A couple of months ago I got to take a trip of a lifetime and travel to Morocco with some close friends. I also was able to travel to Zanzibar at the beginning of May. Both countries are popular African destinations, so I want to share my experiences with you. If you didn’t get a chance to check out my IG stories yet, be sure to head to my Instagram and watch the Morocco and Zanzibar stories.
Morocco has been on my travel list for a couple of years now. This past March I was finally able to cross this country off the bucket list. During my Morocco trip, I traveled to Casablanca and Merrekesh. During this post, I’ll recap the first part of my trip which was our stay in Casablanca, and I’ll tell you what to do and what we ate!
Casablanca
Once we arrived in Casablanca, I was very confused by the weather. It was rainy and cold! I am use to going places that have tropical storms here and there, but it was in the 50’s! Some of the locals were even dressed in light puffer coats. Since we went at the beginning of March, it wasn’t the start of summer, which we wanted to avoid because the temperatures will get up to the 90s. The weather did start to warm up during the rest of our stay!
While we were waiting to check into our hotel, we were greeted with Mint Tea. Mint Tea is a sweet traditional green tea that is infused with mint. You will quickly find out that this is part of their culture and they will offer you tea at any point of the day. It is their way of welcoming you into their space. I must admit I miss not having my cup of tea with every meal. The tea is usually sweet, and if you don’t like sweet drinks, please ask for this to be made without sugar.
Where to stay in Casablanca:
We stayed at Melliber Appart Hotel in Casablanca. I would recommend this hotel, it was centrally located and if we needed to take any taxi’s they were fairly expensive. The rooms were very clean and neat, and the hotel has free wifi!
Where to Eat:
Since we were only in Casablanca for two days, we didn’t get to explore that much, but we did have some amazing food!
I would recommend stopping by Organic Kitchen to pick up a hearty lunch. I ordered the Okay Moroccan Chicken dish, and it was amazing. This restaurant is also reasonable when it comes to cost, and meals will run you around $15 a dish.
Since you are in Casablanca, it is only right you stop by the famous Rick’s Cafe. Which was the same restaurant from Casablanca in case you are wondering? Our group was able to attend dinner. I was too exhausted from the day but was told the food was terrific. Some dishes to try would be the Moroccan Lemon Chicken, the Filet Mignon, and lamb chops. Dinner here was affordable as well and was approximately $35 per person.
For lunch head over to La Squala where they will serve all the dishes family style. Ordering family-style meals are perfect for a big group since you will get to try a little bit of everything. We told our waiter that we wanted some authentic dishes and they were able to suggest popular traditional dishes. The decor in this restaurant is so cute, and I would highly recommend you stop by and check it out!
Moroccan Bread with traditional dipping sauces
Lamb skewers with fries
Where to go?
We were able to check out the Hassan II Mosque while in Casablanca. The Mosque is so beautiful here, and you can get great photos! Ladies, please make sure you are covered up since you are visiting a mosque. It is always a good idea to have a jacket or scarf on you that you can just throw on.
While in Casablanca we didn’t get a chance to check out any of the nightlife but did stop by Sebastian Hookah. It’s a nice relaxing hookah lounge. Its right near the water so you’re able to enjoy your hookah while taking in some fantastic views. Hope you all enjoyed reading part 1 of my Passport to Africa post! Next up I will be recapping our Marrakesh trip!
Have you been to Casablanca? Let me know what some of your favorite things to do are!
Until next time!
