Travelling on a budget, yes please!
Finding travel deals has become one of my strongest qualities (highly, considering putting it on my resume). It's almost as addicting as extreme couponing , expect I am not saving on laundry detergent or getting a two for one deal on toothpaste ( although, that may be exhilarating to some) to me finding a flight to Morocco for 120 euros gets my heart racing . This time around I wanted to travel outside of Europe and experience a culture completely different from anything I have ever been exposed to. I knew before I began to plan my trip to Morocco that it wouldn't be as cheap as my France trip ( although, I wish I could pull some next Houdini movements and find an extremely crazy deal, especially during easter weekend) but at the end of the day Marrakech was worth the $350.00
My urge to travel to Morocco began one night when I stumble upon a picture on Pinterest of Marrakech's most luxuries resort La Mmounia ( Christiano Ronaldo has stayed there before but I mean our annual income is "slightly" different). The five start resort was definitely outside of my price range, but luxury was not what I was in search for. I choice to travel to Morocco for its captivating culture and unique landscapes. I wanted to immerse myself into the culture, and experience it the traditional Moroccan way, and let me tell you the people and the city exceeded my expectations.
Morocco Vblog on the Channel
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How did we get there
As, I previously mention on my traveling on a budget France addition my go to ticket site is fareandcompare.com. This time around I found a flight for 120 euros with Ibiera airlines, but there was a catch we had a 10 hour lay over in Madrid.We choice to fly on easter weekend and due to the high demand of flights the prices were more expensive than usual. Typically ,you can fly from Barcelone to Marrakech for as low as 75-85 euros. Our lovely host arranged for our transportation from the airport to our location for 15euros (I think we got overcharged ). In Marrakech you can honestly bargain your life so if you choose to take a taxi make sure you negotiate a fair rate , locals tend to jack up the prices for tourist, 50-60 dirham is typically what they should be charging you (about 4-6 euros). Locals speak french and Arabic but most people are able to communicate in English as well.
Where did we Stay?
As my friend Derek and I made the exciting decision to travel to Marrakech together we started looking online for accommodations and came across an article that suggested staying at a Riad - a traditional Moroccan home. If you truly want to get the full Moroccan experience I highly suggest avoiding traditional hotels. We booked through air bnb for three days, two nights and stayed at the beautiful Raid 22 for $120cCAD which included breakfast as well. The host are exceptional ( s/o to Ahmed and Valeria) the entire Raid was extremely beautiful and clean, I would 100% stay there again if I find myself in Marrakech in the future.Riad 22.
I highly encourage spending a little bit more and treating yourself to a dinner at the Jad Mahal Resturant. The dinner including a starter, drinks, main and a dessert for $200CAD (our most expensive expense during our trip). The food was exquisite but what made it worth the money was the atmosphere. The restaurant looked like a Moroccan castle with beautiful chandeliers and candles everywhere. There was live music and belly dancer throughout the night, and fire breathers as well. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of our trip. We got to see a whole other side of Marrakech a more westernized type of lifestyle, where habibi's were popping bottles and dancing all night long.There was definitely a contrast between the new city and the conservative and religious life within the Medina ( the old city). We also checked out various local restaurants within the Medina which were extremely affordable and super yummy (fyi, you need to try freshly baked Moroccan bread and couscous when you visit Marrakech)
We definitely did not experience everything Marrakech had to offer. Unfortunately we were only staying for three short days ( I had an exam back in Barcelona so it cut our trip short), but we were able to see everything within the Medina from the famous Souks (Moroccan Market, which by the way you have to be aware the locals are known for harassing tourist into buying their goods) the central Medina Plaza ( if a local comes up to you holding a snake or a monkey don't be surprised they expect money in exchange for a picture) But all of it was part of the experience I was in search for. We also visited some beautiful Mosques and religious landmarks within the old city and spent an hour walking around the new city ( which was unreal, the architecture was so unique ), but my favorite part of the whole trip was visiting the Yves Saint Laurent Jardin Majorelle. The gardens were honestly straight out of a fairytale with rich colors and exotic funa ( the perfect location for an instagram picture) even then the pictures do not do it justice, Jardin Majorelle is something you need to experience for yourself.
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