Dress code in Morrocco?

No, I went out in shorts and a vest and I was fine. You get some comments from the locals but nothing to be frightened of. It is respectful to cover up but if you're wearing a maxi-dress I think you'll be fine without covering your shoulders. I covered my shoulders with a scarf anyway to keep the sun off. Whereabouts in Morocco are you going? I only ever really wore shorts when I was venturing out of Marrakech and on an excursion where there'd be less people around. Otherwise I just wore maxi dresses and linen trousers every day (and a pair of knee-length linen shorts).

Normally on holiday I would wear shorts in the day (quite short ? ) and a strappy top, I think this would be OK in the hotel etc but I should cover up more in town?

We are going to Marrakech- not booked yet though as I am still waiting for my passport to come back.

I honeymooned in Marrakech! The shortest shorts I had were just above my knees. Vests were fine in the more touristy areas, I took a shrug to cover my shoulders as I personally felt a bit uncomfortable. Didn't get any comments from anyone.

Do you know where you're going to stay yet?

OOOh it looks beautiful!

We are looking at the Albatros club? There are afew riads that we like the look of but we are trying to weigh up going all inclusive against the cost of eating out.

We stayed in a riad and I really can't recommend the experience enough. The service is so much more personal and it's like staying in a little palace! The lady that ran ours sat down with us when we arrived, drew us a map explaining where we were and where all the local attractions were in relation to the riad. She was happy to book restaurants and spas for us, call taxis if we needed or draw us more maps so we could walk. She also gave a mobile phone to use in case we got lost or stuck!

We went for 5 days and took £400 spending money. This covered all our food, activities and souvenirs. The breakfast at the riad was HUGE, so you can really fill up. We would generally have a massive breakfast. Go out around midday, possibly stop for some mint tea and a small snack then out for dinner in the evening.

We stayed in the Riad L'etoile D'Orient and it was about a 2 minute walk from the Marrakech centre (medina).. it was beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. I can't recommend it enough. I wore short-shorts once when I was there, to the Ouzoud waterfalls.. where the people there were mainly tourists. In the medina I was more respectful and wore maxi-dresses and a shawl to cover my shoulders. You don't have to, but it's respectful. As long as you don't walk about in short-skirts and crop-tops you'll be absolutely fine, lol.

I wish I could wear a crop top!! The locals would be terrified!

As soon as we have my passport back we will book- will look at the riads. The £400 you took- did you do any trips etc or was that just for food and drinks etc.

Speaking of drinks? Can you buy alcohol in the main square etc?

We didn't do any trips out of the city, but we visited lots of places within. We went to Jardin Marjorelle, a hammam for spa treatment, museum of Marrakech, Saadien Tombs, and did some shopping in the souks. We stayed almost entirely in the medina and walked pretty much everywhere, except the Jardin Marjorelle which is in the Nouvelle Ville, we hailed a taxi there and back. We also ate out one night in the Nouvelle Ville, and got cabs then.

I think there are some places in the Djemma El Fnaa that serve alcohol, but not many. H and I didn't drink a lot whilst we were away, which probably kept our costs down. The most expensive meal we had worked out at about £54 including a generous tip and we had starters, mains and half a bottle of wine (restaurant was called Al Fassia, and was AMAZING!).

The £400 was all the money we took! We put the cash onto a Travelex card at the airport and just drew it down in local currency as and when we needed. I think we had about 20p left on it when we got back to the UK!

We went to Marrachesh a few years ago. In terms of clothing, I think anything is fine. I got a few looks / stares and comments but more because of the colour of my hair (blonde) rather than what I was wearing! I wore meainly kneww length skirts and short sleeved tops and didn't feel uncomfortable.

We stayed helf board but wish we hadn't. The food is lovely and we didn't find it that expensive. We ended up eating out most nights. The food in the hotel wasn't that authentic and was pretty rank in comparison.

Enjoy! I found it an amazing place but it was quite a culture shock at first.

Rach, totally random question lovely pics by the way.. I always wanted to go to Morocco..

It seems we have a mutual friend Sam Shone?! ?

How random! small world. funnily enough he was in marrakech two weeks ago. how do you know him?

Yes I saw his fb pictures.. I have known him since I was at school 13 / 14 ish.. We used to be really close spent all our time together.. Knew his brother Jake well too.. but you know what life if like friends grow apart! ?

