Marrakech was a travel destination decided on whim and we were pretty last minute. (In fact, it was on request by my elderly mum as it’s one of the places to visit on her bucket list). I didn’t have a lot of time to put together an itinerary and plan, and neither did I want to rough it out given my mum’s age and mobility. I googled and reached out to a couple of luxury / premium travel agencies, and Charles from Moroccan Riads and Beyond replied really quickly. So quickly that the cynic in me wondered if this was a scam business. 😉
Charles is wonderful and efficient, as that you have probably also read from all the other reviews here. He quickly arranged a call, asked important and good questions for him to get an idea of the travellers’ profiles, travel style, intent of the trip, budget etc. He came back with a couple of draft itineraries within 2 days and by this point, I was quite assured that I could leave him to plan and deliver against my requirements.
That said though, I must point out that Charles is incredibly polished and given that this entire transaction and planning was taking place in a world of increasing scams, to be honest I was extremely skeptical because scammers also usually sound pretty convincing and sleek. It was hard to not constantly wonder if Charles was part a syndicate and at some points, I was unsure if I should be paying such huge amounts of money to an unfamiliar organization.
I was frank with Charles about my concern - he took no offence and he quickly allayed it by providing a couple of evidences of MR&B being a legit proper business. (Anyway, who knew speaking in a polished enthusiastic manner could backfire in today’s world!? 😉)
As we were visiting during Ramadan, in the run up to the trip, Charles dropped me a couple of emails on things to take note of amongst other pieces of information.
Fast forward 5 weeks later, we arrived in Marrakech and from the moment of stepping on the tarmac at Marrakech’s airport, it was fuss free and easy. From the fast-track customs clearance to getting picked up by our driver Nizar (btw, he was such a gem – more on him and the importance of a good driver later!), we never had a rough and tough moment during our stay. Which was great and met the brief I gave to Charles – no stress for my mum, in what otherwise could have been a stressful experience given the hustle and bustle of Marrakech!
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Now let’s get to the execution of the itinerary.
Despite the best of intent, the execution is a slight mixed bag. I do have a couple of suggestions on how they could have delivered the full experience to an absolute *chef kiss* perfection.
1) Get down to the details: Provide us and the driver a clear breakdown of timings of the itinerary for each day. This, on hindsight, was particularly important especially since attractions and sites were operating with a different set of opening hours during Ramadan. We were depending on our driver Nizar to arrange daily set off, pick up, drop off timings, when the poor guy actually wasn’t too sure of these himself. If there was anything I would have done differently, was to request that the itinerary had an hourly breakdown so that we were maximizing our time.
This detail was particularly important on the day we had a poolside pavilion booked at the luxury Royal Mansour. We were not informed that the pavilion was booked from 9am – 6pm. We checked in only at 11am, after wasting 45 mins resolving a reservation mix-up. And left at 345pm thinking that we had already overstayed our welcome.
In the end, it was very hurried and we didn’t get to fully enjoy the lovely space and the day. ☹
2) Better quality control of the guides: Our city guide, Abdul, on Day 1 and 2 was not bad but not great either. What annoyed me was that he didn’t follow the itinerary or checked with me if adding and removing some attractions was ok. In the end, he skipped past the Marjorell Gardens and the YSL Museum, both of which were supposed to be covered on Day 1. It was only after I enquired that he somewhat quite begrudgingly agreed to include it on Day 2, and even so he only covered the Marjorell Gardens, despite me specifying that I wanted to visit the YSL museum which is next door. (He tried to appease me by saying that there isn’t much in the YSL Museum). He pulled the oldest trick in a tour guide handbook by taking us to a souvenir shop – a pricey carpet/rug shop no less and we ended up spending unnecessary time (and money!) there. That’s fine by me, if we kept to the itinerary. But skipping attractions to squeeze in time for these is not acceptable and I was not thrilled.
We also found out much later that we weren’t taken to the Saadian Tombs, much to the surprise of our driver and as well as our travel concierge Basma. We never got to visit it in the end, due to a misunderstanding of its Ramadan opening hours when we tried to visit it on our own.
