Dear Abdel,

It was an amazing trip, everything went just as planned. We cannot say enough about our driver Najib. He was interested in making our stay in Morocco as enjoyable as possible, helpful in every way and charming with a very good sense of humor. We had the chance to have lunch with his family and to learn a little about Berber life. He encouraged us to take his advice about everything from which restaurants to eat at to taking the trip to the High Atlas Mountains on the last day. We could not ask for a better driver.
Our guides were very good also, especially Mustapha (in Marrakesh). Each of the riads was very beautiful and the owners help made us feel very welcome. At Riad Kniza we were treated like royalty with every wish being accommodated.
Morocco is a very beautiful country and we have seen only a small part. Perhaps, some day we will be able to see some of the places we missed.

Thank you for planning this trip so well. We will be glad to give you references.

Jane Steinsnyder and Fred Boschan

Fes Music Festival

...

Dear Abdel,
 
We are back home after our absolutely wonderful trip to Morocco. First of all, the tour was very well planned and organized. Secondly, we found our driver Ahmed as an excellent, very careful and responsible driver and a very nice person as well. We enjoyed very much our stay at Riad Mabrouka in Fez and at Dar Kamar in Ouarzazate. Regarding our guides we liked a lot Itimad in Meknes - she is intelligent, knowledgeable and has very good English. We shall definitely and warmly recommend your Sahara Soul Travel to our friends.
 
Best regards,
 
Suzanne and Yoram.L
Israel

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Hi Abdel,
I`m just arrived in Hannover, and now I `ve internet.
I`ve to thank you, our trip was wonderful; we saw a unique place and interesting culture.
Our driver was perfect; Ahmed was very kind and helpful when we needed.
The Riads was perfect too. The first one, in Fez, was a dream. In Casablanca we dind`t like the hotel as much as the other riads.

I will be sure to recommend Sahara Soul Travel to all...

Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Diego and Valeria Comolatti
Brazil
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Abdel -

Sorry to not write sooner....our trip was fabulous! Everything worked well and Khalid took care of us - we enjoyed his company very much.
We were very impressed with Abdel (our tour guide in Marrakech) he gave us a great perspective on the city and shared many aspects of history, culture and family life (we asked him many questions) and were very comfortable with his manner and willingness to share his perspective.

We were glad that Khalid was with us as we spent a lot of time together and learned a lot about Islam and Ramadan (although we didn't fast, we tried to be sensitive to Khalid). He was a true professional.

The Riads and hotels were all top notch - we enjoyed each for their unique characteristics - The Assafir could use a little sprucing up (the bathroom) but overall was fine.

Everyone we met was friendly and would recommend Morocco and Sahara Soul travel.

Many thanks - will share some photos in another email.

Richard & Diane Brundage
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Dear Abdel:

The trip you provided us was amazing. Everything was deluxe. Our guide and our driver Ali was wonderful throughout our eleven day trip. Ali was a great driver and he was very helpful. Tell him Alexandra and Leyla miss him. He was very good to our babies.  I have never had better hotels or better service anywhere in the world.

This private tour is the only way to travel with two infants since the itinerary was flexible. We loved the hotel in Fez and Morocco. It was modern and was worth the journey itself. We walked through the Medina at night with no problem and we felt safe wherever we went. Essaouira should be visited by every traveler that journeys to Morocco. The weather there was cool and the scenery was stunning. The infants loved the fruit and nut baskets that were in our rooms each evening. They ate all the snacks. These were not rooms but deluxe suites that we stayed in. This is a wonderful country with an exotic culture and wonderful people that took us back hundreds of years when we travelled through the Medina. You provided us with a wonderful trip that we will never forget.   

Thank you Abdel and Sahara Soul Travel
Eric Stupel, Esq. and family
Miami Beach, Florida   
…

Hi Abdel,

We had an absolutely fabulous trip! It was magical and exciting and exotic.  Our kids loved it and we will look forward to a time when we can visit Morocco again. We want to go into the desert next time, so it will have to be in the cooler months, I think!
 
On a more technical note, I just wanted to mention our driver, Ahmed. He was wonderful. Such a nice guy and really made our trip so much less complicated than it might have been.  He was prompt and flexible and just an all around good person.  Without him, we would not have seen half as much as we did.  
 
Anyway, we are home now, but we have great memories and that will be a trip we always remember. Thanks for all your help. We truly appreciate it.

