# Thinking of going to Morocco? a word of warning



## Scattycat

We have recently returned from a trip to Morocco and to be honest I quite liked it and all being well will probably go again next year.
But there was a couple of things that wound me up and I think is only fair to warn others.

The first thing that wound me up was at a fuel station on the motorway. The usual thing is that as soon as you stop at the pumps someone leaps out wanting to fill the tank for you, no problem there but at this particular place a big Moroccan accompanied me back to the kiosk picked up a card machine that was on the counter I placed my card in the slot and insisted I paid 400dh around £40 I said no it was less than that, it was around 350dh. He became very insistent and a little aggressive. I managed to whip my card out of the machine and walked back to the van quickly followed by 3 or 4 very agitated Moroccans. We arrived at the pump and I showed them that the pump was registering 350de whereupon they reluctantly agreed and I duly paid the 350dh.
So my advice is to always pay in cash.

The second thing that really wound me up was at a campsite near Marakesh, (la tortue manzil). Now we went there because we had read loads of reports giving it really good write-ups and to be honest when we got there and looked around I was really impressed and I have to say the food in the restaurant was excellent although quite expensive for Morocco. But after a really good meal on the first night, for me, things really went downhill.
At such a famed campsite where the overnight charge is twice as much as anyother site we stayed on in Morocco I would expect all the facillities to be in tip top working order. Well we we had electricity to each parking space but they'd turned the water off, there was only 2 mens showers and neither of them was working properly. 
They site also offers a 'comfort taxi service' into Morocco that turned out to be a clapped out small people carrier that was as dirty inside as it was outside and the doors didn't close properly so I could see the road through the gap. The charge is 40 dh per person eachway, so if 1 person goes the charge is 40 dh, but if 4 people go it's 40 dh each. Another site that we stopped at on our way back north, albeit not quite as far outside Marakesh, charged 40dh for one person and 12dh for each additional person, which sounds fairer to me.
Okay, you might think I'm a whinger, but the final straw and the main reason I decided to warn about this place was when I asked the Belgian propriator if they could exchange or re-fill one of my gas bottles. No problem, I haven't got a driver here today, we'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow came same story we'll do it tomorrow. (That's another night's fees and they managed to drive 4 of us into Marakesh that afternoon though. kerrching!) 

Next day came and I decided to ask the price before they took the bottle. 350dh to re-fill my own bottle came the reply. Somewhat expensive I said. Oh no, gas is really expensive over here. So I declined. At out next campsite they re-filled my bottle for 50dh.

One of the write-ups on the campsite commented that the owners had spent a lot of money setting the place up and wondered how they would ever get their money back. Well now you know . . . by ripping off their clients. Mind you, they'll only do it once. Even if all the facillities were working properly I'd never go there again.

I'm sure other folks have been there, had a good experience and will shoot me down, but I speak as I find.

But don't let me put you off Morocco is a great place to visit and as I said we'll probably go again next year


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## tonka

Scatty... Glad your back and in general giving Morocco a thumbs up.

Like everywhere that we all travel as "foreign tourists" I think we need to be on our guard not just for Morocco.

Ref Fuel, We soon learned that cash was the preferred and quicker option and so all in our group started to plan as paying that in cash. Some did do card payments and as far as we know had no issues, guess yours was a one off..

Campsite... Cant make any comments other than it appears you had a negative experience compared to others... We stayed at Le Relais which was expensive by Morocco standards but very good. Their taxi's were the general old school Mercs and they charged a fixed €6 each way per car and inc up to 4 passengers.. Never even charged for the outward trip and told us to pay on returns. That was a good sign for us.

Pity you did not go to the parking area right by the Mosque, €6 a night, safe and quiet. Guardians were very pleasant.. We did 1 night at the campsite to ger our bearings and then another 3 nights right in the heart of the city and only 5 mins from the main square...

Morocco 2014.. It's on my list....


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## peejay

Sorry to here of those problems scatty, no words of wisdom from me as we're still out here and still learning.

Can I ask what gas bottles you have and where did you get them refilled please?

I've got used to paying cash for diesel as no stations I've stopped at have accepted cards so far but thanks for the heads up.

Pete


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## Addie

Scattycat said:


> I'm sure other folks have been there, had a good experience and will shoot me down, but I speak as I find.


The problem I have with this post is that it almost completely disregars the fact that you was in Africa, not Europe, and that neither of them either together or separate had they happened to me would in any way put me off visiting Morocco let alone writing a "Word of Warning on Morocco" post on a public forum.

In my view this type of post should be more balanced and take into consideration positives about your trip to Morocco rather than purely focused on the negatives. Surely there must have been something you liked if you will "probably go again next year?". Perhaps you're trying to keep the best for yourself 

Paying for anything by card (other than supermarkets) simply didn't occur to us on our visit. It is important to be vigilant with all transactions - card or cash - to ensure you're not being short changed. We had similar experiences in Russia, for example.

With regards to the camp-site facilities, they shouldn't be taken for granted - irrespective of the pitch fee. I'd submit a review into the campsite database for future visitors - but I had heard similar comments on this particular campsite last year and avoided it.

