Treasures of Morocco (Small Groups, Winter)

Traveler Reviews

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  FaithMok

  April 30th, 2019
  4.0
  I can't remember the guides name, but he did a great job explaining the social, cultural, political and economical...
  I can't remember the guides name, but he did a great job explaining the social, cultural, political and economical and even geographical and religious climate of Morocco. I know the tour guide was a local and that he was very proud of his heritage and was happy to brag about his country and culture. I learned a lot about the country and I am overall happy with this tour.Show more
  Traveled in November 2018
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for sharing this with us. We are very happy to learn that you enjoyed your complete experience in Morocco with Insight Vacations. Moreover, we are elated that our tailored itinerary was to your liking and we truly look forward to welcoming you back soon for more amazing destinations.

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  MariaFatimaVeraCruz

  March 18th, 2019
  5.0
  The best guided tour I’ve had so far! Hassan shared his love and passion for his country with us. The itineraries...
  The best guided tour I’ve had so far! Hassan shared his love and passion for his country with us. The itineraries were exceptional...went to a lot of important and beautiful sights...and then some! Hassan gave all of us a little extra something to make the trip special...granted wishes Show more
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  Traveled in March 2019
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for informing us about the wonderful time you had in Morocco with Insight Vacations. We are delighted to hear that Hassan went the extra mile to make your time on the road a memorable one. Furthermore, we are without a doubt happy to have been given the opportunity to host you and we look forward to journeying with you again soon.

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  JudyYandoh

  March 15th, 2019
  4.5
  Overall enjoyed the tour. This is the only way though I can provide important information to those interested in the...
  Overall enjoyed the tour. This is the only way though I can provide important information to those interested in the tour and feedback to Insight that they might take seriously. This tour is very challenging for individuals with mobility issues. There were three on my tour. You are constantly getting on and off the bus, considerable walking at a brisk pace and there are many steps and rough surfaces in hotels, restaurants, and sights. Accessibility is still a concept in Morocco. You must be with an able bodied person who can assist you. The tour is very tiring; very little down time. Nice hotels but we didn't spend much time in them. The 2nd day of tour was visits to stores in Fes (leather, pottery and rugs). We were whisked through markets and told not to stop at other vendors. These stores were our only opportunity to shop. For the most part the products were highly overpriced. The worse experience was the rug stop. Very high prices (1000s of Euros) and intense pressure. Tour was split into small groups and then pressured by employees to buy. Our two "local guides" were really touts who joined in pressuring us to buy rugs (They then had the audacity to stand in the entrance of the hotel when we returned to demand tips). Best prices were in market in Essaouira. Marrakesh optional was not worth close to $80 cost. Mediocre experience, worse food of trip and abrupt waiters. Also remember that you don't have to eat at the restaurants the guide stops at for "lunches on your own". Anyway I don't think my experience would have been different with any other tour company or any other guide. It's just the way things are done in Morocco. Tour companies very well know that stops at designated stores and restaurants that provide kickbacks to guides are SOP.Show more
  Traveled in March 2019
  

  Reply from: Insight Vacations

  Thank you for informing us about your Best of Morocco trip with Insight Vacations. Whilst we are happy to hear that you enjoyed our tailored itinerary and locations visited, we, however, are saddened to learn that not all aspects of your trip met the standards you had perhaps hoped for. As such, we would like to assure you that your concerns have been forwarded to our internal team for further review to see where improvements could be made to better the experience for our guests. With that in mind, it pleases us to read that your overall experience with us exceeded your expectations and we definitely look forward to welcoming you back for more amazing destinations

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  Colleen

  May 17th, 2018
  3.0
  About my previous comment. In no way was he justifying killing in the name of the Muslim religion. He did say that...
  About my previous comment. In no way was he justifying killing in the name of the Muslim religion. He did say that they don't condone that. Perhaps I should have been more clear. I just didn't care for his comment about the kkk and killing in the name of Christianity. Perhaps he should be more educated on some topics. Or just not talk about things that may offend people.Show more
  Traveled in May 2018
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  Colleen