Hillary and family
New York
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Dear Abdel,

Our vacation was great!  I would say that it was a little hot this time of year but it was still enjoyable outdoors.  Khalid was great in providing us with all our needs and being our translator for when we were shopping or at restaurants.  A BIG thanks to him!  I particularly enjoyed Fes because the Riad we stayed at was just perfect.  The location, decor, rooms, service, food was all great.  It was a gorgeous place to stay.  We loved seeing the gardens and touring the medina.  It was so fascinating to see the defensive architecture and engineering of the past.  The people were very friendly and apparently love BOLLYWOOD!  :-)  We then drove to the Sahara. It was amazing to see the fossils of the area too. Yes, you were right.  It was a very very long drive there and back to Marrakech.  However, it was worth it to go see a bit of the Sahara and take a camel ride during the sunset.  La Maison Arabe was such a cute and exquisite riad to stay in.  We spent 4 nights there and felt very comfortable and welcome there.   We had no problems with anything the entire trip.  The only negative experience we had was all the haggling while shopping.  Instead, it would have been nice to spend some more time in local art galleries or museums to get the feel of the things and the art.  We also found out last minute at the end by Khalid that the cooperative place where they sell everything souvenir wise in Marrakech was probably the best place to go shopping and we could have saved a lot of money if we had just saved our shopping for the end.  The day long trip to Essaouira at the end was also a nice change.  It was a great little beach town with so much culture and history and so aesthetically pleasing with the blue color everywhere.   We had a splendid time and thank you so much for all your help.  The accommodations, travel arrangements, and itinerary were all just right and thank you for including the Sahara bit too.  The trip wouldn't have been complete without it.   We have some amazing photos from our trip and are so happy we worked with Sahara Soul Travel to make this vacation work!   

With warm regards,
Anil, Sneh, Radhika, and Sameer
New York- Florida
…

Abdel,

We wanted to thank you for helping us visit Morocco.  It was our first trip to an Arabic country and we are very happy we went.  Everything you set up for us was superb and we felt very comfortable and safe everywhere we went.  All of the accommodations were fantastic.

Morocco is so beautiful and full of culture and history.  All of the people were so nice to us and to each other.  We were very impressed with the hospitality.

What made it especially nice was Khaled.  He explained things very well and made us feel very at home.  We consider him a true friend and hope to see him again some day somewhere.
I hope you have other “drivers” as good as him.  He made our trip very special.
Please, next time you talk to him give him our regards.

Richard and Cyd Ayers
Florida
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Dear Abdel,
 
Once again I would like to thank you and your team for making our trip to Morocco one of the most memorable experiences.

Everything was handled in the most professional manner, with courtesy, care, and punctuality.
 
Khaled was an excellent driver and a great source of information. He made our group feel safe and welcome.
 
I will be sure to recommend your company to all...
 
Thank you for all your help!
 
Best Regards,
Nathan’s event
New York-London
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Abdel -

The trip was very nice. We enjoyed Morocco very much. The accommodations were fine - the hotels in Rabat & Casablanca were comfortable but we especially enjoyed the riads in Fez and Marrakech - spectacular.

Noteworthy was the service from Ahmed, our driver for the first 6 days - He was patient, informative and gave us excellent dining recommendations - our meal at Villa Rosa was one of the best meals that we ever shared - the atmosphere, food and service were first rate. He also gave us several recommendations were we could listen to live music. He did a great job.

The entire trip, in summation, was quite nice and we enjoyed ourselves.

It is a beautiful country, the people and culture were wonderful and the food was excellent. You put together an excellent package.

Thank you,

Vince Vittoria

…

Dear Abdel,

Just a quick note to thank you for organizing our trip.  We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit to Morocco.  Some feedback for you:

Mustapha  (our driver) was amazing - really made our trip enjoyable.  He is courteous, discreet, flexible and very knowledgeable, responding to our requests with a genuine desire to make the experience enjoyable - a true service person.

The riad in Marrakech was beautiful.  We had a lovely room and staff were very pleasant.  

All in all we enjoyed all aspects of the trip and will certainly recommend Sahara Soul to others.

Thank you again,
Best regards,  

Allison Martin
Kuwait- USA
…

Hi Abdel

We had a great time thank you!

As far as feedback;

Firstly, Ali was a nice guy and a safe driver who did a great job. His car is nice and new, very comfortable and there was plenty of room.

Casablanca - Hotel was old but the room was very spacious and the breakfast very nice. It would have been nice to go inside the Hassan II Mosque, rather than just see it from the outside.

Rabat tour was good and Ali was an informative guide. Sofitel Diwan was nice but the room was a bit small for us with luggage and baby.

Riad Fes was beautiful and a highlight, and the day tour with Majid was probably THE highlight. We found him to be an intelligent, articulate and charming guide who gave us a real understanding of the people of Fes, and also of Islam.

Kasbah Xaluca had a nice big rooms but the food for dinner and breakfast was poor.

The Berber Palace was a pleasant hotel and Les Jardins De La Koutoubia was fantastic; great location, great facilities and great service. Our guide for the day tour was OK, but certainly not up to the high standard set by Majid in Fes.

Incidentally, as far as bringing a 20 month old to Morocco; no problem at all, he loved it and we never felt uncomfortable or threatened in any way.  It helped that he loves Couscous!

Hope this helps!

Thanks again & regards,

Chris & Nicola
Australia
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Dear Abdel,
 
We really enjoyed our trip.  Our driver, Mohamed, was great.  Riad Mabrouka was a wonderful hotel.  Riad Bahja was also nice, but not as nice as Mabrouka.
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Sincerely,
Lynn Rosenthal
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Dear Abdelhay,

What a wonderful, wonderful trip. Thank you so much. A special thank you for arranging to have Anis as our driver. He was professional, kind and took perfect care of us. A gem. The other guides were equally as great. You may use us as a reference any time. Only good things to be said about our experience. Please call when you become available so we may thank you again over the phone.  

