My Fiancee and I are meeting up in morocco

[khengool 0]

We will be flying in to Casablanca (CMN) and I have no idea what to expect.

Neither of us speaks the native language.

Where should we go, what should we do?

which hotel should we stay at?

How much will a 20km cab ride cost us to get to a hotel from the airport?

Any places in particular to visit?

We're really big on nature and architecture and things like that, not so big on partying and beaches.

What percentage of the women in Casablanca wear hejab?

sorry if my questions are silly, but I am admittedly uninformed and would like to be informed by people who know better!

Thanks!

[MarocAmer 0]

Casablanca is very metropolitan. Most women dress western. They are friendly, speak Arabic (of course), French and English. Your cab ride from the airport into Casa will be approximately $35 USD; you can change your money at the airport before you leave. There are lots of nice hotels, Hilton, Sheraton, and less expensive Ibis. If you don't already have one, I suggest you pick up a guide book; there are wonderful places to explore. Enjoy your visit!

[mybackpages 0]

We will be flying in to Casablanca (CMN) and I have no idea what to expect.

Neither of us speaks the native language.

Where should we go, what should we do?

which hotel should we stay at?

How much will a 20km cab ride cost us to get to a hotel from the airport?

Any places in particular to visit?

We're really big on nature and architecture and things like that, not so big on partying and beaches.

What percentage of the women in Casablanca wear hejab?

sorry if my questions are silly, but I am admittedly uninformed and would like to be informed by people who know better!

Thanks!

There is also a train that takes you from teh airport to the city centre for much less than the texi - depending on the time of your arrival. A taxi from the train station will take you almost anywhere for $2-4. Depending on what kind of amenities you want in a hotel, there are many choices. The guide book will give you some ideas. Hotel Paris is nice, but nothing like room service or in house cafes.

[sarah and hicham 3]

The one time I took a taxi alone in Morocco the driver didn't even set the counter and I got hosed. I ended up paying about 10 times more than I would have if I was with Hicham. You'll probably end up paying more than you really should have to, but in the end it won't be that much. Have fun!

[CoCo1020 0]

One problem you may encounter at most hotels is that they will ask you for your marriage certificate to share the room. We had to pay for two rooms in Marrakesh and we slept separately because the inspectors may come in the middle of the night.... This "anti prostitution law" is mostly enforced when one in the couple is moroccan. If both are foreigners, they may be less strict. Anybody had the same experience?

[mybackpages 0]

The one time I took a taxi alone in Morocco the driver didn't even set the counter and I got hosed. I ended up paying about 10 times more than I would have if I was with Hicham. You'll probably end up paying more than you really should have to, but in the end it won't be that much. Have fun!

There is a new law in place where taxis must charge a flat fee to and from the airport. I dont have my hands on the cost, but i think it is about $35. i think i read it on the offical casa airport site. The train is just soooo easy to use.

[L_n_O 3]

have fun!

[tnh9479 1]

I would highly suggest the train from the airport as well. It is quick and easy.

Like others have said, Casablanca is a very cosmopolitian city...reminds me of NYC. If you get a chance to go see the mosque, I would highly suggest it. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I have ever seen.

Twila

[caybee 21]

One problem you may encounter at most hotels is that they will ask you for your marriage certificate to share the room. We had to pay for two rooms in Marrakesh and we slept separately because the inspectors may come in the middle of the night.... This "anti prostitution law" is mostly enforced when one in the couple is moroccan. If both are foreigners, they may be less strict. Anybody had the same experience?

Part of it also depends on the city and the hotel. We stayed at the Ibis, a French chain, near the Casa Voyager station. We paid for two rooms but they asked if we didn't want just one.

[Jenn! 918]

One problem you may encounter at most hotels is that they will ask you for your marriage certificate to share the room. We had to pay for two rooms in Marrakesh and we slept separately because the inspectors may come in the middle of the night.... This "anti prostitution law" is mostly enforced when one in the couple is moroccan. If both are foreigners, they may be less strict. Anybody had the same experience?

Interesting. We stayed at two separate hotels in Morocco (one in Tangier and one in Marrakech) and were never asked for a marriage certificate in order to share a room. It must depend where you are.

[khengool 0]

One problem you may encounter at most hotels is that they will ask you for your marriage certificate to share the room. We had to pay for two rooms in Marrakesh and we slept separately because the inspectors may come in the middle of the night.... This "anti prostitution law" is mostly enforced when one in the couple is moroccan. If both are foreigners, they may be less strict. Anybody had the same experience?

Interesting. We stayed at two separate hotels in Morocco (one in Tangier and one in Marrakech) and were never asked for a marriage certificate in order to share a room. It must depend where you are.

That's interesting to hear.

Sounds a lot like Iran.

Does the law apply to Moroccan citizens only, or does it also apply to foreigners as well?

My fiancee wears hijab, will that put us in a precarious position (i.e. more scrutiny than other not-obviously muslim foreign visitors)?

