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
On the trail
Amina El-Sayed
Cairo
Collecting courtyards, tiled doors, and the names of spice sellers.
2 postcards · 1 plan you can borrow
Postcards
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
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
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.
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.