Mark and Adeline
New York

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Hi Abdel,


The trip was wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed Mustafa and would highly recommend him as a guide. He was professional, timely, knowledgeable, and articulate.

The trip from Casablanca to Fez was a lot longer than we had anticipated. It would have been better to break up that part of the trip.

Otherwise, I have no complaints. We had a great guide, fantastic weather and beautiful scenery.

Thank you,
Valerie F.
…

Hi Abdel

We are back from our journey and I have to say that it was one of the best experiences we have had.

The driver, Rachid, deserves special mention. He was kind and professional and happily showed us whatever we wanted to see. If there was something extra he thought we should see in Morocco he diverted our route. He knew of many interesting markets, unique sights, and lunch stops. We had a great time together and became friends. Sari and I felt very lucky to know Rachid, he made a spectacular trip even better.

The scheduling was great, every place we went we were met by the local guides without a problem.

The itinerary was first-rate. We saw much more of the country than we could have ever seen on our own. It was really a wonderful experience and countless memories we'll always have. The highlights are too numerous to even mention.

We were especially impressed that you were able to coordinate everything together with less than three weeks notice. Thank you.

We would happily recommend your company to friends, and as I mentioned before, the highlights and compliments I could give are too numerous to mention in one email. And I should mention that the hotels in Fes, Marrakech, and Essaouira were outstanding. We hope to go back someday to see even more of Morocco and we will certainly call you for the arrangements.

All the Best
Mark N
New York

…

Dear Abdel,

We arrived home from Morocco last night and it is with real pleasure that we can tell you that we enjoyed the trip tremendously!
Your arrangements were wonderful and the driver & guides were good. We were lucky to have perfect weather and everything went smoothly.

Thank you for a wonderful trip.
Sincerely,

Selma & Dan M family
New York and California
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Abdel:

We had a lovely trip and much enjoyed meeting your family Saturday night for a delicious--and huge!--meal. Abdu was a friendly, caring and careful driver and guide; Rachid was full of information and helpful. We found one response whenever we asked for something: "as you wish." Also, La Maison Arabe was one of our favorite hotels ever. So many thanks and I would be happy to recommend Sahara Soul to others.

Stephen Davis and family
New Haven, CT
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Dear Abdel

Just wanted to tell you that we loved Morocco and really enjoyed the itinerary you planned for us.  We were especially delighted with the desert experience – the camel trek and overnight in the nomad tent.  We completed half the camel ride as the sun was setting and the rest by moonlight - wonderful.  Our guide Ali was a delight.

The accommodation was good, the car provided was quite new and very clean and Khalid was a careful driver.

The staff at the various hotels and riads were very welcoming and we especially liked the two women at Riad Moulay.  We were at first disappointed that this Riad was well below the quality of the earlier ones but we then realised that it was within a short walk of the main square and this was terrific.  We also liked the staff  Jemelia and Fatima who were very attentive.

Our first guide, Abdul in Marrakesh, was charming and amusing and clearly loves his country.   Our guide at Volubilis (Abdul I think) was excellent too – friendly and knowledgeable.  

Thanks again
Best regards
Clare L and friends
UK and USA
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Dear Abdel:
 
Our trip was wonderful!!!   Every single tour guide was so welcoming and knowledgeable.  Every hotel/ryad was beautiful with an extremely friendly staff.  Morocco, itself, is a beautiful and welcoming country.  Finally, our driver, Said, went above and beyond our expectations.  He was knowledgeable, accommodating, and generous with his time.  Meg and I would love to have his address and full name to send him a gift if you have it.
 
Thank you for planning such a memorable trip for us.
 
Meg and Paul. H
New York

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Hi Abdel,

First of all, it was a wonderful trip, and we have been speaking favorably and enthusiastically about it to all our friends.  We were very favorably impressed by your beautiful country and hope to return again soon from our residence in France. Real credit belongs to our driver, Najib, who was a perfect fit for us, and needs to be commended for not just his excellent driving--always extremely safe and conservative--but also for his punctuality and patience. He was always courteous, good-natured, helpful, and optimistic.  He was invariably responsive to our many questions and willing to talk about his personal experience. We feel his relaxed demeanor and frankness have helped us to feel that we now know more about Morocco than an ordinary tourist making an equally brief visit.  

There were many highlights: Fez, Marrakesh, and--especially for Bob--the overnight dromedary treks into the desert. The guides in both Marrakesh and Fez were especially knowledgeable and sophisticated, and we were charmed and entertained by Zakaria in ----? Who knew more about American/San Francisco rock music of the 1960's than we do.  The Riads were wonderful, especially Fez. and also the 5 star in Rabat. Loni will send a few pictures.

We would be more than happy to recommend you to any perspective clients.

Thanks so much for all your hard work and care in planning our trip.