I would recommend this site - or the aire mentioned by Tonka:
http://www.lerelaisdemarrakech.com/

What gas bottles were you having refilled out of interest? I wasn't aware personally that this was possible so would be genuinely interested in this. Certainly I think gaslow LPG refills are a no-go.

I feel like I'm having to defend Morocco in this post, but I guess it isn't for everyone. There are negatives as well as positives - but in my view it all adds to the experience that you just can't get in Europe. We can't wait to get back later this year.


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## barryd

Not been since the 90's and never been in the van but after reading Addie and the Lobsters account last winter (or the one before) its all Ive thought about all winter stuck up here freezing my aris off.

All I remember is you were expected to haggle for everything. Brilliant, I loved it.

I also remember them trying to sell us everything but the guy on the beach on our first day selling pastries when he found out we didnt have any cash yet gave us some freebies.

I agree with Addie though. Its Africa not the Dordogne. I would go expecting every to be broken and if it works its a bonus!


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## jonse

*Morroco*

After our trip last year hope to go back for three months next year, campsites were good and bad as with dd tours but it is a relatively poor country so not all will be up to european standards,the best for us was Atlantic park Agadir 24/7 cleaning service on site, it was on the coast road on our way back, our furthest down was to Tarfaya, just to see the model plane on the beach and the ferry that went a round not much to see on the way there but hey we were on holiday,a great all round trip of 5,281 miles,Even fluff our dog enjoyed it, not the souks though


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## rayrecrok

barryd said:


> Not been since the 90's and never been in the van but after reading Addie and the Lobsters account last winter (or the one before) its all Ive thought about all winter stuck up here freezing my aris off.
> 
> All I remember is you were expected to haggle for everything. Brilliant, I loved it.
> 
> I also remember them trying to sell us everything but the guy on the beach on our first day selling pastries when he found out we didnt have any cash yet gave us some freebies.
> 
> I agree with Addie though. Its Africa not the Dordogne. I would go expecting every to be broken and if it works its a bonus!


Hi.

When we were in Kenya on the beach sometime in the eighties, the locals wanted to barter, but for our T shirt and trainers we were wearing.. :roll: :lol: :lol: :lol:

ray.


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## Scattycat

peejay said:


> Sorry to here of those problems scatty, no words of wisdom from me as we're still out here and still learning.
> 
> Can I ask what gas bottles you have and where did you get them refilled please?
> 
> I've got used to paying cash for diesel as no stations I've stopped at have accepted cards so far but thanks for the heads up
> Pete


Hi Pete
They were French bottles. We had one filled up at the campsite at Camping International Sidi Wassay. They have a bizarre way of doing it but fairly effective. They take your bottle, place it on the ground, hang another full bottle upside down on a wall, connect the 2 via a rubber tube, open both valves and the bottom one,(yours) gets slowly filled. May be not as full as a new one would be, probably only half full but at around 5€ compared to around 25€ for a full bottle back in France it's still a good price and much better than the rip off guy asking the equivalent of 35€+


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## Scattycat

Addie said:


> Scattycat said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm sure other folks have been there, had a good experience and will shoot me down, but I speak as I find.
> 
> 
> 
> The problem I have with this post is that it almost completely disregars the fact that you was in Africa, not Europe, and that neither of them either together or separate had they happened to me would in any way put me off visiting Morocco let alone writing a "Word of Warning on Morocco" post on a public forum.
> 
> In my view this type of post should be more balanced and take into consideration positives about your trip to Morocco rather than purely focused on the negatives. Surely there must have been something you liked if you will "probably go again next year?". Perhaps you're trying to keep the best for yourself
> 
> Paying for anything by card (other than supermarkets) simply didn't occur to us on our visit. It is important to be vigilant with all transactions - card or cash - to ensure you're not being short changed. We had similar experiences in Russia, for example.
> 
> With regards to the camp-site facilities, they shouldn't be taken for granted - irrespective of the pitch fee. I'd submit a review into the campsite database for future visitors - but I had heard similar comments on this particular campsite last year and avoided it.
> 
> I would recommend this site - or the aire mentioned by Tonka:
> http://www.lerelaisdemarrakech.com/
> 
> What gas bottles were you having refilled out of interest? I wasn't aware personally that this was possible so would be genuinely interested in this. Certainly I think gaslow LPG refills are a no-go.
> 
> I feel like I'm having to defend Morocco in this post, but I guess it isn't for everyone. There are negatives as well as positives - but in my view it all adds to the experience that you just can't get in Europe. We can't wait to get back later this year.
Click to expand...

 I suggest you read my posting again and you will see that I said I quite like Morocco. I have just given a couple of examples where people should be aware that not everybody is honest. I have said that we will probably be going back next year. I think that's a pretty positive and balanced comment.

Also the site was run by europeans, a Belgian guy and his French wife. So on that basis alone I'd expect them to run a site to a higher standard than the average Moroccan site especially as they were charging twice as much as most of the other sites we used.

