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.
