For the first time since I started traveling in 2006, I did not go beyond my estimated budget. Also for the first time (not including Myanmar since, it’s not possible there), I did not use my credit card nor my ATM/debit cards. It is indeed one small step to financial freedom and a giant leap for Nina.
Then again, there were activities and cities that we incorporated into the budget that we weren’t able to do or visit while in Morocco. Still, Morocco, though not as cheap as Southeast Asia, is a relatively cheap destination. Another thing that made a huge impact in keeping the costs down is having a travel buddy to share the tab with.
Excluding the airfare and my personal shopping, our total is a surprisingly low figure, considering that we traveled for 19 days. The trip took us through 7 cities and 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites. We ate in the streets and in the restaurants, we stayed at hostels and riads. It’s a great mix of budget and mid-range options that kept us happy and quite content.
Enough with the words, on with the numbers!
| Morocco 2011 | |||
| October 21 – November 8 | |||
| In local currency | In PHP | ||
| Accommodation | |||
| Riad Hiba | MAD 600.00 | PHP 3,209.64 | 1 |
| 2 nights, ensuite toilet, with breakfast | |||
| Pension Suika | MAD 178.00 | PHP 946.49 | 2 |
| 2 nights, shared toilet | |||
| Pension Sekaya | MAD 300.00 | PHP 1,609.09 | 3 |
| 2 nights, ensuite toilet, with breakfast | |||
| Auberge La Source | MAD 500.00 | PHP 2,681.82 | 4 |
| 2 nights, ensuite toilet, half board | |||
| Hotel Amlal | MAD 390.00 | PHP 2,064.03 | 5 |
| 2 nights, ensuite toilet, half board | |||
| Amour de Riad | MAD 431.00 | PHP 2,295.27 | 6 |
| 4 nights, ensuite toilet, with breakfast | |||
| Green Oasis | US$ 32.00 | PHP 1,369.60 | 7 |
| 1 night, shared toilet, with breakfast | |||
| Transportation | |||
| Trains | MAD 360.00 | PHP 1,950.77 | 8 |
| Buses | MAD 498.00 | PHP 2,671.13 | 9 |
| Grand taxis | MAD 65.00 | PHP 356.08 | 10 |
| Petit taxis | MAD 252.00 | PHP 1,344.96 | 11 |
| Food and Beverages | |||
| Meknes | MAD 122.50 | PHP 655.30 | |
| Chefchaouen | MAD 246.00 | PHP 1,311.11 | |
| Fes | MAD 288.00 | PHP 1,536.35 | |
| Merzouga | MAD 160.00 | PHP 858.18 | |
| Ouarzazate | MAD 71.00 | PHP 377.01 | |
| Marrakech | MAD 540.50 | PHP 2,881.81 | |
| Casablanca | MAD 46.00 | PHP 224.70 | 12 |
| Abu Dhabi | US$ 8.00 | PHP 343.24 | 13 |
| Activities | |||
| Volubilis admission fee | MAD 10.00 | PHP 54.78 | |
| Sahara sunset camel tour | MAD 150.00 | PHP 804.00 | |
| Ait Benhaddou tour | MAD 325.00 | PHP 1,730.18 | 14 |
| Ait Benhaddou admission | MAD 10.00 | PHP 53.06 | |
| Jardin Majorelle | MAD 40.00 | PHP 213.57 | 15 |
| Souk Cuisine cooking class | MAD 500.00 | PHP 2,662.72 | 16 |
| Miscellaneous | |||
| NAIA terminal fee | PHP 750.00 | PHP 750.00 | |
| Roaming charges | PHP 175.04 | PHP 175.04 | |
| Local sim and prepaid credit | MAD 60.00 | PHP 323.53 | |
| Postcards and magnet | MAD 42.00 | PHP 224.67 | |
| Keychains and t-shirt | MAD 100.00 | PHP 535.96 | |
| Postage | MAD 92.60 | PHP 492.39 | 17 |
| Toilet fees | MAD 15.50 | PHP 83.80 | 18 |
| Porter | MAD 20.00 | PHP 106.35 | 19 |
| Total | PHP 36,896.63 | ||
| 1 After traveling for more than 24 hours, Riad Hiba was a great treat. Our room was HUGE! It was pricier than what we would have wanted, but it was worth the warm hospitality of our hosts and the amazing breakfast. It was a great start to our Moroccan adventure. | |||
| 2 There was a huge downpour in Chefchaouen the day that we arrived and the room they reserved for us got flooded. They arranged for us to have a room at the hostel next door, Mauritania and transferred us to the following day. Most of the backpackers are staying there so it can be quite noisy at night specially in our room which is right next to the lounge. On the upside, we were right beside the wi-fi router and more importantly, they have a cat! | |||
| 3 Truly an oasis in the midst of the Fes medina. The inside of the riad is pretty, but the room itself lacks character and had a tiny ensuite toilet and bath. | |||
| 4 The location of the hotel is perfect: right across the dunes of Erg Chebbi. What made this place special though is its host, Hassan Ougnir. | |||
| 5 It’s a great budget option located within walking distance to a lot of shops and restaurants. We opted to go half board here, and it seems it’s the right decision: their tagines are the best we’ve had in Morocco. | |||
| 6 Very easy to find and just 8 minutes from the Djemma el Fna square and the souks. And no stairs! (at least for our room) | |||
| 7 Booked this through AirBnB. It’s a room in a house in Casablanca’s ville nouvelle and it was gorgeous! Kinda regretted not booking more nights here. | |||
| 8 Train rides include: Casablanca airport to Casa Voyageur (main train station), Casablanca to Meknes, Marrakech to Casablanca and L’Opera to Aeroport. | |||
| 9 Fees include bus ticket and luggage fee. Buses taken: Meknes to Moulay Idriss, Meknes to Chefchaouen, Chefchaouen to Fes (CTM), Fes to Merzouga (Supratours), Merzouga to Ouarzazate (Supratours) and Ouarzazate to Marrakech (Supratours). | |||
| 10 Grand taxi from Moulay Idriss to Volubilis and Volubilis to Meknes. | |||
| 11 We took the petit taxi to get around, mainly when going out of the medina and into the ville nouvelle. Only a handful automatically turn on the meter when we get in. | |||
| 12 We stayed in a house where we have a fully equipped kitchen to use. We opted to talk a walk down to the neighborhood supermarket and bought things to cook for dinner. | |||
| 13 McDonald’s Quarter Pounder and fries. We do not regret it. | |||
| 14 We chose to go hire a car with a guide instead of commuting, and it was well worth it. Our ride was a Toyota Land Cruiser and our driver/guide veered away from the main road and we went off road. We had a great view of the landscape, which not a lot of tourist get close to. | |||
| 15 Pricey, but the garden is very well kept and very serene. | |||
| 16 My sister’s request. | |||
| 17 This is how I fully understood how far away we are from the Asia-Pacific region. | |||
| 18 Unless otherwise stated, toilets in Morocco charge between MAD 1 – 2 per person, per use. | |||
| 19 We mistook the tout for the porter that the riad sent. | |||
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This post was last modified on Wednesday, 30 January 2013 17:08
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