Hi, My feet are starting to want to travel again, I was just wondering regarding the temperature in Morocco and when is the best time to travel, I don't like really hot weather, I have just come back from doing Egypt in September and didn't like the 50 deg weather at all, and is the Treasures of Spain Portugal and Morocco the way to go or should I possibly Do The Best of Morocco and see If I can find anther tour of just portugal? Any Help would be appreciated, Travelling in 09. Thanks Louise

We did SMP in July and found the temperatures to be fine.

It is a great tour with a couple of long days on the coach.

Hi lulu.

We went on the Spain, Portugal and Morocco tour leaving Madrid last day of March 2006. Morocco in early April is perfect. Max temp. was approx 25-26C. The weather on the rest of the trip was also great. we had very little rain.

If you want to travel in Morocco and you do not like the heat then i would definately recommend staying away in Summer.

Morocco is a marvellous country and If you pick this tour I don't think you will be disappointed. Jim

I was in Morocco in mid September and it was still rather warm. Not too bad, though.

Hi Dawn Corleone,

Any suggestions for a single traveller doing Best of Morocco?

Thanks,
Beth

Hi, am doing Spain Portugal and Morocco in June/July this year and was wondering if anyone can tell me approx. how many optional excursions are offered on this tour and which ones are the best to take.

Hi Jaytee

When we were on our S,P and M tour there were 11 Optionals offered and we did all 11.

Set out below is a list of theose optionals (taken from my tour tale) together with a mark out of 10 for each.

1. Lisbon - Sea Food Speciality Dinner (6 out of 10)
2. Lisbon - Riviera Sintra (8 out of 10)
3. Lisbon - Fado Evening (8 out of 10)
4. Seville - Cordoba (8 out of 10)
5. Seville - Boat Cruise and Gastronomical Dinner (5 out of 10)
6. Gibraltar - Rock Tour (8 out of 10)
7. Fez - Meknes Excursion (8 out of 10)
8. Marrakech - Night tour and Gourmet Dinner (9 out of 10)
9. Marrakech - Ourika Valley (9 out of 10)
10. Madrid - Dinner and Illuminations (8 out of 10)
11. Madrid - Segovia (8 out of 10)

Hi Jaytee.
We also went on this tour, in april 2006, and went on all of the optionals. I agree with Dragon with his markings except the Sea Food Dinner in Lisbon where I would award it a 7. If you can afford it, go on all the optionals. You may never return again and the more you can see and participate in, the greater your overall experience will be. Jim

We did this tour back in August of 2000. Checking through my diary I have found references to the following optional trips, there may have been more and you may, of course, be offered different ones.

On the Costa del Sol we were offered a seafood meal but decided to go it alone. It is very much an “English” town so language is not a problem. We had a really good dinner after a couple of drinks and a stroll along the beach. We finished up at an English pub and then got back to the hotel just as the bus got back from the optional dinner.

On our second night in Fes we were offered a special Moroccan night. This started with some Moroccan wine – a particularly good year; 2000! The food was interesting and on the whole quite good. A vegetable soup that could have done with some pepper, a pancake type thing with minced lamb in it, a very good chicken stew and melon and grapes to finish. There was, of course, the inevitable mint tea and naturally the belly dancing. Good value as far as we were concerned.

At Marrakech there was an evening billed as the highlight of the tour – and charged for accordingly. I sum it up as being a total waste of money, although it is somewhat difficult to think of an alternative way to spend the evening. Others may take a different view.

Before leaving Marrakech there was the option of a visit to the Ourika Valley to visit a Berber family. We were greeted by the Sheik – with all the authority that his 75 years could give him. We had a, rather embarrassed, look in the sauna (bathroom), stable and sheep pen, then went into the kitchen where his youngest daughter was baking bread for us and his 72 years old wife was making us mint tea in two lovely silver teapots; one with sugar and one without. The tea was surprisingly good, as was the bread eaten with Olive oil or honey. Just before we left one of their daughter-in-laws arrived with their 17-month granddaughter. One should mention that mother’s mother (a sprightly 95) had gone off to visit one of her sons.

On the night that we arrived in Seville there was a Flamenco dance offered. We had already seen several Flamenco shows and so skipped it; we were glad we did so as it was a very long day and we were tired.

On our first night in Portugal we had the offer of a Fando night. It was a great night; we had an interesting drive through Lisbon followed by an excellent meal and same wonderful singing and dancing; not that we could understand any of it. Then a drive home through the floodlit city – it is a beautiful city and a very hilly one, which gives it a character all of its own.

Our fare well dinner in Madrid was at an old Masonic Lodge; we both had vegetable soup followed by salmon steaks washed down, in my case, with an excellent red wine. With the desert came the entertainment, four strolling minstrels in hose and pantaloons with fashionably slashed jackets. On the way back to the hotel we stopped off for a walk around the Plaza de Mayor – our TD insisting that all purses and wallets be left in the bus. It was an excellent night.

Give my love to Dubbo, I lived there from 1969 to 1970.

Email me if you would like a copy of my full diary.

Thanks for the useful info re the optional extras for SPM. Normally, I do the majority of extras but there are some which I have found are not worth the money (usually dinners). Am so looking forward to Morocco in particular.