Bob and Loni
USA-France
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Hello Abdel-

Overall our trip experience was quite good. This was largely due to Majid whose demeanor, knowledge of the country and it's history, his many friends everywhere, and family made it a special time for us. I would recommend him to anyone and I think he would be an excellent resource for you to train other trip guides/drivers. Hotels were all good with riad at Fez probably our favorite and at Erfoud our least favorite (this however was made up for by an eager to please staff). The breakfast buffet at the hotel in Casablanca was probably the most interesting I have ever had. What a great start for morocco! It will always be in my top three no matter where I dine in the future. The desert overnight trip was wonderful and the small inn in the desert had a nice accommodating staff that made our pre and post camel riding time very nice. Also we hooked up with some younger couples from Spain and really enjoyed their company. The desert was bleak but the sahara was spectacular and the mountains, Rif, high and middle atlas were beautiful. I would like to see the high mountains with a little more snow on them, I’ll bet it is a great sight. Location guides were generally very good, particularly, Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, Fez, Essaouira. The Marrakesh guide was a little hard to deal with but overall we got along (more on this). We had a very enjoyable meal at your house in Marrakesh and the next night we prepared and ate dinner with Majid and family at their home. It was fun shopping in the neighborhood souk with the wealth of produce, meats and spices available there. These were high points of our dining experiences in morocco. I'm now armed with cookbooks so I hope to add some Moroccan dishes to my repertoire.  Thanks again for everything.

Sandy and Earl S.
Hawaii
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Dear Abdel,
 
Now that we are home and Thanksgiving is over it's time to write and say a big thank you for our wonderful journey through Morocco. It was a truly wonderful experience.
 
To highlight a few key points:
 
Aniss is a wonderful young man and a credit to your organization. Always punctual, always helpful we could not have had a better driver and 'personal assistant' for the trip.  We unfortunately mislaid his email address. If you could let me have it I can send him some of the photos we took on the trip which I know he would like.
 
The itinerary was excellent. An extra day in Fez would have been good - such an amazing city. Otherwise the flow of the vacation was perfect.
 
Hotels and Riads. Royal Mansour - excellent, friendly, helpful a good start and finish point. Riad Fez - beautiful, very fancy, but also quite busy with lots of European guests. We tried Riad Pearl one night for dinner, which was excellent and the Riad was a little more Moroccan - less European, maybe worth a try.  The desert - wonderful, excellent driver, excellent guide, wonderful experience. Dar Kamar - amazing, bit of a shock getting through the earthen village, but once there beautiful room, lots of atmosphere, excellent food, magic. Riad Dar el Assafir - an oasis of peace in the middle of bustling Marrakech but just needing a little TLC. Dar Mimouna - a beautiful restoration job and we must have had the most beautiful suite in the building -magnificent! Only downside - it's dry, no alcohol - which has the effect of leaving the public rooms empty and gives a deserted feeling, beautiful nevertheless.
 
Guides - I must give special mention to the guides in Fez and Marrakech who were splendid and also to Aniss's friend who took looked after us in the Ourika valley and really made us feel that we were part of his family. As an aside I must also give full marks to the french golf pro who the agency provided for us at the golf course in Marrakech - he was very entertaining, a very good teacher and looked after us very well.
 
Sorry this short assessment has got a bit long. If there is any other information you would like or if you would like a testimonial for your web site just let me know. In the meantime, once again, thank you from me and from Susan for the trip of a lifetime - everything we wanted and much, much more!
 
With very best regards,
 
Julian D. and family
Chicago

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Abdel,

I am sorry that I am so late in responding to your E-mail. Our brief trip to Morocco was excellent. The car and driver we very good.  The dinner at your family home was greatly appreciated.  It gave us a unique experience far beyond what we could expect. I just have a couple of suggestions.  Fez was where I would have liked to spend more time.

The Ryad Mabrouka was a wonderful experience, and then takes side trips from there.  Second, less time in Marrakech. Essaouira is great.  The hotel in Casablanca, Royal Mansour, was excellent.  Our trip was all too short, however, well structured and rewording.

Sincerely,

Richard and Fatima. C
Hawaii

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Dear Abdel,
 
We returned from Morocco last night.  It was a wonderful trip, and I wanted to thank you and your people for making it so.  Morocco truly is a fantastic country to visit.  Everything went smoothly.  The hotels were great.  The food was superb. The various guides we worked with in different locations were, by and large, excellent.  And of course, the sights and the variety of experiences were incredible.  But most of all, Youssef really made the trip!  He saw to everything, looked after our every needs, was most accommodating and felt like another member of our family.  We had an opportunity to briefly meet your mother in Marrakesh as well as Youssef’s family.  The dinner at Miriam's mother's home was a wonderful experience.   I have lived and traveled in many parts of the world, but this trip to Morocco was really special.  Again, thanks to you and the people of Sahara Soul.
 
