Agadir, Morocco - April 2004We spent two weeks in 2004 in Morocco for tourism (4 days in Agadir, 3 in Marrakech, then couple of days in the southern desertic belts of this beautiful land), camels and escapades in the deserts (try sleeping at night in the desert. If you never experienced that, it is a must!)
Agadir is, as most already know, a city that was completely destroyed by an earthquake decades back. It is rebuilt into a brand new modern city. It's main attraction is it's beach, that you see behind me on this pic (notice the camel on the beach behind me: camel-riding was one of the attraction of the beach):
From the seaside (where all hotels are located), you see a mountain with the instructions "God, the king, the country":
Agadir, being a relatively new city (since it was rebuilt) does not attract by any historical nor architectural wonders, but it' s a cool city I recommend to hang out (the beach, the night clubs, sea side eaterings). I was curious about camel riding (in preparation for my journey in the desert couple of days later on the back of camels), so I picked a ride (be careful: they sometimes have this trick to scam you: in the middle of the ride, they change guides...):
Bottom line: to visit if like me, you like beaches. It can also turn into a romantic city if you exploit that side of it (Alongside the beach, the walk can be scenic, peaceful and full of romance feel + lots of terraces face the sea). The sea is not crystal clear though (thick in texture) + the beach is not white sand (lightly browny).
Marrakech, Morocco - April 2004Marrakech, the red city: Red because most housings have a reddish color (really omnipresent in the city ;p particularly the newer part of the city):
The newer part of Marrakesh (Gueliz) is vast with hotels, bars, markets, theaters:
In Marrakesh, we lodged at a small decent hotel,
Hotel Oudaya:
Among their numerous touristic sites, La Menara (they used to have a show at night there and that was beautiful):
Visited, the Saadian tombs:
Do not miss their classic touristic main spot: the old city with it's souk (market). I didn't take pics there since I felt uncomfortable and insecured (felt like I could get my camera stolen every second my heart was beating..lol. Not saying that I was right to feel that way, but that was the feeling I got);[
Bottom line: Marrakesh is a fun city to visit. I'd recommend 1 week only since it's not that huge of a city. In the day time, walk in the old medina and it's souk and try their numerous local eateries (food was just ok for me there). On one night, I recommend that you try the
Fantasia chez Ali show (it's an amazing night show with spectacular settings, but I was disgusted during diner --- you have a diner included --- when I saw them just wiping the dishes with towels instead of washing the dishes. I hope this has changed! ).
CONSUMER ALERT: I am usually not one to jump on negative notes unless they are necessary to avoid unecessary/unpleasant experiences and this alert needs to be passed on -> For our touristic trip to Morocco of April 2004, we booked, months in advance, two rooms for my 65 yrs old aunt, our two 5,6 yrs old daughter and my wife. Following several confirmations via email and over the phones, the bookings were going fine as according. We arrived at Hotel Nassim, and were shocked to learn that there was not 1 room booked for us. We presented proofs of the bookings (printout of the emails), with proofs + reference number of confirmations ...but in vain. When I asked the name of the manager, he refused to answer. I knew right away that he was a scam artist. We had to roam around the city and find a hotel ourselves. In May 2004, I filed a complaint to the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. They were kind in calming down the issue by simply re-assuring me that it was not the same Management anymore: within a few weeks apart...a new management??...coincidence...coincidence..Anyways, the (new) management had offered compensation to me upon the complaint to the Ministry of Tourism (well...at least that Ministry does something! Which cannot be said of most governments!), but oddly...the name of that laughable pathetic joker who was the owner of Hotel Nassim in April 2004 was silenced despite all my efforts to get the name of that prick! So, be very careful: make sure you are not dealing with that low life who was manager/owner of Marrakesh's Hotel Nassim in May 2004 (Remember: The management may have changed by now, so this has nothing to do with Hotel Nassim which I am sure is doing great and does an honest job by now. My warning concerns only whoever was the manager/owner of Hotel Nassim in April 2004!).
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