We have been married in a religious ceremony, but not legally (so that we may still qualify for a fiancee visa)

but how would the local authorities validate our marriage? Any documents we have (which are legally non-binding in iran) would have to be translated, etc... Should we look into going to another country?

[CoCo1020 0]

That's interesting to hear.

Sounds a lot like Iran.

Does the law apply to Moroccan citizens only, or does it also apply to foreigners as well?

My fiancee wears hijab, will that put us in a precarious position (i.e. more scrutiny than other not-obviously muslim foreign visitors)?

We have been married in a religious ceremony, but not legally (so that we may still qualify for a fiancee visa)

but how would the local authorities validate our marriage? Any documents we have (which are legally non-binding in iran) would have to be translated, etc... Should we look into going to another country?

Apparently this law is not applied 100% of the time. I know that if both are foreigners it doesn't seem to affect them. although being your fiance a muslim woman, it is hard to know what would happen. In my opinion, it would be a pity not to visit this beautiful country for this reason. Maybe somebody has some suggestion to avoid this problem. Maybe renting an apartment is a possibility, or maybe the western owned hotels do not apply this law. Maybe your religious certificate is good enough. I hope you find a definite answer. Good luck

[brnidokiegurl 0]

One problem you may encounter at most hotels is that they will ask you for your marriage certificate to share the room. We had to pay for two rooms in Marrakesh and we slept separately because the inspectors may come in the middle of the night.... This "anti prostitution law" is mostly enforced when one in the couple is moroccan. If both are foreigners, they may be less strict. Anybody had the same experience?

we stayed in Marrakesh and Casa and never had any problems with the hotel rooms

[Carolyn 1]

The hotel situation is a little tricky...

When we were not married, my husband and I didn't even try to stay in a hotel together. We rented apartments from people--they usually do not check any identification. My husband would negotiate with people in the streets--we'd go see the place and they would agree on a price. We stayed in some wonderful apartments at a much better price than most hotels. It might be hard to do this well if you don't speak Moroccan Arabic (French or English will work with some people, but I'd bet prices would be higher).

Later, even though we were married, my husband and I have had a hard time staying in some hotels together in Morocco! The problem was that we were not carrying our marriage certificate with us (for some crazy reason my husband chose to leave it with his mom for safekeeping while we were traveling). Eventually we would find a place, but it took some time!

I've heard that expensive hotels that cater mostly to foreigners are less likely to care if you are married or not.

I just asked my husband--he said that if your fiance/wife has a Iranian passport, hotels will be strict about the marriage issue.

My suggestion: get the marriage certificate translated if it's not written in Arabic or French. I think you would be considered married in Morocco (oh yeah--you should call her your WIFE, not fiance, and carry your marriage certificate to avoid any troubles with the police).

It's a wonderful country to travel to!

Bon voyage!

Carolyn

P.S. Did your wife have any problems getting a visa to Morocco?

Edited September 24, 2007 by Carolyn

[Carolyn 1]

I don't know how much time you'll have in Morocco, but here are my suggestions (FYI: I've been there 4 times):

In my opinion, there isn't a lot to do in Casablanca if you are a tourist (except for seeing the mosque, of course).

I recommend heading straight to Marrakech, where there are many wonderful cultural sites to see. You can take the train from Casa to Marrakech. Do not leave Morocco without going to Djmaa al Fna! The medina is really interesting to walk around in, you'll find plenty of entertainment in the square, as well as great food and shopping in the souks. If you want a fun night of entertainment by traditional musicians from all over Morocco and a great feast, ask your hotel for tickets to Chez Ali--you'll take a minivan out to the desert for an evening extravaganza. It's quite touristy, but we loved it.

If you want to go to the ocean, head to Essouira (a sleepy little town south of Casa) with wonderful fresh-from-the-ocean seafood, crashing waves and a really old Portuguese fort as well as lots of interesting buildings. I don't think that Agadir is all that great--it's a nice resort city, but it doesn't have a real Moroccan feel (you could be anywhere--Europe, US, etc.) We also really enjoyed going to Assila--a tiny ocean town south of Tangier on the Atlantic.

I really love the mountains--if you have time, take a taxi (you could share it with any # of people--I'd suggest buying an extra seat or two for comfort:) up to the mountains--the most amazing views I've ever seen in my life were on the road from Marrakech to Ouarzazate and beyond out to the sand dunes in Merzouga (and we had this crazy taxi driver, Aziz, whose musical choices were the Koran or Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton--quite the contrast to the breathtaking views of mountains, kasbahs and oasis ). That took 4 days round-trip, including a camel trek through the dunes and an overnight in a Berber tent out in Merzouga.

If you want a day trip in the mountains, you could go to Ourika. It is a little mountain village about 45 minutes up into the mountains from Marrakech. Great food, strolling Berber traditional musicians, a cool river and a panoramic view of the majestic Atlas.

Oh, I love Morocco!