Warmest regards,
 
Mel .C  and Family
Sedona, AZ

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Hi Abdel:

Overall, we had a wonderful trip and despite a few long drives, the itinerary included some great experiences. We especially enjoyed the hike in the Ourika Valley with Kareem, a knowledgeable, warm guide and the tour of the Roman ruins at Volubilis as well as the Casbah in Ouarzazate. The Yves Saint Laurent gardens in Marrakesh and the medina and Fez as well as the pottery/craft workshop were also very interesting. We really enjoyed dinner with your sister and brother-in-law and meeting your adorable nephews. They were gracious hosts and the food was wonderful. The Riad in Marrakesh was magnificent, both our room and the general rooms. The staff at both the Riad in Marrakesh and Fez were wonderful as was the food. All of the local guides were very knowledgeable and nice. I would suggest that if you have Jewish tourists who are interested in Jewish history/culture, you tell them that there is a Jewish museum in Casablanca, the only one in a Muslim country. In reading more carefully through our travel book once in Morocco, I would have been interested in visiting the museum, but wasn't aware of the museum until our last day in Casablanca, a Sunday when it was closed. Since our flight to Morocco landed after the last tour of the mosque on June 28th, we couldn't visit the mosque until our last day. However, we could probably have visited the Jewish museum on the 28th had we known about it. Also for Jewish visitors if interested, you may want to try and arrange a tour of the Jewish cemetery before the Sabbath. We arrived in Fez on a Friday afternoon and could have visited the cemetery before sundown, but our tour of the medina was not until Saturday when the cemetery was closed. We did get to see the synagogue which was very interesting and a collection of old Judaica at a museum/store.

We also enjoyed our walking tour of Essaouira and found it to be a very interesting place. The local guide was terrific and brought us out of the way to the Jewish cemetery at our request. The local silver crafts there were wonderful and the stalls with grilled fish that Khalid, our driver recommended were delicious. We also appreciated Khalid's willingness to switch the route and drive from Essaouira to Casablanca along the coast. There was one bumpy stretch of road but it was a very scenic and more interesting route than going via Marrakesh.

Khalid did a great job driving and overall did a nice job.

Thanks again for a wonderful itinerary and a great introduction to Morocco..

All the best

Terry and David N.

California

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Hi Abdel,

Now that we’ve returned to California and our internal time clocks are readjusted I can finally reflect on what we call our “trip of a lifetime”! Who could have imagined that a chance Internet encounter with Sahara Soul Travel would have evolved into such an adventure. When we first shared our plans with friends and family, the responses went from ‘Why?’ to ‘That’s weird’. To be honest, even though we were excited, even we had some anxiety.

After leaving the rather refined but fast paced metropolis of Madrid, there was clearly a different atmosphere when we arrived at the Casablanca airport… diversity, and a form of ‘organized chaos’ that immediately intrigued us. In short we were instantly propelled out of our comfort zone into an experience that was life changing for both of us.

Aouad was waiting outside customs and it didn’t take but an instant for us to connect with his warmth and enthusiasm. He was sensitive to our needs (always finding ‘real toilets’ for us), selecting restaurants that were authentic and used fresh ingredients, and consistently punctual. We knew he cared about our well being and we trusted him implicitly.

Of course now that we’re home, we’re always asked the same question… What were the highlights of our ten days? Though the list goes on and on, I think Gary and I would both agree that riding the camel and seeing the sunrise on the desert, and our dinner with the Berber family were unforgettable experiences. We were like little kids riding the camel, the windswept dunes in their starkness were an art masterpiece, and I still can’t get over the color and fine grain of the sand. As we traveled the country and Aouad pointed out the Berber homes, we could only imagine what was hidden inside. The night of our dinner visit was pitch black when we arrived. Just walking in unknown territory toward the house tested our senses for what would follow. We were welcomed so graciously into the extended Berber family; we marveled at their self-sufficiency and we ate a meal that I would find difficult to prepare even in my modern kitchen. Our home in California is filled with the comforts of material possessions; we had a new appreciation for the definition of ‘needs’.

All of our guides: Mohammed in Fez, Abdel in Marrakech, and Karim in the Ourika Valley (we called him our “Mountain Goat”) were remarkable. They educated us on everything from bargaining to the history of Morocco. Our constant questioning, and souvenir decision making no doubt tested their patience, but they never let on. (Mohammed had the leather coat Gary bought in Fez resized and made sure it arrived in Marrakech before we left for home.) In every case we felt like we had made a new friend.

By the way, the Peugeot was very comfortable. Each of us has a “bad back” yet we were comfortable the whole time.

Because of your well-planned itinerary, our journey became an incredibly rich portrait of a country we knew little about: the dramatic geographical changes, the complex history, the rich ethnic and cultural traditions, the architecture and the crafts. At the end of each day, we thought it couldn’t get any better, and then it did; the next day always equaling or surpassing the one before. That is the message we brought home to our friends. Our perception of Morocco is very favorable, and from the excitement and sincere delight of our travel tales it wouldn’t surprise us if you add some clients to your list. Congratulations on a magnificent job

Sincerely,

Jane and Gary W.

California

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Abdel:

It was great thank you so much!!! Yousseff is the best driver! His friendliness and fun spirit really made our trip. We saw so many amazing things! Thank you! I travelled through Spain after Morocco and told all that I met that they should go to Morocco and use Sahara Soul Travel.

Thanks for everything,

Kristy C.

