The journal · field notes from Morocco
No top-10 listicles. Slow, opinionated dispatches from the atelier on when to come, where to go first, what to skip and how to spend your dirhams well. Read before you book — and certainly before you pack.
This month's long-read
One slow, in-house piece every month. No commissioned writers, no sponsored takes — just the answers we already give our guests on WhatsApp, written down properly.
Latest field note 8 min readPractical · June 2026
There is no train to Chefchaouen. Compare every option from Fes — the CTM/Supratours coach, a shared grand taxi via Ouezzane, a private chauffeur transfer (~3.5h door to door) and organised tours — with honest times and indicative fares.
The archive
Re-read every season by our team. If anything is out of date we annotate it at the top of the piece — Morocco changes slowly, but it does change.
02Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Most people try to do Marrakech in 36 hours and leave exhausted. Here is the three-day rhythm we recommend for first-timers — the medina, Majorelle, an Atlas day, what to skip and where to eat.
03Desert 10 minDesert · June 2026
Merzouga or Zagora? Standard or luxury? We map the trade-offs in distance, dunes, silence and price — and what a night under canvas actually includes — with the camps we still send guests to.
04Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The etiquette and the mechanics of bargaining — fair price ranges, the phrases that help, what's actually fixed-price, the set-ups to sidestep, and why walking away is your strongest move.
05Practical 6 minPractical · May 2026
Guides, drivers, riads, camps, restaurants — who to tip, how much, and in what currency. The honest, no-guesswork numbers we give our own guests before every trip.
06Fes 10 minFes · June 2026
The world's largest car-free urban area is a 13th-century city still running in real time. The tanneries, the Qarawiyyin, the art of getting pleasantly lost — and when to hire a guide.
07Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Bessara at dawn, mechoui, seven-vegetable couscous on a Friday, the street-food stalls worth queuing for — what to order, where, and how to eat well whatever your diet.
08Atlas 7 minAtlas · June 2026
Imlil, the Ourika valley, Berber villages and waterfalls are an hour from the Red City. What a good day actually looks like — and the tourist traps to drive past.
09Coast 7 minCoast · June 2026
Three hours from Marrakech, the Atlantic's most likeable town — fortified ramparts, a working fishing port, kitesurf wind and a music soul. How to spend a perfect 48 hours.
10Planning 9 minPlanning · June 2026
The honest, current picture — solo and women travellers, the common souk set-ups, which areas to know about, health and the road. What we actually tell our own guests.
11Practical 7 minPractical · June 2026
No 'breathable convertible trousers'. A real packing list that changes with the month and the route — medina, mountains, coast and desert all ask for different things.
12Planning 8 minPlanning · June 2026
Daily spend, where the money goes and the honest ways to save without missing the point of the trip — with sample budgets in USD for shoestring, mid-range and comfortable.
13Marrakech 7 minMarrakech · June 2026
What a riad actually is, which neighbourhoods suit which travellers, and what to look for before you book — so you get the courtyard, the calm and the location right.
14Itineraries 11 minItineraries · June 2026
The classic one-week loop, day by day — Marrakech, the High Atlas, Aït Ben Haddou, the Dades, the Merzouga dunes and Fes — with honest drive times and what to skip.
15Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
Road conditions, police checkpoints, city parking, fuel and the real cost trade-off — and why most of our guests end up with a private driver instead of a rental.
16Culture 6 minCulture · June 2026
Why it's poured from a height, what 'Berber whisky' means, how it's brewed and the etiquette of accepting a glass — the small ceremony at the heart of Moroccan hospitality.
17Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
The UNESCO earthen citadel south of the Atlas — its history, the films shot there (Gladiator to Game of Thrones), and how to visit properly from Marrakech or Ouarzazate.
18Marrakech 9 minMarrakech · June 2026
Rugs, leather, lanterns, ceramics and argan — where to find the real thing in the medina, how to bargain without stress, and how to get it all home.
