And now for something completely different.
For years, our family has gone South for March Break. Well, all of March really. Costa Rica mostly, followed by Cayman Islands. One year we even went to Montserrat.
These trips were lovely, but not entirely adventurous. And that was fine. There’s a limit to how much change and flexibility that a three-year-old is prepared to handle.
But the kids are getting older so we made the decision to switch to more adventurous travel.
And what’s why we’re in Morocco for a 12 day whirlwind tour.
But not just any tour – a Storybook Tour.
Black Tomato offers a series of them, including Arabian Nights – which features a search for a magic lamp that spans the souks of Marrakech to the depths of the Sahara, racing against an evil sorcerer.
I mean, how do you say no to that?
We reached out to Black Tomato for pricing, and were pleasantly surprised when it came in pretty close to our budget. It took a bit of back-and-forth to figure out where the pinch points were, but we eventually figured out where to splurge and where to save.
I won’t say the process was entirely seamless, as there was some discussion after booking about what exactly the storybook tour entailed – and just because it’s in the original description, that doesn’t mean it’ll be in your booking. We figured it out well in advance, but I would say check your itinerary carefully if there’s anything you particularly want in there.
We also decided to tack on an extra stop in Paris on the way back because that’s on the way, right? The kids also loved the idea of seeing Euro Disney, and having the chance to hit some of the highlights, including the Louvre, Versailles, and Paris’ finest confectionaries – all organized by Context Travel.
We then waited for a year and a half for our departure date to arrive – because that’s what we do. We book our travel ridiculously early.
There was a lot going on in the week leading up to our departure, so it came almost as a shock when departure day arrived – even though we had been mostly-packed for the better part of a week. And we wouldn’t be packing light – not when our wardrobe needs to take us from the Atlas Mountains to the Eiffel Tower.
If you listen carefully to this photo, you can hear our car scream
But we didn’t even need to use the roof box to carry our bags, so I guess that’s an improvement…
Off to Pierre Trudeau Memorial Airport (YUL), where we’d pre-booked Park ‘n’ Fly valet service as we usually do – we saved more than $200 by pre-booking, but it was still more expensive than Toronto Pearson – $400 for 3 weeks, compared to $200 for a month.
We again employed our preferred strategy – I dropped my wife and kids at the airport with the bags then went to park the car and catch the shuttle back. Hard to believe there was a time when all of us used to stay with the car as we dropped it off at the valet, and then lug our bags onto the shuttle. The “terminal drop” is a much better option.
My wife had the bags checked in by the time I reached the terminal, and then we were off through security. We have Nexus cards, which allows us to access a new kind of scanner system that doesn’t involve taking electronics, liquids and so on out of the bags. And you can keep your shoes on. Even Blundstones. Very civilized.
Then off to the Maple Leaf Lounge. We’d booked this flight with RBC Avion Points and – through some strange math – it turned out that the most efficient option was to book in Signature Class. With pods!
The Lounge was extremely busy, but we managed to get four comfortable seats that were next to each other. That’s really my only goal. Four seats – okay. Four seats together -good. Four comfortable seats – who could ask for more?
Well, maybe a pancake printing machine, but I think my family is happy to keep me away from those for a while.
The Montreal Maple Leaf Lounge did give Alaska Airlines a run for their money, however – I particularly enjoyed the poutine and smoked meat sandwiches, and my wife said that the spicy Thai chicken soup was lovely.
I managed to squeeze in a little bit more work before we left – but not much, as it wasn’t long before 5:45 pm arrived and it was time to head to our gate.
We were pleasantly surprised to find a playground there, and the kids managed a few quick slides before being cooped up for an extended period.
Signature Class is lovely, as one might expect. And the service is exceptional. I appreciated the little touches, like the complementary toiletry bag lined with goodies (photo).
I also enjoyed the sparkling wine before departure and the wide range of menu options. I ended up going with the shrimp scampi, which was delightfully spicy. It paired well with the recommended Chilean chardonnay.
Aperol Spritz – great way to start a flight
Shrimp scampi was delicious
Dijon chicken also great, according to my wife
After dinner, it was time to try to squeeze in a few hours sleep before we arrived. I managed a brief nap, as did my kids. My wife did not – she rarely sleeps on planes, and this was no exception.
The kids found the wakeup rough, but it wasn’t long before we had landed in Casablanca and made our way through the “Fast Track” customs line. Our bags were even waiting for us when we arrived. A distinct improvement over the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica.
Now for the first test of Black Tomato. Would our driver be waiting for us when we exited? Especially since our plane had landed a bit late and bathroom stops put us way behind at customs.