Our Essaouira guide though, Rashida, on the other hand, was fabulous! She was welcoming, very proud and happy to introduce us to her hometown, and extremely kindly. She walked us through the nooks and crannies of the labyrinth that is the Medina, super keen to show us spots that she loves but never forgetting to check in if my mum was comfortable walking and if she needed a rest. I absolutely adore her – just 3 hours with her, and it already felt like I’ve known her for years.
3) More suggestions of places to eat, places to visit / A proper briefing call before departure to Morocco: Our itinerary, fortunately or unfortunately, had maybe too many pockets of leisure time for a place like Marrakech where it’s not that big. A list of recommended places we could go dine in or places we could visit during our leisure time would have been great. There was a lot of on-the-whim planning on Whatsapp with Basma our travel concierge.
Also, just like the call with Charles to discuss travel requirements, a short pre-departure briefing call would have been useful to lay down what to expect, allow for questions, review itinerary etc again. In the end, it felt like our driver Nizar was bearing most of the responsibility of answering my questions and delivering the best experience he could provide within his means. There were many moments when things felt a little lost and a bit more organization and structure would have been useful to deliver a truly flawless experience.
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Alright, enough of the lowlights. There were many highlights and bright sparks as well!
1) As mentioned many times (and also pointed out by some of the reviewers here), the driver makes a significant difference to the experience, given the amount of time we were spending together in the vehicle every day.
Our driver, Nizar, turned out to be the highlight of our trip. What an absolute gem he is and it was very delightful to watch somebody take so much pride in his job - he always made sure the car is clean, turned up neat and dapper in a shirt and tie, and was always ready with a warm smile every morning. Never allowed us to walk more than necessary if he could help it, which was great given my mum’s mobility issues but difficult for him given the traffic mess and snarls in the Marrakech medina. We could tell that he endeavoured to make sure that we were always given the royal treatment (even if it meant that he had to hold up traffic!).
He’s really such a keeper for any employer. Thanks for forming the good part of our Marrakech memories!
2) And of course, Basma our travel concierge was amazing as well! Always on call via Whatsapp to resolve issues, making sure things were as fuss free as possible for me.
3) The Riad we stayed in was not bad, and it was great to experience a Moroccan Riad for a couple of nights.
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Overall a great experience from start to finish, despite the blips in execution. Usually travels and holidays can make me feel really exhausted, but this one was really relaxing and that’s cos the team at MR&B delivered to very high standards which you can tell they hold themselves to.
Well done team!
Eli H
mastersdeb
We want to thank Morocco Rhiads and Beyond for the precious support without which our journey would have been not so interesting and amazing as it was.
We shall contact them again should we come back to visit that beautyfull country
We were a group of 20 people in all ages and one by one enjoyed it to the fullest!
I am very impressed how smooth it all went.
The key person in all this is your driver, I cannot say often enough how priceless Ismail is. All coordination with the guides, the transfers from Noir d’Ivoire and back, even with the people at the airport of the fast lane was his job and it went perfect. I was happily surprised as well seeing him around during our complete desert trip. He also was very helpful with my difficult daughter. He managed to find us a meal on the way back from the desert, during ramadan. My daughter was hungry. He spoke to a cafe owner in a small sleepy village; the cafe was closed of course. But the owner crossed the street, bought meat at the local butcher and vegetables at the grocery shop and fixed us a delicious meal in 10 minutes. Really delicous!
So I will give you a 10 on 10! Thank you so much! Also for the attentions like the photos in the room and the goodbye present🥰.
I will remember everything you did for us and hope I can send you clients one day and using your services again myself. These were our best holidays ever!
And many thanks and compliments to Ismail. I work with drivers as well but there is not one like him🙏.
I regret only one thing and that is that it is over😉😢.
It was travel experience beyond expectations.
Charles / Manohar / Zak took very good care with proper planning & execution of our 2 week family trip to beautiful Morocco. From planning the tour 2 months in advance till return to airport everything worked like clockwork. Casablanca-Makenes-Fes-Sahara Desert-Skoura-Marrakesh-Laoulidia circuit covered highlights of Morocco. The hotel selection , itinerary was nicely planned. Lunches / dinners were Memorable and authentic.
