The hotel
Riad Lalla Fatima
Riad · 4 nights · Medina
A courtyard with orange trees and a roof that catches the late light. Ask to see the roof before you take the room. Family suite on the first floor.
April, eight nights
Courtyards, then blue, then sand
Medina
The riad, the blue town, the dunes. One country, three rooms, no second app.
- Place
- Medina
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Family
- 2 adults, 1 child
- Two adults, one child of seven. We moved at her pace and it was better.
- Hotel
- Riad Lalla Fatima
- Riad · 3 stays
- Ride
- Petit taxi + Karim for two days
- Driver
Goes into your bag. Sit at a table so friends can pack next to you.
Where they slept
The hotel
Casa Hassan
Guesthouse · 2 nights · Chefchaouen
Two nights in the medina. Dawn is for photographs. Afternoon is mint tea and doing nothing.
The hotel
Camp Ahlam
Desert camp · 2 nights · Erg Chebbi
Low canvas, a small fire, the ridge at sunrise. Book the camp, not a day trip.
How they moved
How they moved
Petit taxi + Karim for two days
Driver · Karim — the riad will call him
Medina is walking and petit taxis. Karim drove us to Chefchaouen and on to Merzouga. One driver, two long days, no rental desk.
The days
1
Day 1
The courtyard first
Medina
- Arrive, tea, roof.
- Jemaa el-Fna after the child has eaten.
- Early night.
2
Day 2
Get lost on purpose
Medina
- Souks in the morning with no list.
- Secret Garden, then the roof again.
- Dinner in the riad. The child was done.
3
Day 3
A day that is not the medina
Medina
- Jardin Majorelle early.
- Long lunch.
- Pack for the mountains.
4
Day 4
The road to blue
Chefchaouen
- Karim at eight. Five hours, two stops.
- Check in. Follow a cat up a staircase.
- Mint tea until the light goes.
5
Day 5
Every wall a different blue
Chefchaouen
- Dawn alleys.
- Spanish Mosque for the view, then nothing.
- Sleep before the desert.
6
Day 6
Toward the dunes
Erg Chebbi
- Long drive with Karim. Podcasts, fruit, one kasbah stop.
- Camel only if she wants. We walked.
- Fire, then the sky.
7
Day 7
The ridge at sunrise
Erg Chebbi
- Up before the color changes.
- A second night because one is not enough.
- Nothing scheduled after breakfast.
8
Day 8
Home the long way
Medina
- Drive back to Marrakech.
- Last tea on the roof.
- Night flight.
Postcards from this trip
Amina El-Sayed
Medina, Morocco · 3 days ago
A courtyard that smelled like orange blossom and wet tile. I asked for tea and was given the afternoon.
Their plan
Courtyards, then blue, then sand
2 adults, 1 child · Riad Lalla Fatima · Driver
Amina El-Sayed
Chefchaouen, Morocco · 8 days ago
Every wall a different blue. I followed a cat up a staircase and found this pot of flowers instead of a view.
Their plan
Courtyards, then blue, then sand
2 adults, 1 child · Riad Lalla Fatima · Driver