BUDGET

Thursday

Airport to Old Town/Medina
Hitch a shared taxi if you arrive after 9.30pm - it should cost you around 20-25 Dr/£1.30-£1/60
If you are lucky enough to arrive before 9pm you can take the no. 11 bus from the airport, this will set you back ?

Hotel Medina
1 Sidi Bouloukat
00 212 4 44 29 97
One of the best of the unclassified hotels in Marrakesh. The owner speaks good English which he learnt whilst working in a travelling circus.

Buy some mineral water to brush your teeth - 80p

Friday

Take a shower in the morning - 5Dr/30p for a hot shower

Head out to the Djemma el Fna for breakfast
At Café Toubkal
Two mint teas or hot chocolates and two pancakes with an egg cooked into them 17Dr/£1.10
Fresh orange juice costs 2.50 Dr/16p from all of the many stalls on the Djemma al Fna.

Sort out your arabic and find out about houses for sale at
Cybernet Café Galaxie
Avenue Prince My Abdellah
Imm. El Mahdi N. 14
Semlalia
00 212 4 43 78 98
e-mail: galaxie@iam.net.ma
5Dr/30p for 15 mins
9am-12pm 3pm-9pm

Marrakesh Medina
Visit a traditionally furnished Riad to get some shopping ideas
Marrakesh Medina
00 212 4 44 24 48

After a hard days shopping pick up some herbal remedies in an apothecary in the souk

3 spanish flies - a cheaper alternative to Viagra - 10Dr/65p each (they paid 20Dr for 3)
Savon noir (can cost anything from 2Dr/13p for a bag to 50Dr/£3.28 - it all depends on how good you are at bargaining)
Musk - how much - 30 Dr/£2
Henna and Berber lipstick were gifts but you shouldn't pay more than 10Dr/65p each

Addresses are generally irrelevant in the souqs - if you have a guide they will be able to lead/drag you to the shops you are interested in, otherwise you will have to trust your luck in happening upon and then remembering the location of the shops you like.

Dinner at the Djemma al Fna

Kebab, salad, chips and a drink 32Dr/£2.10
Fish, chips and a drink are 20Dr/£1.30
Harira 4.50Dr/30p

Get out of the rain and have a drink at one of the few hotels near the Medina that serve beer at prices they can afford
Hotel Tazi: Corner of Avenue El-Mouahidine and Rue Bab Agnaou
Beer 12Dr/80p

Saturday

Hiring a guide
Depending on your guide's expertise you will pay between 150 and 250Dr/£10 and £16.60 for an official guide. Official salaried guides sometimes get 4-5% commission on anything you buy, freelance official guides can make 10%, but unofficial or 'faux' guides make anything up to 50% commission on what you buy, so hiring an unofficial guide isn't cheaper in the long term.

Carpets
They bought a carpet that was 1.5m x 2.5m and paid 1,200 Dr (£80) although the price started at £173

Other shopping

2 bowls for 165 Dr/£11 - price started at 110 each
pink slippers 70Dr/£4.60 - price started at 200
baby slippers 15Dr/£1 - price started at 40Dr

Also bought a bag for around 30Dr/£2 to carry all their loot home in

Relaxing sunset drink at Café Glacier
West side of the Djemaa El Fna
6Dr/40p to get on to the roof terrace, this price includes a drink.

Entertainment at the Djemma
10Dr/66p is a fair price to pay for any performer, but you will have to stand firm - Don't pay more than £3

Souvenir
3 spanish flies - herbal aphrodisiac

THE ULTIMATE

Chauffeured from airport to Riad Malika Aziz, contacted through Riad Malika 250Dr/£16.50 Airport to Riad Malika 500Dr/£33 Riad Malika - Chez Ali - Riad Malika
Approx 100Dr/£6.50 per trip around town, depending on the trip.

Riad Malika
29 Arset Aouzal
Bab Doukkala
00 212 4 39 07 68
1,100/£72 a night including breakfast.

Friday

Take a Caleche ride around the city to get to know Marrakech in style and comfort
Set rates for Cacleche rides: 60Dr/£3.90 for an hour - Caleche drivers hang out outside the bigger hotels just on the periphery of the Gueliz, but the best and those who speak English are usually to be found outside Hotel Tichka

Shopping in the Gueliz
This way you get to shop in a relaxed way - all the prices are fixed. Where did they shop, what did they buy and how much did they pay?

