Monique,
I traveled to Morocco from Spain this last October with my husband and a friend. We took Ryanair (Cheap!) from Seville and flew right into Marrakesh. We did our own planning and arranged for all our accommodations. Besides Marrakesh, we chose Rabat, Meknes, Fes, and Essaouira. We traveled by train and bus, not wanting to rent a car and was glad for that decision. We were there for 10 days, staying in riads inside the medinas.
Riads are very colorful and interesting in their designs. They are constructed with an open ceiling, usually 3 stories high, and a terrace on the top. Most of them we stayed in were similar to a B&B arrangement, but a couple we had all to ourselves, renting them through AIRBNB. We had originally planned to go to Casablanca, but after researching, we thought it not as interesting as the other cities. One of our most incredible experiences was a visit to Berber villages at the foot of the Atlas Mts. We hired a Berber guide out of Marrakesh who took us out for a day. We hiked to 2 villages and having meals with local families. They were extremely poor in possessions but wealthy in happiness. It was through Berber adventures. Jamel is the guide and is an incredible man. We did the "moderate walking" tour. He was very reasonable and easy to communicate with.
Staying in the medinas is quite an experience.If you hire a guide, they all are sanctioned by the government and they all have in their repertoire prearranged visits to various shop owners. They get some compensation if you make a purchase. You can barter if you are buying very expensive items....even offering half the price.
We never ate from food vendors and only drank bottled water, as we were pre-warned about contamination and becoming ill. Before we left home I had talked with a fellow teacher who had lived in Morocco for 2 years. She told me she was sick for the first 3 weeks of her stay there! We got hepatitis shots before hand and had antibiotics with us. This was recommended by our doctors. Even though we were very cautious, my husband and friend got sick. The only thing they ate different from me was a banana!
We did enjoy the national dish made in a tangine and Moroccan salads....which consists of about 10 different dishes of various veggies...delicious!
Each city had it's one special flavor. Marrakesh"s medina is wild! Some Moroccans won't even go there! The medina in Fes is probably the most confusing to maneuver the narrow passage ways. Young men lay in wait to help you find your way back to your riad ....of course for a price. Throughout Morocco there is a cafe culture that is men only. You will see men sitting out in the cafes and drinking their mint tea throughout the day, but never any women. Taking pictures of people without their permission or without offering to pay is frowned upon and can create a scene.
We gave ourselves a vacation within our vacation and went to Essaouira, a city on the coast that is frequented by British and European tourists. The medinas there are clean, open, and easy to get around. The trains don't travel there from Marrakesh, but there is a couple hour bus ride that makes it accessible.
Most likely you'll take trains and if you do, go first class. It's only a couple of durhams more but so well worth it, as you have an assigned seat. We learned that after our first train experience.
When we left Morocco we talked about how we would have done it differently. So in hindsight, we might not have stayed in every medina, but would have given ourselves a break from that intensity and stayed in the modern part of a city.
We took only a carry on as Ryanair charges extra for more luggage, so what we did was arrange with a hotel in Seville to store our other luggage for the time we were gone. You might be able to arrange something like that.
I would be glad to answer any other questions you have. Fran
