This was a very memorable holiday in so many ways, encompassing a huge variety of exciting sights, sounds and experiences. Particularly enjoyable were the visits to the various souks, the tannery, the cookery class, the tile-making factory, and the night in the desert.
There were a couple of downsides which need to be mentioned to give a full picture. On account of the flight schedule of Royal Air Maroc we arrived at our hotel in Rabat extremely late on the first night, which meant we were very tired on our first day of sightseeing. Apparently some of our party were given the option to fly out the day before, so they could have a day at leisure before starting the tour. We were not given that option for some reason.
As it is such a big country there were several days which involved anywhere from 3 to 7 hours just travelling in the minibus, which was not especially enjoyable. On the first occasion we crossed the Atlas mountains, the weather was unexpectedly cold, which made for a pretty unpleasant journey. On other occasions it was uncomfortably hot in the minibus, whose air conditioning system was not particularly effective.
The biggest negative, however, related to the food. It was an all-inclusive holiday which in theory is a good thing. In practice it made for a really monotonous eating experience, and one which caused a good deal of anxiety for me as my dairy intolerance was not particularly well catered-for. Many, many times the menu was exactly the same, be it lunch or dinner: soup or salad for starter, chicken tagine for main, cream caramel or fruit for dessert. Once or twice this would have been fine, but by the end of the holiday I never wanted to see another chicken tagine again! The evening meals were often served very late (8pm or later) and the service was very slow. But the worst thing about it was that several of the travellers, myself included, suffered from gastric issues (explosive diarrhoea) during the tour, which clearly took the shine off the experience. In my case the problem lasted for over a week. On my return to the UK I consulted my GP who took a stool sample and confirmed a CAMPYLOBACTER infection - a notifiable disease. In other words, food poisoning. This has been slow to clear up and has unfortunately left me reluctant to go on an all-inclusive holiday again. My husband has also suffered digestive issues, although his system has blocked up, rather than the opposite problem. On balance, these issues ruined what would otherwise have been a splendid holiday.