Sunset at Café Argana
North East side of the Djemaa El Fna
Drinks: Café au lait 6DR/43p, Café noir 6Dr/40p, Tea 8DR/53p, Coca cola etc. 7Dr/46p, mineral water 6Dr/40p
But get there early as there's no way of booking one of the prized tables overlooking the action.

Chez Ali
Circuit Jaffaria
La Palmeraie
00 212 4 30 77 30
Take the road for Casablanca out of Marrakech - about a 40 min drive 400Dr/@26.66 + drinks, ask at the Tourist Office, or your hotel about booking.
The evening starts around 8pm and goes on till 11.30pm

Dar Mimoun
Riad Zitoune
Derb Ben Amrane

Afternoon of traditional Moroccan food and culture at Dar Mimoun
Coffee - 8Dr/50p
Mint tea - 24Dr/£1.60
Tajines etc. 195Dr/£12.80
Henna - 100Dr/£6.70 but you must book a day in advance.
Jardins Majorelle

15Dr/£1 to get in
In a city full of beautiful gardens, this is one of the more sumptuous and sculpted in Marrakech. (The gardeners costumes even match the walls).
Avenue Yacoub el-Mansour
8am-12pm 2pm-5pm

Dar Marjana
One of the top restaurants in Marrakech. Owner Shaouki serves "Haute Cuisine Marocaine" in his own style - 12 salads to start, followed by pastilla, then cous cous and dessert. The entertainment is also traditional or traditionally over the top.
This is the only restaurant that Riad Malika recommend to their customers. An evening at Dar Marjana costs 600Dr/£4 0 a head including all drinks Best to arrive around 8-8.30pm so that you're dinners gone down by the time the the music and dancing start around 10.30pm. Closed Tuesday. One of the Royal Families favourite restaurants.

OUT OF TOWN

Thursday

Airport to Medina
Petit-taxi from the queue outside
Shouldn't pay more than 30-40Dr/£2-£2.66

Hotel Sherazade
No. 3 Derb Djama
Rooms at Sherazade 350Dr/£23.30 for two sharing or 275Dr/£18.30 for one - Continental breakfast is extra - 30Dr/£2
A good hotel to stay at if you plan to get out of Marrakech, the owners can help arrange trekking tours and car hire for you.

Imzi Tours
Rue Yougoslavie
Residance Saada
Bureau No. 16
Gueliz
00 212 4 43 39 34 fax 82 95

Peugeot 205
400Dr/£26.30 a day (includes: all risks, unlimited mileage and taxes)
Parking at the CTM garage on the West side of the Djemma al Fna 10Dr/66p a night.
Pick up the car at the CTM garage
West side of the Djemma al Fna

Petrol price per litre: 7Dr/50p a litre

Minimum age for drivers is 21 in Morocco

Oukaimeden:

Though obviously not on a par with slopes in Europe there is decent snow cover in Oukaimeden from February to early April. Oukaimeden has the highest ski lift in North Africa.

On piste refreshments
Bag of macadamia nuts approx 250g 5Dr/30p
Mint tea 1Dr/7p a glass
Vanilla yoghurt 2,50Dr/16p
Moroccan hot dogs 5Dr/30p

Rent of ski clothes, boots and equipment 100Dr/£6.50 (Price originally started at around £11.50)

One way on ski lift 25Dr/£1.66
Ski/Snowboarding instruction 300Dr/£20 a day

As always all prices are subject to your bargaining ability

Spend the night at Chez Juju
Tel: 212 4 31 90 05 fax 06
Half pension - 310Dr a night
Drinks at Chez Juju

Saturday

Tin Mal Mosque
On the Oued Nfiss road
The guardian will see you coming and let you in, but it's closed on a Friday.

Head down to the Roserie for some pampering and hydrotherapy
Residence Roserie
Pinewood Centre - Hydratherapie
Ourigan
tel: 00 212 44 39 128
fax: 00 212 44 39 130

Jet shower at the Roserie which cost 100Dr/£6.50

Mountain trip
A guide from Mark Gordon's company Saden Tours can arrange a trip like Riaz and Khaled's from between £35 and £75 depending on the no. of people in your party and your itinerary.

If you are staying further up in the Atlas you can stay in a locals house for the night the tourist office operates an informal scheme of these 'gites d'etapes" - details can be found in the booklet (in French only)" La Grande Traversee des Atlas Marocains" which is available in the tourist office in the Gueliz. Expect to pay around £2-3 a night.

Mule/Donkey taxi in mountains
Up mountain 50Dr/£3.30
Down mountain (nighttime) 200Dr/£13

Souvenir
Dual purpose ashtray/candleholder bought in Ourika 20Dr/£1.30