Indianapolis, Indiana

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Abdel:

I apologize for taking so long to return your e-mail. The trip was amazing. Morocco is a wonderful country and everyone we met was great. The itinerary that you put together is fantastic, and we could not have had a better guide and friend in country than Youssef. His efforts on our behalf made a great trip even better. He definitely went above and beyond to make our trip special. I have traveled many places internationally and have never been treated so well. Youssef represented Sahara Soul Travel exceptionally, and I have recommended your company's services to many. I, myself, plan on returning to Morocco and will utilize your services upon my return.

Please do not hesitate to e-mail me regarding new itineraries, news, etc. If you ever need a reference, please feel free to contact me or use my comments included in this e-mail. Many thanks to both you and Youssef.

Sincerely,

Christy D.

Lapel, Indiana

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Abdel,

The trip was great. Beautiful country and warm people. Ahmed was fantastic. All the guides were very good as were the accomodations.

Thanks

Mark S.

New York

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Hi Abdel,

We just returned from the ten-day Ultimate Morocco tour and it was the ultimate. Shookran Bizeff. Our three grown daughters fell in love with Morocco. We travel abroad frequently and usually make our own arrangements. We are so happy that we chose Sahara Soul for this Moroccan adventure. Everything was so well planned. The hotels and riads were great. Our guide and driver Khalid took care of everything and made sure we were always comfortable. He is a very warm and special person. The city-guides were all wonderful and gave us insights not found in any guide books. The night in the Sahara and the sunrise in the dunes was an experience none of us will ever forget. Each day in Morocco, we were so happy we chose Sahara Soul for this family trip. Thanks again to you and Khalid. We highly recommend Sahara Soul to anyone interested in seeing the real Morocco.

Ron and Sheree Cardoos

Marshfield, Mass

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Hello Abdel,

I'm responding to your request for feedback from our recent Sahara Soul trip through Morocco - April 9 through April 18. I have so much to say I could probably write a book. I spent some time reviewing our photos today, so I have fresh in my mind our experience. We spent 9 days with our driver and guide Mustapha whom I can't compliment enough - he was a true gentleman, diplomat, expert driver, companion and great representative for Morocco. He and the professional guides that were selected made our trip a memorable and outstanding experience. I know it wasn't possible to experience all there is in Morocco in such a brief time but we would definitely consider returning, and without hesitation recommend to our friends who are interested in unique travel.

We enjoyed the friendly people, the interesting sites and sounds, the food, the history, and the beauty of the country. The accommodations that were selected for us were especially interesting - Riad Zakaria was a great way to start our visit - the family and staff that ran the Riad were so helpful. They did everything they could to make our stay comfortable and their Riad was beautiful. But we also enjoyed the Berber Palace, and the amazing Riad Fes, which was outstanding as well.

I confess to being uncomfortable with the arrangements surrounding our side trip to the desert and spending the night in a tent, but as it turned out, I did really enjoy the experience. In fact, I can say the dinner we had that evening was one of the best for our entire trip. The camp itself was quite an amazing place, as were the folks we met that evening. The sand dunes were beautiful and unlike anything we have seen in our own US deserts.

I compliment you and your staff on the effort you made on our behalf. Morocco is certainly a special place in this world and you should be proud to show it off to all travelers. As an additional compliment to Mustapha I want to mention that he handled our frequent stops by the Gendarmes in a diplomatic and expedient way. I felt that their persistence in singling out tourist groups for examination was the only disappointing shadow on our trip.

Again, we had a wonderful time in Morocco and please pass along our delight to your staff and those you contracted with for us.

Fondly

Anthea and Dale S.

Florida

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Dear Abdelhay,

My trip was marvelous! Our guide and driver were wonderful, and the whole experience is one I will treasure. Thank you for putting together such a memorable excursion - Morocco proved to be a delightful country to visit and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks, Elizabeth

Elizabeth.K

California

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Hi Abdel,

We had a wonderful trip to Morocco! We loved Awad and he took very good care of us. He is a trooper and put up with all of our picture taking! And shopping! We absolutely loved Riad Kniza and Samira was so gracious and helpful, as was the entire staff. We didn't want to leave!

The trip to Essouira was so beautiful and the trip out to Ait Ben Haddou was totally amazing and breathtaking.

I can't thank you enough for arranging everything for us! We felt so comfortable and safe and we can say that Morocco was the most interesting and beautiful place we have traveled to so far! We hope to return very soon!

Thanks again,

Christi and Elena

California

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Dear Abdelhay,

We don't even know were to begin. What a fascinating country Morocco is! We were all amazed with the spectacular landscape, the medina in Fez, the contrasts in people from very traditional to very worldly, the donkeys and the Mercedes, the souks and the supermarkets, the Berbers in the mountains, the amazing tile work and the wonderful ride and overnight stay in the Sahara desert.

Khalid was a great source of knowledge and we always felt safe. He handled our family with four teenagers just great and never lost his patience. The guides that you had organized were also very pleasant and knowledgeable.

Please extend our thank you to Myriam and Youssef for welcoming our family to their home. The dinner was absolutely delicious.

