Morocco

Has anyone been to Morocco? We're going for two weeks in December, flying to and from Marrakesh. Going to go to Essaouira for some sea and then head up to Fes and Chefchaouen for Christmas. Any tips for cool things to see in those cities would be appreciated...

spent 2 months there last summer. most amazing place i stayed was about 45 mins south of Essaouira called L'ane vert which i always recommend to people (http://ane-vert.com/lodge/)
not keen on Marrakesh, lots of hassle and markets where you can buy things you don't really want/need, shopping in Essaouira is much better. Chefchaouen is beautiful, not sure on what the weather will be like for you in december but I spent a week camping out at Akchour falls near Chefchaouen which was incredible, can go just for a day, do some hiking, eat some tagine, see the waterfalls and have a swim if its not too cold. Really liked Fes, thought it was just a much nicer version of Marrakesh

Get south to Taghazout,just north of Agadir.....Ive been every winter for last 20 years......as a
Surfer but is a mellow and beautiful area,,(check paradise valley) and Agadir,while a newish town,
was destroyed by earthquake in 1960,is great with a massive souk......and so so much more mellow than cities further north......if you have wheels then south of Agadir is wonderful and
wilder the further south you go.......try Sidi ifni......used to be a spanish enclave.....fantastic place
............Enjoy........It blows me away that for £50 return your not only in Africa but might as well
have used a time machine as well !.......Chefchaouen will piss and rip you off......full of junkies and brigands....peace.....

there is skiing in parts of morocco during the winter plus some of the high mountain passes become impassable due to snow, so it can get very cold in parts, be warned
i'm sure marrakesh will be toasty as it isn't too high, but you'll see snow on the high atlas from the city probably

i spent a couple of months there in 1993, down the coast from rabat to agadir then inland tiznit tafroute over the atlas mountains to marakesh back over the atlas down to mhamid in the sahara down near the algerian border, i love the desert scenery and dunes, proper desert down there and some lovely abondoned towns mud bricks buildings and pretty old tuareg trading stations
avoid agadir thats just and expensive tourist town, essouira is lovely well worth a couple of days, valle du draa and other gorges are quite far south so maybe out of your range, fes meknes just big cities with large souks much of a muchness, then up into the rif and the lovely pastel coloured villages before heading to ceuta

safi for pottery
essouira for carved wooden stuff made from the lovely grainy trees they have round there

Sorry to hijack the thread but anybody have recommendations for Rabat? Also going this December with the other half. thanks

Cheers all! We'll let you know how we get on...

Would anyone have any tips for Fez? (Fes, if you prefer.) Haven't been to Fez before but have Morocco'ed and loved it. This is a quick and cheap long weekend with the GF. If anyone's stayed in a nice but not pricey riad in Fez, (preferably with a nice rooftop to sit out on and eat olives and other market goodies in the evenings) would love the recommendation.

Stayed in Riad 53 twice and was fantastic, though has since changed hands.
Medina is great, and recommend The Ruined Garden and Clock Cafe for food and drink (non-alcoholic).

Nice one. Thank you! Ruined garden looks tip top.

Bump for any other recent recommendations (not that I'm discounting those above - except l'ane vert where the website talks about sexy milfs and nude sex?!)

Looking to go with a sub-1 yr old in autumn, prob late Oct / Nov. Am trying to balance being adventurous with what's feasible with a baby!

Whereabouts? I have some reccos for Marrakech

All ideas welcome - haven't decided where to go yet! Seems likely that we'll do a day or two in Marrakech if not more, although looking at a week or so and prob won't want to stay in the city that long. Any ideas very welcome though, ta