03 Mar 2023
I waited a few days after returning from a 14 day tour organized for me by Mohamed at Tilila Travel. I am lost for words that can express my gratitude. I want to share my experience with everyone in search of an honest, knowledgeable, professional, fair, flexible, responsible, detailed & trustworthy travel agent in Morocco.
Instead of joining a group tour, I asked Mohammed to quote me a price for just one person, adding some stops, changing cities each day and upgrading my accommodations to 4-stars ratings; 3 star hotels are the norm on most group tour packages. I wanted 4 stars as this was my first visit to Morocco.
Mohamed suggested a mix of Riads, Dars, resorts, Kasbahs, B&B’s & a even a Deluxe Tent in the Sahara. All were very good to excellent and perfectly deserving of a 4 star classification, except for the last night hotel which classified itself as 5 stars (Palais dei Princesses in Marrakesh). Maybe at one time it deserved 5 stars; but, no longer. In terms of room size, cleanliness of common areas, front desk staff behavior, restaurant, services & even the furniture, it is at MOST 3 stars; avoid it. There was a snag at the Casablanca hotel (average) caused by a hotel bookkeeping error & a rude check-in agent.
As this was my first visit to Morocco I wanted to see as many cities as possible so that when I returned to Morocco I could visit my favorite cities. I knew my request presented a challenge as I would be asking the assigned driver to drive many hours each day. In just a few days Mohamed created a detailed proposal for an escorted solo tour which included a driver, comfortable vehicle, specialized guides in 4 of the stops, breakfasts each day & some dinners (included by Mohamed without me even asking). Mohamed also said I could alter the tour as I saw fit in case I was tired or changed my mind on a scheduled stop.
The final step: agree on a price. As a guide, I used the cost (for one person) of an advertised group tour (adding the solo traveler supplement) & came up with what I thought would be a fair price. We went back & forth a few times & came to an agreement.
I chose Tilila Travel because of the exceptional reviews others have submitted. All those 5-star reviews are accurate: Mohamed IS exceptional. I would recommend him to anyone wanting a perfectly planned, comfortable & safe tour of Morocco at a fair price. Whether you are a solo traveler like myself, or a small group of family or friends, ask Tilila Travel to make all arrangements. Each day, my driver Kamal would suggest a departure time and once I was in our van, Kamal took care of everything; from the time we began our day until the time we arrived at the overnight accommodation at which time I had personal/alone time; perfect.
About my diver Kamal; In my opinion you want a driver to drive safely, to know the roads & the vehicle, to know exactly where we are at all times, to be familiar with every city or site on the itinerary, punctual, well-groomed, polite, organized, helpful (including translations where needed), flexible & able to communicate. Kamal fulfilled every requirement. Better yet, as I wanted to improve my intermediate French language skills, I chose to primarily communicate in French. Although Kamal could communicate in English, his French was excellent so I saw it as an opportunity to turn the tour into a 14 day French conversation class. Every day, I felt more comfortable speaking French although I would periodically turn to English when I got stuck.
The entire experience, from planning to execution, was excellent. I found Mohamed to be responsible, kind, and most importantly, honest. He is one of the best travel agents I have encountered. In my opinion, you’ll be making the right decision if you ask him to organize your stay in Morocco. J'espère que vous apprécierez le Maroc autant que moi grâce à avoir choisi Tilila Travel.