How do you know him?

Sounds tenuous but isn't really, he went to college with all of my high school friends. he also went to uni near where i live so used to hang out a bit then. saw him last weekend at a wedding! jake went to my high school though was a few years above. funny old world!

It really is a small world... ? Yes I know he went to uni in Berks.. I didn't live round these parts then..

I will send him a message! You must have grown up not far from me..

I grew up in Chiswick, but moved out to Maidenhead just before my GSCEs. Whereabouts are you based now?

And sorry Mini, we've completely de-railed your thread!

Yes. There are only a few places that do alcohol and it is expensive from what I've seen but not all places sell alcohol.

I also went to the Jardin Majorelle which is a lovely visit. Don't get ripped off by taxis there though.. they will try and rip you off. Always go for a petit taxi, the grande taxis are for airport runs and charge more to take you elsewhere. A petit taxi to the Jardin Majorelle should cost no more than about 30Dhms. If a taxi driver says 50 or 60.. say no and offer your highest. If he still wont budge, move on to the next taxi. There will be someone who will take you for 30 Dhms. We went to the Ouzoud Waterfalls which was about 2-3 hours drive away, that cost us about 65euros each and was our only big excursion out of the 8 days we were there. It's probably not necessary for just a short break, we did it on the 7th day. There really is plenty to see and do in and around the Medina. We did the bus tour, which was good value for money and enabled us to see the history of Marrakech and also the oasis on the outskirts. We paid for the tickets for this as we got on the bus, at the bottom of the medina near the Koutoubia Mosque (where the taxis are). It cost about £10 each and costs less for a child.. there are two different tours and you can get off the bus at any stop and back on again all day and make a whole day of it. Well worth it I think.

You can spend a whole day getting lost in the souks.. and in the evenings you can enjoy the square's entertainments. It really is good fun! I loved it.. we spent almost every evening in the square. Go to one of the restaurants that has a rooftop terrace, you will have a great view of the square from there. I have a video somewhere I could upload and link you to.

There are a few advisories I have for you if you've never been to Marrakech.. when walking through the square, you'll probably get the henna ladies say "Excuse me, henna?". Just say "La chokran" which means "No, thank you" and they will let you on your way. Some might come up to you and attempt to draw on you with henna. Don't let them do it.. you will only be forced to pay for anything they do. If you do decide to get some henna done on your terms.. make sure you get a price before they start doing it. I was asked to pay 600Dhms for my henna which was about £45. It's a rip off and I refused to pay and paid only 50Dhms, the henna lady did get very aggressive towards me because I refused to pay but I was able to handle it, it's quite intimidating, especially if there are children around. Make sure you either avoid it, or do it on your terms (approach them when you are ready, get a price before they even touch you.. and make sure you don't have the black henna as it's not natural and you could have a reaction to it).

One other advisory is that sometimes the monkey handlers will approach you with their monkey and attempt to put it on your shoulder. They expect payment for this. Unless you're happy to pay them, just walk away. Always take lots of change out with you, especially if you're wanting to take photos of some of the entertainers. They will want payment for photos.

And one more thing.. do not accept anyone offer to take you to a tannery, unless you want to walk miles to reach a place i can only describe as absolutely eye-wateringly rancid. It's nice to see the place where leather is treated but I hated every moment of it. You might enjoy it though.

Otherwise the experience is really eye-opening and good fun, as long as you're aware of a few things (mistakes me and my H made when we were there, like accepting help from someone to find the square, he said he's show us for free and when we got there he wanted payment).

Enjoy the food stalls in the square in the evenings.. the guys there who try to bring you into their stall are so funny. It's so friendly and the atmosphere has a real buzz about it.

Don't be put off by anything I said. And enjoy the fresh orange juice.. it's so good!!

In the riad;

The aforementioned tannery;

Spice stalls;

The square during the day;

Relaxing at the Jardin Majorelle;

The Argan café that was bombed in April;

The Koutoubia Mosque

Marrakech train station;

Monkey-handlers

Sorry about all the pics! lol.. I was only going to upload a couple and I got a bit pic-happy. I'll take them down soon.

Sorry Mini..

I grew up in Harrow on the Hill then moved into central London moved out to Surrey / Berks about 6 years ago... ?