  May 17th, 2018
  3.0
  I just returned from the Best of Morocco and our guide was not very knowledgeable. There are questions I asked him...
  I just returned from the Best of Morocco and our guide was not very knowledgeable. There are questions I asked him that I knew the answer to just to see what his response would be, like “why do some women cover their faces and some don’t” his answer was because it was dusty and windy (so i guess its dusty and windy indoors too). Its a matter of religious preference and he should know this. When we passed McDonalds he pointed them out like we don’t have them at home. One day he talked for a whole 7 hours on the bus about random things that don’t pertain to the trip. He told us where we can take pictures and who we can send them to… it was so odd. One afternoon we stopped at a gas station for lunch (I kid you not). The stops along the way were stupid and they didn’t follow the itinerary. I missed out on somethings that they said we would visit, not take a picture of it from a distance. One stop he said we can take some pictures of an outside of a museum that we couldn’t go into and 5 minutes later take a picture of a fence with a sign. In most of the stops like in Fes for instance we stopped at a rug place, a tannery and where they weave fabric. All with a hard sell on buying the goods and the tour guide gets a kick back if anyone buys the goods. At the fabric place upon closer inspection of a scarf I can see where the tag was cut off like it was made in China or something. Same for 3 other places we stopped at along the way where we were hard pressed to buy goods. When asking the director if he can show me where a place is he pointed and gave me a general direction on where to go. Like I knew where I was… He talked about Muslim religion a lot and even had a stop focused on it. He talked twice about killing in the name of religion and brought up the KKK and how they killed for religion. Like no, they killed because they were racist. He stopped way too much (maybe so he can have a smoke break i dont know) which made for some long days and never had time to enjoy the hotels because we would get there really late. The food at the hotels was dulled down and had no flavor (except for the sweets). I didn’t eat for 5 days because I couldn’t taste anything. I had complained while on the trip and insight informed him that he had some complaints prior to finishing and so he took it upon himself to have a little speech about it that was awkward and uncomfortable. One traveler then wrote a letter pressuring people to sign it saying that the guide was great... basically to single out who complained. Insight should not have said anything to the guide prior to ending the trip. And then he was saying the hotels were the best… well upon a little trip advisor search, no they were not and it seems like they were sticking to a chain of hotels like Insight has a contract with them to use those hotels. Morocco is beautiful and I probably would have had a better time with another company... or perhaps with another tour guide. About my previous comment. In no way was he justifying killing in the name of the Muslim religion. He did say that they don't condone that. Perhaps I should have been more clear. I just didn't care for his comment about the kkk and killing in the name of Christianity. Perhaps he should be more educated on some topics. Or just not talk about things that may offend people.Show more
  Traveled in May 2018
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  Matthew

  May 15th, 2018
  3.0
  Tour was OK. I use to remember the pitch that was made that attracted me to Insight was that all hotels are in...
  Tour was OK. I use to remember the pitch that was made that attracted me to Insight was that all hotels are in central locations. In most of the stops on this trip, the hotels was far out from the center. Some were not 5 stars. Compare Atlas Medina and Spa and Movenpick across the road in Marrakesh. In my 10 trips with Insight, only a few hotels were centrally located. I thought people go on holidays to experience the vibrant feel of the local color, the culture, the festival-like feel of the city. It appears that people like the 5-star hotel to sleep in for a few hours and spend most of the time out of the hotel. I prefer 4 star hotels in central locations so that after meals, I can step out to hear the sound of the city and see the activity of the people. In Insight -selected hotels, you go to sleep after the meal. I am slowly veering away from guided tours like Insight and Trafalgar and go for local tours who booked 3 or 4 star hotels in the center, but you see more of the local culture than the guided tours.Show more
  Traveled in May 2018
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  Kathryn Douglas

  April 4th, 2018
  5.0
  The tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and organized. There is no way I could have seen so much in 11 days...
  The tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and organized. There is no way I could have seen so much in 11 days on my own. I felt comfortable and safe the entire time while enjoying the magic of another world.Show more
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  Traveled in March 2018
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  Sally

  February 4th, 2018
  5.0
  Hassan our tour guide for this Moroccan exotic trip was the reason we had such a magnificent journey. His love for...
  Hassan our tour guide for this Moroccan exotic trip was the reason we had such a magnificent journey. His love for his country showed all of us how wonderful Morocco is. This was the most fun, exotic, and exciting trip, a must do.Show more
  Traveled in November 2017
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  Felicity

  October 2nd, 2017
  4.0
  Fabulous holiday in Portugal, Southern Spain then another to Morocco, Hotels good and well located. Name ID tags...
  Fabulous holiday in Portugal, Southern Spain then another to Morocco, Hotels good and well located. Name ID tags were hopeless.Show more
  Traveled in September 2017