There was no sign of him after we collected our bags and entered the main part of the terminal – but thankfully Black Tomato has an app with a detailed itinerary, so we were able to quickly establish that he should be meeting us outside the terminal. No worries there.
Then we left the terminal – and also couldn’t find him.
Fortunately, this was on us. We had somehow gotten turned around and left through the wrong door. So we walked around the outside of the terminal and found the main exit, and our driver along with it.
The walk to the parking lot wasn’t tremendous. There was a lot of traffic, and very little in the way of pedestrian pathways. Not sure I enjoyed joining the line of cars waiting to drive into the airport.
But then we saw our driver’s gleaming Mercedes van replete with fresh bottles of water, and all was forgiven.
I’m not sure what I expected of the drive from Casablanca to Marrakech, but it’s a lot greener than I’d anticipated. Perhaps part and parcel with travelling in early Spring? Our kids also seem pleasantly surprised by the greenery, and my son was surprised to spot a palm tree next to a pine.
Lush, irrigated fields…
Soon gave way to stark desert…
The roadways are lovely, too. Wide lanes of flat asphalt. Canada should be so lucky.
It took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to Le Pavillion de la Kasbah, which is located close to the entrance of the Medina of Marrakech. Close enough that we gained an entirely new appreciation for our driver’s abilities – he was able to squeak through gaps that I would have sworn were impossible to get through.
We were met straightaway by one of the owners, Anne, who welcomed us and arranged for our bags to be brought the short distance from the road to our riad (the Moroccan term for a house built around a central courtyard). The contrast between the bustle of Marrakech’s ancient narrow streets and this beautiful boutique hotel was striking – and very welcome.
Better yet, they even had our rooms ready for us early – and no extra fee for the privilege, either. A welcome surprise given that we have paid quite handsomely for this privilege in the past.
It even features every parent’s dream – interconnecting rooms!
We then set to handle our immediate admin, which consisted of washing a load of clothing after some clumsiness from the previous night. Thankfully, Anne took the washing from us and had it handled straight away. This sounds simple, but any parent who has ever attempted to do laundry during a trip will appreciate just how incredible this is.
Then up to their beautiful rooftop patio for lunch – and to discover that they do indeed have a small pool. It’s not listed on the English version of their website for some reason, but it’s there!
Anne had said that we’d be able to get some snacks at the terrace, but they do serve a full lunch. We had some briouates (puff pastries with various fillings, including feta cheese and meat), chicken skewers and homemade potato chips, along with our first round of Moroccan mint tea – quite soothing after a long, dry flight.
The kids enjoyed staring out over the rooftops of Marrakech toward the mountains beyond, and watching the birds fly overhead – which even included the occasional stork. The character of the city is ever-present, from the roar of a motorbike down a narrow alleyway to the chorus of calls to prayer.
The kids got changed into their swimsuits and the adults lounged by the pool for a bit, before the dreaded nap attack finally won the day. We all returned to our room to sleep – perchance for only a few hours, and not the eight hours that we all felt we deserved at this point.
But that would have thrown a massive wrench into our sleep schedules, so I set no fewer than three alarms to prevent myself from oversleeping.
Up at 4:30ish, at which point we had received a mysterious letter:
Hmmm… could this be connected to our storybook adventure?
Back to the terrace for around 5:30 pm so we could have a brief meet-and-greet with Carla, who works for Black Tomato’s on-the-ground partner. She gave us some novel insight into this trip and answered our many questions, and also ensured that we could reach each other via WhatsApp as needed.
It turns out that our driver, Ali, would be our mountain guide for the latter half of the trip, while we have specially-trained Medina guides for our time in Marrakech. It also appears that we will be doing the longest and furthest-ranging version of the Storybook Tour that’s yet been done. My son was particularly pleased that we would be pioneers on this trip.
Dinner was lovely and leisurely. We had two more rounds of briouates.
A lentil salad flavored with herbs
Two rounds of beef skewers and mashed potatoes
Chicken tagine
And lamb kefka tagine
Then the full range of desserts:
Pain perdu with caramelized apples
Pseudo-artistic photography deisgned to hide the fact we’d already started eating…
Orange blossom cream – not unlike a crème brulee
No hiding with this one…
Artisanal ice cream trilogy
The sun set over Marrakech, and the air began to cool. It was surprising just how quiet it became. You’d never know you were right in the heart of a city of more than a million inhabitants.
But between the cool and the quiet – and the food and the dark – we soon found ourselves ready for bed. Perchance – this time – to get a full 8 hours of blessed oblivion.
Breakfast bright and early at 8:30 am tomorrow, and then we’re off to explore the souk.
And perhaps find a bit of magic in the process…
Continue reading Morocco Storybook Tour – Day 2.