Transfer / travel / helicopter wides were all on time.
Highly recommended.
Amazing trip planned for us. A+ for experience.
Excellent choice of accommodations and travel. The activities were well planned ensuring perfect balance between breathtaking experiences and rest.
The agency checked in with us on daily basis to ensure we were happy and everything was going according to plan.
Charles/Manohar offered many ideas including set up with pre/post plans and assured that we would be handled as VIPs throughout our journey. My immediate thought was this was going to be an enormous expense.
I received an initial proposal for all services that would be provided, and it sounded wonderful however, there were many logistics that would be handled to accommodate and secure as travelers were arriving from different destinations.
As promised by Charles and his Team every day was meticulously planned and executed. The flights were perfectly arranged, the airport pickup was superb with fast Trak service awaiting our arrival. The hotel hosting the meeting provided a host that was waiting with all that was requested, and activities planned were to everyone’s delight. Our meeting facilities were wonderful, and every detail was handled expertly i.e., audio visual equipment, room setting to classroom style as requested, breaks planned with soft drinks and snacks, internet access, security provided, welcome dinner and gala farewell included. MRAB also arranged for a VIP desk on site to answer and handle any last-minute requests or any questions that arouse. . The hosts of the hotels and guides provided were warm and welcoming and everyone treated us like royalty. The 3-day meeting was perfectly executed. Post activities planned by MRAB were incredible – like the tenting in the desert after a camel ride at sunset, hot air ballooning and riding on ATVs. For those partaking in the post trip - All I can say is WOW!
He and his VIP concierge checked on us daily to see if we were enjoying or required any further assistance. The meals and meeting accommodations were planned, and reservations made. Our every desire was not only met but far exceeded!
Thank you again for loads of “TLC” while delivering amazing service that did not hurt our corporate pocket. We look forward to allowing MRAB to assist with your next Corporate Event!
shay a
Ronnie Golden engle
Global761820
They have organized everything in details from a tour in the Agafay Desert + Atlas Mountains, special night in Comptoir Darna and Ammam experience.
Our stay in Marrakech has been amazing thanks to him!
Our itinerary was complete with something for everyone. From lounging to exploring, shows and camel rides, we were able to experience everything. Thanks so much for Charles and the team on the ground, our incredibly patient driver, the very knowledgable tour guide, and every single person at the Riad Kniza -- outstanding from top to bottom. We absolutely enjoyed every minute and would highly recommend this very professional team to ensure you have a magical visit to this incredible place!
Our letter of feedback to Charles (Chief Concierge)
Dear Charles,
I would like to start by thanking you for your efforts with the recent celebration. Nicholas and his family/friends had a wonderful time. You have asked for a letter of feedback and I hope the following meets your expectations.
The idea of going to Morocco for Nicholas‘s birthday was an unusual thought. I sent out about five emails following a Google search for the ‘exclusive hire of Riads in Marrakesh’. You were one of two people that replied and easily, the most prompt in your response. We thought your initial approach was perfectly pitched. Not too aggressive nor, ambivalent in our decision-making. I did reply to both you and the other party with no response from them putting you in pole position for our continued attention.
We very much enjoyed receiving the emails highlighting the different venues. You understood the brief very early on and helped us narrow our choice down to 2 venues. We were very happy with your suggestions and although we have no experience in the other Riad, with hindsight the Riad Nashira was absolutely perfect for what we wanted.
We were naturally anxious about an online transaction with the sums of money involved. You seemed to recognise this and encouraged us to check with Riad Nashira to ensure that your involvement was appropriate and there was no fraudulent activity. This was very reassuring.
Having paid the deposit, your enthusiasm to our project did not wane and your continued help slowly piecing together the jigsaw was fantastic. We understood that you had strong enthusiasm to arrange day trips and everything else however as we confirmed numbers and listen to other members of the party, we realised that long day trips to Essaouria was never going to be possible. Your suggestion for the water park was perfect and this was certainly (at least for the children!) one of the highlights of the trip.
We thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the staff of Riad Nashira. We cannot speak highly enough of them and any feedback from us would be nothing but positive. In particular, Tarek and Fatma but all the staff were fantastic. We are very pleased that we did a brief trip to Morocco in advance of the celebration. This was very important to us not only to better understand the Riads position and room layout but also to have a conversation with the staff about the celebration and meal requirements. This is very difficult to do over the internet and was probably one of the most important things we did in arranging this. As a result, the celebration dinner in particular, was fantastic. The food throughout was excellent. We would suggest you recommend any future guests to also do a brief visit prior to any celebration.
The efficiency of the collections from the airport was brilliant and set the theme for the weekend. Thank you.
You kindly accommodated our requests for entertainment including a fire eater as well as photographers and birthday cake. All of these met our expectations and were fantastic. They certainly added to the experience and memory of it and we are grateful that you arranged this on our behalf with such efficiency.
As someone who felt responsible for the event, your continued prompt response on WhatsApp was very reassuring throughout. Thank you very much for this especially with time changes involved.
We have been left with a wonderful memory of the whole event. Speaking on behalf of the family, we feel that everyone had a wonderful time and it is something that will not be forgotten especially, by the children.
Should we ever choose to, we would strongly recommend not only Morocco Riads and Beyond but also, you personally and the bespoke services you offer. We would also recommend RIad Nashira to anyone in the future and hopefully, this email encourages you to further recommend it to any future guests that want a similar experience.
Thank you very much for everything you have done and we are very grateful for all your efforts.
Phillip C
Thanks to Charles and the folks at Morroco Riads and Beyond, this was the trip of a lifetime. The level of service and thoughtfulness was unbelievable. The professionalism and organization were greatly appreciated. The arrangements that were made from accommodations to the world-class driver and tour guides made for a stress-free and adventurous trip.
This was a 40th birthday trip with a few friends and we all left feeling like it was a second honeymoon! It started with a stay at Royal Monsour, with wonderful excursions to the medina and a tour of Marrakech, as well as an amazing dinner booked at Riad Kniza with the great Haj Mohammed. Our world-class driver made getting around not only effortless but very enjoyable.
We then went to the coast to Moulay Bousselhem for a relaxing few days at the charming Villa Bea. The staff there was outstanding and the food was amazing. The trip continued to Fes via Rabat and then on to Casablanca. Each stop had excursions and culinary experiences that were magnificent.
Some other highlights were a stop at the ancient Roman ruins Volubilis, lunch at a Winery, tours of so many beautiful palaces, a visit to a Berber museum, as well as a visit to a rug collective in the mountains.
There were so many positives - every day was amazing!
Liz
The holiday was tailored beautifully to our needs and interests and the driver and guides were excellent. Highly recommended.
Max B
In all I’ve traveled thanks to his great organization to Morocco, the US (California, Florida, NY) and will be traveling to Thailand end of this year (plane, transfer, hotels, aso.)
In all I can only say that I’ve had only great experience with him so far. All trips worked out perfectly, most times we were upgraded and received free amenities without even asking for.
As a frequent traveler I was used to book all my trips (over 50 countries so far) by myself as I’m very picky on every detail, but now I let Charles organize everything (sometimes I just tell which hotels I prefer or which plane I wanna take).
The best thing is that compared to booking myself, his offers were always cheaper and included several extras.
I’ve been staying only in upscale hotels with him (Four Seasons, Six Senses, Mandarin Oriental, One&Only,…) where he got better offers then when I book by myself, the same for business class flights, where he magically got better prices then I got as a frequent flyer, I wonder how he does but I can only recommend him for this level of travel.
If you need to any more information about my experience with him, please feel free to contact me as I’m very thankful for the experience I made with him so far.
Pauline G
C J
Our flights were delayed on our return and Charles handled everything for us without a hitch! What more can I say? Fantastic trip, I look forward to booking again with Charles and his Team as there is no better!