those restaurants. And I would say one top tip is that if you want to stay inside the centre for the authentic experience, you can book day passes in luxury hotels outside. So for families can book a day in Club Med and couples can book a day in a lovely five star hotel.
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