Reflections Of A BP Traveler: An Immersive Luxury Journey To Marrakesh
Marrakesh is a vibrant city in Morocco known for its bustling souks, rich history, fragrant cuisine and stunning architecture. Here, the ancient and modern worlds collide, and ornate palaces and centuries-old medians exist in contrast against the luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants.
Marrakesh, the alluring Red City, opens the door to many unique travel experiences and is a wonderful destination for travelers seeking to immerse themselves in local traditions and culture.
We interviewed one of our travelers, Jeanne Yu, who recently embarked on a bespoke tour to Marrakesh, to discuss her experience with Blue Parallel and the highlights of her luxury vacation.
How Did You Hear About Blue Parallel?
My husband and I had decided we wanted to visit Morocco and so we reached out to Remote Lands, another tour company we have used in the past that specializes in trips to Asia. They have designed tours for us before and understand our travel preferences and expectations of high-end, luxury travel experiences, and based on this, referred us to Blue Parallel.
How Was Working With Blue Parallel Different From Your Experience With Other Luxury Travel Companies?
Blue Parallel was incredibly responsive and they delivered a really high-quality experience. The individualization of our itinerary was also fantastic.
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Please Summarize Your Blue Parallel Experience In 4 Words/Phrases…
I would describe our experience with Blue Parallel as:
- Responsive: the team was very quick to get back in touch with us.
- Knowledgeable: all of their guidance, suggestions and information on Marrakesh and the experiences were on point
- Personalized: we were thrilled with the itinerary and found it tailored to us.
- Attentive: they listened to everything we conveyed to them before and during the journey.
How Did You Find The Pre-trip Experience With Your Personal Travel Expert?
Our travel expert was great and was always on top of everything.
Responsiveness is one of the most important things to us when we’re working with tour companies as my husband and I are often juggling a lot. Throughout the process, our travel expert was in contact with us regularly and was extremely responsive.
We started planning our Morocco tour far in advance and sometimes our schedules forced us to take a break from the process. However, we always received a prompt reply as soon as we reached out to Blue Parallel.
It was comforting knowing we could rely on solid communication and that they were still being proactive in the background.
Did You Feel Supported By The Blue Parallel Team During Your Trip?
Yes! We did make some last minute changes to our itinerary while we were in Marrakesh and the team were always responsive, flexible and accommodating. For example, ahead of our private cooking class at La Maison Arabe, we had questions and requests for the menu and the team were very quick to get back to us and alter the plans accordingly.
Can You Share Your ‘Wow Moments’ Of This Trip?
Three of the unforgettable moments from our tour to Marrakesh are:
- The Accommodation: we were blown away by our accommodation and we really enjoyed having access to luxury amenities while also being immersed in local culture.
- Private cooking class: I love to cook and both my husband and I really enjoy trying new foods. The private cooking class was a highlight for us both as we learnt about traditional techniques and tried delicious cuisine.
- Jemaa el Fna square: this is a must-see for anyone visiting Morocco as you can really immerse yourself in the culture and sensory experience. The square is vibrant and steeped in history, and we actually visited it more than once because we enjoyed it so much.
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What Did You Enjoy About Your Accommodation?
Throughout our tour, we stayed in the Royal Mansour. The hotel was terrific and we enjoyed a real luxury experience while also being able to witness and explore Moroccan culture. The property itself was beautiful, the restaurants were nice and the staff were attentive to our requests.
Normally, we request to stay at luxury chain hotels as we know what we are getting there and sometimes boutique properties don’t offer the same standard of service, comfort or amenities. However, the Royal Mansour was wonderful and was exactly what we wanted.
During our visit, we visited one of the other properties we had been interested in staying in and we were over the moon that we listened to Blue Parallel’s initial accommodation recommendation as the atmosphere at the Royal Mansour was perfect.
Did All Of The Guides & Drivers Meet Your Expectations?
We were really pleased with our guide and our driver.
In our experience, having a local guide usually enhances the overall experience and this was definitely the case here. He had a lot of knowledge about the area, its history and its culture, and was passionate about the city. We particularly enjoyed the balance he achieved between being hands-on with us and giving us space to explore on our own.
Our driver was very accommodating throughout the journey and catered to our requests. For example, when we wanted to change one of our evening plans and walk independently around Jemaa el Fna Square again, he arranged everything with ease. Drop-off and pick-up can often be tricky to coordinate due to how busy it is around the square but everything went smoothly.
How Valuable Was The Team’s Insider Knowledge And Experience?
It was clear from the get-go that Blue Parallel was very well acquainted with Morocco, from transfer times and accommodation recommendations, to the cultural experiences and insider access.
As I mentioned, accommodation is of big importance to my husband and I and normally we favor the larger luxury chains because they are always consistent. In fact, we were first drawn to Morocco because we knew of the Aman hotel in Marrakesh. While this is one of Blue Parallel’s preferred properties, after listening to our travel preferences and understanding more about what we wanted to experience during this tour of Marrakesh, they strongly recommended the Royal Mansour.
We were a little apprehensive, but we were so happy we listened and stayed at the recommended accommodation because it was perfect for our journey.
Do You Think The Team Created An Itinerary That Was Ideally Suited To You?
Blue Parallel were thorough when it came to getting to know us and understanding our travel preferences, and they definitely created a tailor-made itinerary well suited to us.
Beyond the activities and experiences, Blue Parallel really listened to how we like to run our day. We don’t like being active morning to night and prefer when we can enjoy a break and time at leisure in the middle of the day. Blue Parallel catered to this with built in leisure time and spa reservations.
While we were following the itinerary Blue Parallel design for us, we also had some flexibility to add or change the experiences. They achieved a nice balance between unstructured and structured time and I felt as though we could make decisions about certain activities in the moment, such as which artisans to visit at the souks.
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What Was Your Favorite Activity & Why?
The private cooking class was a definite highlight. I love cooking and think you can learn a lot about a place and its culture through the food.
Before the cooking class, we visited a public oven where locals go to bake their bread. Our host shared a lot of interesting information about the traditional baking process. During the class, a local chef guided us through authentic Moroccan cooking techniques and together, we made a traditional meal that my husband and I got to enjoy.
It was a really unique and insightful experience.
What Do You Think Makes Blue Parallel Special?
I think one of the main things that made our experience with Blue Parallel special was the expertise and knowledge of our travel expert. It was clear that they were up to date with the destination and we could trust their recommendations.
DOWNLOAD OUR BESPOKE MOROCCO JOURNEY PDF