Regarding your comment 'in my view it all adds to the experience that you just can't get in Europe' Sorry mate, I don't like being ripped off no matter where I am in the world and if by posting my experiences on here will help to make others more carefull and help them avoid these pitfalls I feel it's a subject worth posting.


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## Addie

Scattycat said:


> I suggest you read my posting again and you will see that I said I quite like Morocco. I have just given a couple of examples where people should be aware that not everybody is honest. I have said that we will probably be going back next year. I think that's a pretty positive and balanced comment.


I don't agree that a ~700 word account of the negatives of Morocco can be balanced by the statement "we'll probably go again next year". I'm genuinely interested to read about the positive experiences - but I couldn't find any in your post - hence my comment.

While its certainly worth highlighting the pitfalls I would suspect everyone who goes to Morocco (or perhaps Eastern Europe, Russia etc) will have a story about someone short changing them. Be it a Baksheesh, a few dirhams for a lump of rock or a cafe bill - that's just part of the experience in my view. That isn't a reflection necessarily on Morocco - it's just human nature - it could happen anywhere, its just more likely to happen in poorer countries.

When visiting Dutch run campsites in Romania we neither expected - nor received - Dutch standards. To receive true western standards in Morocco I think you need to be on a resort like Nikki Beach.

I doubt a dodgy camp-site and a hooky fuel station attendant is enough to put anyone off Morocco and I agree that it is worth pointing these out so that people go with the right mindset and give Morocco the respect it deserves. It's a very poor country after all and while the majority of the experience is positive not everyone takes kindly to Westerns rocking up in flashy Motorhomes.

What was your favourite parts of your trip?

What makes you want to go back?


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## iandsm

*Information*

I would have thought that someone posting genuine first hand experiences should be encouraged whether others agree with their general view or not. The reports were factual, which is fine. No reason to shoot them down in flames for that.

Isn't sharing genuine information what thus forum is all about.


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## Addie

*Re: Information*



iandsm said:


> I would have thought that someone posting genuine first hand experiences should be encouraged whether others agree with their general view or not. The reports were factual, which is fine. No reason to shoot them down in flames for that.
> 
> Isn't sharing genuine information what thus forum is all about.


I can't see any flames on this thread, iandsm, I agree with everything you have said. I'm just trying to balance the thread with an alternative view point - that's not to say either of us are right or wrong or the OP's post or opinions are any less valid than mine. This is a discussion forum after all - all we're doing is discussing Morocco


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## oly

I think Scattycats post was very informative and I can share his concerns having ourselves just returned from an escorted three week tour of the country.
We learned in a similar way to only use cash at fuel stations. We also found to ask for fuel at a given amount of cash! On two occasions the attendant claimed he didn't have change! Blatant cheating in my opinion and not good for tourism. I am also surprised no one has mentioned the police and their over zealous speeding trap antics. They are targeting foreign vehicles with no intention of completing the issue of a penalty! they just want a tip! That is corruption! also not good for tourism.
The campsites we were taken to ranged from poor to downright appalling. 'Third Word Country' is no excuse for filthy broken facilities.
They were new once and should be repaired or replaced. they have the business, in fact they were so busy we were crammed on two to a pitch or on the roadways in most cases. This is serious overcrowding and a safety hazard it also puts extra strain on the un maintained facilities. We too enjoyed the holiday and the experience very much, the scenery is truly spectacular. Three weeks was enough for me I am however pleased I have seen so much of the countryside as opposed to a package holiday.


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## bigcats30

I'm glad your honest about your travels....all info is appreciated


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## Grizzly

oly said:


> I am also surprised no one has mentioned the police and their over zealous speeding trap antics. They are targeting foreign vehicles with no intention of completing the issue of a penalty! they just want a tip! That is corruption! also not good for tourism.
> .


I can't agree with you here Oly.

The police are doing an excellent job to combat the menace of drivers who speed through towns. Moroccan towns and villages can be crowded and disorganised and the roads in the centre are usually full. The last thing you want is speeding drivers in the mix !

The police speed traps are clear, at the beginning of each town, the police only stop those who are speeding and, if you observe the limit, then you have nothing to fear.

Our several experiences of using the police as SatNav were always very positive. Polite, friendly, professional,informative and helpful to a man. Twice we had traffic held up for us so we could either turn in the road or join at a busy junction. There was no question of a tip being solicited or offered. We saw absolutely no sign at all of them targetting foreign vans; rather the opposite, they were usually busy with locals. They certainly act as an effective anti-speed device.

G


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## oly

*Police in Morocco*

The penalty is 300dm. We were entering a toll plaza and were not speeding. There were 2 of them we had no option but to pay. They pointed out that the form filling was a long task and he was a gentleman. he took 100dm. and issued no receipt, he put it in his pocket and said my husband was a gentleman too!! We were not the only ones so be warned. It isn't the fact that they are clamping down on speeding that I object to. I fully understand the reason and I believe it is working to cut down accidents.
Its the fact that they are putting the money in their pockets, the practice is corrupt and its widespread.


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## Spiritofherald

I read the OP acount positively and I was also glad of the negative points to be watched out for.


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