Thank you for organizing an unforgettable trip. We are already looking forward to our next adventure in Morocco.

Shokran

Liliane and Christian

New York

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Abdel,

I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful trip! Houssin was the best guide/driver possible. We really enjoyed meeting him and exploring the countryside with him. He was informative, courteous, prompt, funny and charming. Everything you could want in a guide and a good driver as well on the winding narrow roads. The Berber Palace was very nice and we really enjoyed the camel trek/camping in the Sahara experience. We were glad to get back to our hotel after our night in the desert!

We really enjoyed everything about our trip and loved exploring Marrakech and the countryside and will treasure our memories always.

Again, thanks so much for making all the arrangements. If you need recommendations, we are happy to provide.

Regards,

Rebecca Wilson

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Abdel,

We had a wonderful time in Morocco and Youssef, our guide, was a delight. Thanks for organizing this trip for us - not a detail was overlooked and we were busy and exploring every minute of the day.

We particulalry loved that we got to meet so many moroccan's - tour guides, restaurant owners, Kasbah officials - who gave the trip a flavor we would not have been able to get on our own.

We will recommend your service to anyone how asks!

Corinne and Dave

New York City

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Abdelhay-

The trip was fabulous. Both Marie and myself learned a great deal in Morocco about the country, its history and most importantly its people. We couldn't have been any more pleased with the itinerary that was planned and the accommodations that were provided. However, I must leave my greatest praise for our guide during our 11 day trip. Hossein was a constant source of perspective and context as we shared the days together exploring the country.

Brett and Marie

California and New York

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Abdel-

I really appreciate your guidance and work in putting my trip together with such short notice. It was absolutely wonderful! I had always dreamed of going to Morocco. The trip and experience exceeded my expectations. The service by Sahara Soul, Abdul who took his role as driver and responsibility for my well-being very seriously, and the kind and knowledgeable guides (Momo in Fes and Fattah in Marrakech) as well as the lovely choice of hotels (Riad Mabrouka in Fes and the Auberge Kasbah Tombouctou in Merzouga were the stars) made for a pleasant trip. The beautiful sites and warm hearts and hospitality of all the people that I met made this a very memorable experience.

I especially want to thank you and your family for opening their home to me. I enjoyed meeting them and having the opportunity to have dinner with them. They are indeed kind, generous, hospitable people. I wish all of you all the best.

I will be sure to contact you again as soon as I have the opportunity to travel to Morocco again, which I hope will be soon.

Thank you so much.

Gracia Gardner

California

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Abdelhay,

We're pleased to hear from you. Our trip was a total success!

Just to enumerate the successes: our driver, Khaled, was perfect. The guides in the various cities were also perfect. The Riads were terrific! The food in them (and all over) was wonderful. We appreciated your excellent arrangements, and we enjoyed the experience and having dinner at your brother-in-law's house. Here's a suggestion: Perhaps Elderhostel Inc. would be interested in working with you. We certainly would recommend your services to everyone,

Best regards,

Larry and Sonja

New York

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Abdelhay,

We wanted to thank you for putting together a wonderful trip. The itinerary was an excellent mix of active sight seeing and downtime to relax. The hotels and restaurants that you recommended were ideal - it was nice to be able to go to some places that weren't necessarily in our tourbook (while still making sure we hit the tourist sites we had to).

Our driver, Awad, was fantastic - he was always on time, filled in as tour guide as necessary, and took us wherever we wanted to go. Also, the tour guides you arranged were very knowledgeable and friendly. All in all, we had a wonderful time, capped off by the dinner with your family on the last night.

Thanks again for putting together a wonderful trip. Most importantly, everything you arranged happened as planned, with minimal stress for us.

We would be happy to recommend Sahara Soul to anyone traveling to Morocco.

P.S. - I now absolutely agree with you that keeping the driver for the last few days was a good idea. Thanks for setting me straight!

Fraser and Wendy

New York

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Hi Abdelhay,

We had a wonderful trip! We fell in love with Morocco. Khalid was great, we were very comfortable with his driving and he is a wealth of knowledge not only about Moroccan history, but all history. He is also a funny guy, we had a lot of laughs. We enjoyed meeting your Father and Aunt, Uncle and cousins. The whole trip was fantastic and we would certainly recommend Sahara Soul to any of our friends. Thank you for the delicious pastries and the basket and for making all of the arrangements for our trip!

Warm regards,

Karen. W and family

Massachusetts

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Abdel,

My wife and I want to thank you for organizing our 3 day tour in Morocco. We had a wonderful time, made possible through the unrivaled assistance of our guide, Jousef, who was simply the best. He made us feel very welcome in his country and always in very safe hands. He picked us up at our riad right on time with a very comfortable and clean Peugot sedan car (full size), a big smile, courteous welcome and a beautiful gift of flowers and moroccan pastries. The relaxed ride to Essaouiria quickly passed with Jousef providing an overview of the country and the local geography. On arrival, he brought us to our hotel and got us settled, and then returned later to walk us to our restaurant for dinner. Even though the next two days were filled with very heavy rain and some concern for the road conditions, we had the chance to travel down the coast to our next stop in Paradise Valley at the Hotel Cascades (Immouzer). In spite of a terribly rough night of weather, Jousef kept us smiling as we made our way back to Marrakech the next day. Very safe driving and taken at the pace of our choice, we couldn't have had a better time, capped off with a visit to a local cafe for lunch, once back in the city, then a drive into the Atlas foothills to have tea in a Berber house, and finally the honor of being invited back to Jousef''s house to have dinner with his family and friends. This was a special privilege for us. Jousef also picked us up early the next morning to get us to the airport even though our official tour had ended.