19Family 9 minFamily · June 2026
Where to go, how to pace it, the riads that work for families, camel rides and food kids will actually eat — the practical things we tell parents before they come.
20North 7 minNorth · June 2026
Why it's painted blue, what to actually do there, day trip versus overnight, the best photo spots and how to get to the Rif's most photogenic town.
21Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
From the blue lanes of Chefchaouen to the dunes of Merzouga and the kasbahs of the south — where to shoot, when the light is right, and the etiquette of the lens.
22Desert 8 minDesert · June 2026
Big dunes and a longer drive, or accessible desert closer to Marrakech? We compare Erg Chebbi and the Zagora/Chigaga route on dunes, drive time, crowds and cost.
23Culture 8 minCulture · June 2026
Gnaoua in Essaouira, the rose festival in the Dades, sacred music in Fes, moussems and Ramadan — the events worth planning a trip around, month by month.
24Desert 7 minDesert · June 2026
Camel arrival, the tents, dinner under the stars, the cold nights, the sunrise on the dunes — and the difference between a standard and a luxury Sahara camp.
25Food 9 minFood · June 2026
Jemaa el-Fnaa stalls, the best tagine and tangia, where locals actually eat, street snacks, and the rooftop tables worth the splurge — how to eat well in the Red City.
26Fes 8 minFes · April 2025
One day, two or three? An honest trip-length guide — what each gets you in the medina, why about two days is the sweet spot, and when to add a Meknes & Volubilis day trip.
27Fes 8 minFes · March 2025
A month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Fes: typical seasonal weather, when the medina and tanneries are most comfortable, what to pack by season, and how Ramadan shifts each year.
28Fes 7 minFes · March 2025
A neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to where to stay in Fes: a riad in Fes el-Bali, the calmer Fes el-Jdid, the practical Ville Nouvelle, or the hilltop view hotels — with honest pros, cons and the bag-portering reality.
29Practical 7 minPractical · March 2025
How to get around Fes: walking the car-free medina, porters and mules, red petits taxis to and from the gates, hiring a licensed guide, the Ville Nouvelle, the train station and Fès–Saïss airport.
30Practical 7 minPractical · March 2025
Honest things to know before visiting Fes: the world's largest car-free medina, the tanneries' sales pitch, dressing modestly in a traditional city, carrying cash, refusing faux-guides, 'balak' and staying aware in the crowds.
31Planning 7 minPlanning · April 2025
Fes on a budget: the free and cheap highlights — walking the car-free medina, the Chouara tannery view, Bab Boujloud, Jnan Sbil gardens and the Borj Nord panorama — plus cheap eats, petits taxis and honest money-saving tips.
32Fes 7 minFes · April 2025
An honest guide to Fes in winter (December–February): cool, often rainy days, chilly riads and what to pack — plus why the quiet, soft-lit medina, lower prices and uncrowded tanneries make it worth it.
33Fes 7 minFes · April 2025
An honest guide to Fes in summer (July–August): genuinely hot, dry days and an airless midday medina — plus how to cope, and why low-season quiet, lower prices and long warm evenings can make it worth it.
34Fes 8 minFes · June 2026
Why spring (March–May) is the best time to visit Fes: mild days for all-day medina walking, green gardens and blooming countryside — with a month-by-month breakdown, what to pack and how Ramadan can affect your trip.
35Couples 7 minCouples · April 2025
Fes isn't a nightlife city — its romance is slower: a quiet courtyard riad, a shared hammam, a rooftop dinner above the old town, a craft workshop for two and the pleasure of getting lost together. How to plan an intimate few days.
36Practical 8 minPractical · June 2026
The most-asked Fes question, answered honestly: when a licensed guide is worth it through the 9,000 lanes of Fes el-Bali, what one does and costs, how to tell a licensed guide from a faux-guide, and how to navigate the medina on your own.
Letters from Marrakech
No marketing. Just one field note, one riad we love this season, one practical tip — written in plain English, signed by a real person.
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