MARRAKECH in March?

Ryanair’s website goes into excruciating detail about what is allowed and what isn’t.

Great itinerary idea! A few thoughts on your questions:

Gueliz vs Hivernage: Gueliz is the modern "new town" wide boulevards, cafes, boutiques, Jardin Majorelle is right there. It's lively, walkable, and has good restaurants (Le Jardin, Café Clock, etc.).

Hivernage is quieter and more residential/upscale, known for its gardens and being close to the convention center and some of the big resort-style hotels. Both are a quick taxi ride (10-15 min) from the Medina, so you're not isolated from the old town even if you base yourself outside it.

For a heated pool to do laps, look at Sofitel Marrakech Lounge & Spa (Hivernage) or Es Saadi Gardens & Resort both have proper lap-length pools and are well-rated, not riads. Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi (Hivernage) is another solid option with a large pool, more reasonably priced. The Four Seasons is gorgeous but pricier also has a great pool if budget allows.

Medina time: Two mornings sounds about right for your pace, especially since you've been before. The souks can totally eat up your whole day, so it's smart to set a limit. Add an evening or two for Jemaa el-Fnaa after dark, the food stalls and atmosphere are worth experiencing more than once.

Desert: Two nights is honestly nicer than one if you can spare it, it gives you a slower pace and you're not doing the long Atlas crossing both ways back-to-back with minimal payoff. The Dades and Todra Gorges is a great stop en route to Merzouga, and Ait Benhaddou is worth a visit too, even though it's touristy. I stayed in Skoura with my family last time I was in Morocco, and it was great With no camel ride needed, you could just enjoy a quiet stay at one of the desert camps and skip the trek.

For Ryanair baggage specifics, agree with the poster above their site has the exact dimensions/weight allowances and they enforce them strictly at the gate, so it's worth checking close to your travel dates since policies shift.

Enjoy your trip!

Fabulous information..thank you so much and I will check Air website which I should have done before.

Any thoughts on La Mamounia if I want to splash out? They claim their pool is heated.

I (female) always used to stay in Es Saadi (week leading up to Easter), five star but privately owned and with lovely rooms and wonderful staff. 20 mins walk (past La Mamounia) to medina.
Good, heated pool.
I found La Mamounia very stuffy and too much like a museum, also, frankly, a bit up itself.

Thank you!

I'm not sure what you mean about LA MAMOUNIA....I can understand the "museum-like" descriptor, but I'm not a youngster so I doubt the stuffiness factor would bother me..as long as service is great... How long ago did you stay there?

About my #4 desert question: A trip to the desert means about a 10 hour drive from (and return) Marrakech to Erg Chigaga (from what I read, preferable to Erg Chebi). So I would need a minimum of four days.

I am looking, instead, at beginning the trip in Essaouria. Stay there (how many nights???) and then taking a transfer to Marrakech for the rest of my stay in the country.,,

Does anyone here have comments on Essaouria?

Thank you, all.

I traveled through some of the touristy places in Morocco in Dec 25 - Jan 26. This was my 2nd time in Morocco. Rented a car starting in Casablanca, only because most other places required a connection and because I wanted to cover a lot of ground.

I first went through Rabat to get to Meknes and Volubilis but skipped Fes since I had seen it may years ago. Then, reversed direction, passed through Casa again and looped through Marrakech, Ait ben haddou, Ouarzazate, Taghazout, Essouria, El Jedida and back to Casa. Only used Marrakech to break up the long drive as I had visited this too a long time ago.

I only spent 1 day in Essouria, concentrating on the old city. Easy to stroll the Medina, see the port where the fishermen brought in their catch, walk the fortified walls, and walk a bit along the beach.

Note - I tend to move fast and am not bothered by one night stands so may have missed things. To me 1 night in Essouria was enough

Me and my family stayed at Erg Chebbi in Merzouga because we were on a 10-day tour around Morocco with a local Moroccan travel agency, they took care of everything.

As for Essaouira, We only had half a day there, drove from Marrakech and back, and it was absolutely worth it even without a full day. We didn't have enough days to stay longer, If you ask me, just go for it!

KnightRd gave you great descriptions of the areas so I won't attempt to do the same.

I would say that 2 nights in the desert would have been better so not so rushed. It does take a full day to get there. I spent night at Mezourga desert on my way to Fez from Marrakech. Good stops on the way to desert are Atlas mountains, Abi Ben Haddou (I thought it was very interesting place), and Todra Gorge which I wish I had stayed longer to hike. Our tour just stopped there for about an hour.
I see you are considering skipping the desert and doing Essaouira - I didn't visit it.

As for nightlife at the main square in Marrakech, I really disliked Jemaa el-Fnaa. One night was plenty for me - I walked by and experienced and left. But I truly enjoyed a sunset rooftop restaurant in the Medina called Dardar and worth a reservation. Search for sunset time when you'll be there and schedule to go a little before. It was truly an experience and the ambience, food and drinks were great! They book fast for sunset rooftop.

Have you visited Bahia Palace and Ben Youssef Madrasa in the medina? I think they are not to be missed. Do first thing in the morning to avoid crowds.

Since you mention traveling in March, I believe Ramadan will be ending around March 8. I know it can impact some activities so something to keep in mind.

Thank you Joy, really helpful additions! Dardar is a wonderful suggestion.

One thing to note--our tour guide from Fez to Marrekech (with 2 nights in the desert along the way) mentioned that the drive from Marrakech to the Erg Chebbi dunes in March can be too snowy to be done. He said that they canceled many tours this year or had to rearrange around flight schedules (I don't remember if the desert airport is in Erfoud or elsewhere, sorry). I'd speak to a Moroccan travel agent regarding March/early April logistics.

Thanks you for that. I was thinking of the Erg Chegaga area, near Merzouga but because the drives would be too long for such a short stay, I erased the desert idea and hope to begin with 2-3 nights in Essaouria and then head to Marrakech for about 6 nights..

Now, I understand that from your info, the desert might not have even been accessible at that time of year...so thank you, again.

Sure thing! The Agafay desert is much closer to Marrakech--doesn't have full on sand dunes, though. However, there are lots of excursions that go there if that is of interest.

Thanks! I won't buy the tickets yet but I think I will go to Essaouria from the RAK airport, spend 2-3 nights, and then find a driver to bring me to Marrakech...