Rabat
Rabat is a great city to "live" in for a few weeks to really see what Moroccan culture is like, because it still retains many Moroccan traditions while also having more cosmopolitan aspects. Look for links at the end of each section for all the restaurants, hotels, etc.
Where we stayed:
While in Rabat, we stayed with host families in the medina. If you can somehow do this (we volunteered through Ubelong), it was a really cool way to experience real Moroccan food and culture. Our host family also told us about the good restaurants, helped us bargain in the medinas, and helped with traveling recommendations, which was really helpful.
Our first night, however, we stayed in the "Hotel Dakar," which was located about a 5 minute walk from the medina. It was really like a hostel, and cost less than $20 a night for a shared room. It was fine to stay in if you don't mind not the cleanest accommodations. FYI- bring your own towels, because their's weren't the cleanest. It was good for a cheap bed to sleep in for the night, and perfect if you are backpacking/ a student/ or just on a tight budget.
Our first night, however, we stayed in the "Hotel Dakar," which was located about a 5 minute walk from the medina. It was really like a hostel, and cost less than $20 a night for a shared room. It was fine to stay in if you don't mind not the cleanest accommodations. FYI- bring your own towels, because their's weren't the cleanest. It was good for a cheap bed to sleep in for the night, and perfect if you are backpacking/ a student/ or just on a tight budget.
Where to eat:
Again, while in Rabat we stayed with host families, so we ate most of our meals at home. Usually for lunch we would go to one of the local restaurants around the medina. Here are a few of our favorites:
Dar Naji: This is a really great restaurant to go for traditional tajines. The staff was really nice and helped us pick out what we wanted. Nothing we ate there was bad, and we went probably every other day for lunch because there was so much on the menu! A meal is usually around 50 dirhams for a tajine, but extra if you want drinks, dessert, etc. The tajines are a pretty good size for one person, and the bread is free, so eat up! Also, make sure you get some mint tea here, because the waiters love to pour it from really high above.
The interior is also really pretty! They have a room with tables/ benches like this, and a covered patio with more like this, as well as some higher tables with individual seats. We didn't have a bad dish. Here are some of the ones we ordered- the kefta tajine, then a chicken and chips tajine.
Then another chicken dish, and a beef and vegetable tajine.
Yamal Asham: This restaurant has really good Syrian food! We went on the recommendation of the NGO workers, and were really glad we did. They have a really good drink thats a combination of mint tea and lemonade as an icee- which is very refreshing after walking around in the sun all day! They have a really good selection of Middle Eastern food, and salads, too, which all of us were craving after having meat for a week straight. It's usually busy, but you can usually squeeze into a table. Here's some of that mint tea/ lemonade combo.
For dessert:
There are many storefronts by the medina on Mohammed V Avenue that sell fresh juices and desserts for around 10 dirhams.
There are many storefronts by the medina on Mohammed V Avenue that sell fresh juices and desserts for around 10 dirhams.
Where to shop:
If you're looking for souvenirs and trinkets to bring back, head over to the medina and haggle with the locals. The souk here isn't as big as other cities, but they still have plenty of aisles to wander through- try going to around the back edge of the medina, because most of the other streets are things like restaurants and places for locals to shop for necessities. There you can find anything from household items to more touristy things. Just remember to haggle, and don't get lost in the maze of streets!