In summary, we had a great time and the cost was reasonable. There's no doubt that Jousef made it especially memorable. Please feel free to use these comments on your web site. We look forward to returning to Morocco

Thank you,

Carl and Mona

New York

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Abdel,

I’m writing to thank you for making our visit to Morocco something Sandy and I will always remember. Everything was so well organized and everyone you assigned to help us was so pleasant and competent. Special thanks to our driver Mohammed.

But what really stands out is how you were able to give us a feeling of what today’s Morocco is all about. The range of people you had us meet – from college professors to Berber “rap” singers, from the elegant shop owner in Essaouira to the wood carving salesmen (“price hagglers”) in Marrakesh’s Souk – gave us a fascinating insight into Moroccan society today.

You took us to the mountains, the ocean and the desert – to sophisticated restaurants and pubs in Marrakesh and isolated mountain cafes – and we always felt safe and secure in your able hands.

Sandy and I would be happy to recommend you unconditionally.

Sincerely,

Sandy and Bill Morrissey

New York

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Abdel,

Arigato very much for making our Moroccan trip such a wonderful experience. The sceneries of Essaouira and Ourika Valley were spectacular and you made the trips hassle-free. Mohammed and Youssef were very friendly and they were never late to pick us up. (When did they find time to sleep? That is what I wondered.).

While I enjoyed the tours to these typical tourist spots, I remember the more unusual/personalized tours you arranged more. I had fun visiting the supermarket in Marrakech where the locals shop. I enjoyed watching what the local residents buy to eat. I was also relieved to be able to shop for souvenirs without negotiating prices with a retailer for everything, which usually the case in the souk. In addition, visiting a Berber household was a very unique experience. I did not imagine of being able to walk into a Berber's house and have served a green gunpowder tea with mint leaves. It was too cool! Thanks for arranging it!

We must have been one of the most demanding tourists and we must have tested your patience, but both you and the driver tried your best to satisfy our wants and needs (mostly wants...). I must say, I felt like a queen while being on your tour.

I would recommend your tour to my friends. As a matter of fact, I have already asked you to arrange a tour for my niece for this summer, haven't I?

Good luck on your tour business.

Yumi Komiyama Driscoll

Tokyo and Florida

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Dear Abdel,

How does one begin to describe this fascinating experience? We marveled at the coexistence of antiquity and modern, donkey and Mercedes, souks and Marjane, our blue-robed Land Rover driver answering a call on his cell phone without pause as we bounded toward the Sahara Desert dunes in time to catch the sunset. We had a fantastic time full of unexpected delights. Our every wish seemed to be granted. We were amazed that when we asked for anything, it appeared from somewhere. Everywhere we went, we felt so welcome. Although there were language barriers, there were smiles and gracious gestures. A smile in any language means friendship. The guides you selected for us in Fez and Essaouira were helpful and knowledgeable about history and could answer all our questions. We appreciate the authentic experiences: from Berber tents to hammam to local eateries to family homes, where we felt very connected with the culture. The most special moment was our overnight desert experience, on a comfortable camel, traveling into the night over the dunes under a blanket of wondrous stars not normally seen, alone and in complete silence except for the slap of the camel guide’s slippered footsteps on the sand. Thank you for an unforgettable adventure.

Bobbie and Earl Elbert

Florida

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Shukran Bezaf to Sahara Soul Travel for the great job! We’ve been traveling for a long time, and we really loved our experience with Sahara Soul Travel. They understood the way we like to travel, and helped us build an experience suited to our tastes and interests. Our driver, Mohammed was always cheerful and helpful, He gave us some great suggestions, helped us bargain for purchases, and gave us insights into local customs and manners. We became friends and intend to keep in touch with him. Our experience was so rich and we are looking forward to another trip to Morocco soon INSHA ALLAH.

SHUKRAN BEZAF

Peter and Laura Arthur

Louisiana

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Dear Abdel,

We wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our fabulous trip to Morocco. Morocco is a beautiful country! It is so exotic and fascinating! It was the easiest trip I have ever made!

Abdel, you allowed us to see not only the historic places but also the Moroccan culture, to meet the local people and observe their customs. We wished we had more time to see more and spend in the places we did see. Our driver Hajib was wonderful! He became a friend, guide and companion on our journey. He was very efficient in his responsibilities and sensitive to our needs. Thank you again for a great tour. We give our highest recommendation to Hajib, and we will definitely recommend Sahara Soul Travel to anyone who is interested in seeing Morocco.

Many thanks.

David and Sally Cohen

San Francisco

Morocco Film Production