Taking a Marrakech Staycation

It's that time again. We're on another Destination Date Night and this time we hit up Marrakech, Morocco. This has been on my list for a while, and it's giving me serious vacation longing. It's been almost a whole year since I've gotten on a plane to go anywhere and we've been talking about our first trip after we're both vaccinated. I can't wait, but these destination dates are some of the things really getting me through. So, let's talk about our date.

As you know, the setting is the most important part of my destination dates, so I had two backdrops made, since I couldn't find anything that wasn't a doorway. Much as I love doorways, I wanted to really capture the feel of the actual place. I chose a seaside scape and a market, because when I think of Morocco, I think of the souks and their many stalls and heaped, colorful spices. I adore a spice market, and Eric learned how much when we were at Borough Market in London and I spent a good hour in a particular stall choosing spices to bring home for myself and as gifts. In fact, he walked around and took pictures that I didn't even see until we got home. 

Because everything is so colorful, I tried to also make my table colorful, but not overly busy. I found these gorgeous plates in the clearance section of Cost Plus and snatched them up immediately. I already knew we would be "traveling" to Morocco at some point. I already had these starburst glasses, and I opted to use them instead of some other glasses I had my eye on. When I think on this destination, I also think of bright lanterns and Aladdin for some reason. For those reasons, I picked out this sweet little Moroccan style lantern and "genie lamp". All of this on top of a blue tablecloth to make everything pop.

As you know, we like to jazz up our looks on date night, so as an homage to the wonderful style and fashion, we did some fun headgear. Eric is sporting a little fez and I've got this pretty sweet hair jewelry. I said I was feeling Aladdin vibes, so I went a little bit that way with these looks.

Now, the main attraction: Food. I looked at several places that would deliver though UberEats* that had real, traditional Moroccan food, and not just random Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food, like shawarma. In fact, I found a local Black-owned restaurant that was in my delivery range. We have been trying to support more small, woman-owned, and Black-owned businesses, so this made me really happy.

Now, I know from experience that I don't love cold couscous, so I looked for different dishes. For starters, I ordered Bakola, a salted spinach dip with Moroccan spices and preserved lemons. This was spicy, and served with big pita bread. 

For mains I ordered was Chicken Bastila, and sweet and savory pastry made with phyllo dough. It looks like a doughnut, so I wasn't really sure what we were getting ourselves into, but you know I'm always up for new and interesting foods, so we had to try it. It was pretty awesome...and a lot bigger than anticipated. Three people could have had this as a meal. We also got Moroccan couscous, which is steamed and served with beef and veggies. Traditional, yes, but different than almost all couscous dishes I've ever had. We ended up with chicken, which was fine. The veggies were all large pieces, making it really rustic.  We have a lot of leftovers.

I don't normally order drinks, because I make my own, but I wanted to really immerse myself this week. I added a mint Tangier lemonade for Eric and a rose water for me. These sounded like very refreshing beverages to complement our meal, and they totally were.

Onto dessert. We did baklava as part of our Egypt date, and being part of a large Greek family, most gatherings with Eric's parents or aunts include a large pan of baklava. For that reason alone, I ordered rice pudding, which I know is also pretty normal, but I also thought it would go well with the Turkish coffee I was making. I had it once and I was in love with it. Turkish coffee is strong and flavorful and can be very sweet. Unlike regular coffee, it's definitely for sipping and taking your time to enjoy it. I got the special pot (cezve) and cups that I've been looking for an excuse to buy. I realized at the fact that we also did a different rice pudding during that Egypt date, but it was a great end to a great meal. 

*If you haven't signed up for UberEats yet, use my code eats-shereenr208ue and get $20 off your first order of $25+)

While we ate, we took tours of several souks, because we both love to see weird foods and cool handmade goods. We also took a tour of the top 10 things to do in Marrakech and learned some basic words and phrases, so we're ahead of the game for when we plan our trip there in the future.

If you want to plan your own Moroccan staycation, it's pretty easy to pull one together, even in a short amount of time. There are so many great walking tours online, as well as books and websites to plan a trip. Here's a list to get your started:

• A backdrop
• Moroccan lantern
• I bought this table lantern
• A Monrovian star lamp might be more to your liking
• Here's an affordable one
• Here's a fancy one
• Genie lamp
• Moroccan glasses
• Or these more everyday-use ones
• Coffee set with cezve
• Moroccan cookbook
• And a tangine if you want to do very traditional cooking style
• Fun headgear
• Here's the mini fez
• Here's the hair jewelry
• Pinch bowls that you can use for mise en place all the time or heap with spices to feel like you're visiting the souk right now
• Woven basket for a cool tropical plant
• Marrakech travel guide
• A good YouTube playlist or a game to learn Arabic words/phrases

You can make your staycation a romantic date or a fun learning escape for the family. No matter how you do it, a trip to Morocco is a great trip even at home. 

Have you been taking any staycations during this pandemic?

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!

Getting The Most Out Of Your Time Off

Time off is not something we get to enjoy very often, for numerous reasons. There are bills to cover, expenses to be paid, and you can’t be away from work all of the time for that to be possible. That’s why it’s important that you know how to get the most out of your time off and get yourself refreshed and ready to get back to things! There’s no limit on what you can do for enjoyment, whether you have a lot of funds to cover it, or are short and looking for something cheap to do!

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Different accommodation

A holiday doesn’t have to be some overly expensive adventure, and there’s a lot you can do to cut those costs down! What’s important is how you plan things, and in this case, it’s your choice of accommodation. Hotels can be a great experience, and the more you pay, the more you’re going to get from your stay there. If you’re looking for a luxury holiday, paying for a fancy hotel is likely going to be your best bet. The only problem with hotels is, it’s far more expensive to stay for a longer duration there than anywhere else, and if you’re looking for a longer period of time away - a hotel is going to limit that!

If you’re the type that doesn’t mind what kind of accommodation they’re going to be going with, and the enjoyment comes from the adventure itself, you might want to consider trying out a hostel! In some cases, you get your own private room - though you’ll likely be sharing a kitchen and a bathroom with other people who are staying there, and you’ll be spending much less money on your stay than you would in a hotel. It’s the perfect option if you’re going to be on the move a lot and don’t mind where you’re staying here and there. Of course, you lack the privacy that you would get with a hotel, but the savings could be worth it!

Another expensive option that you might want to consider is property rental. If you’re traveling with a family and need more space with your stay, it might be cheaper to rent a holiday home than it would be to rent multiple hotel rooms, and you get the whole building to yourself. Depending on where you’re going, there may be many benefits to this! Some homes allow pets, some have their own pool, some are right on the beach! It’s a great option if you’re planning a pricey holiday with the family, but want to save some money.

What suits you

Accommodation aside, getting a holiday right means figuring out what you’re going to do while you’re away, and you need to plan everything else around that. For some people, the ideal holiday is getting out there to see and experience everything that you possibly can! That might sound expensive, but it can be cheaper than staying in one place if you know how to carry yourself! Picking out cheap accommodation, bringing only a few belongings with you, and knowing how to take care of your necessities means that you don’t have to rely so much on paid guides and shelter!

If you don’t want to have to figure everything out for yourself, and would rather be shown around to see what’s interesting, there are holiday packages that you can invest in, where you’ll have a place to stay organized, and your events planned out! It can be good if you’re not really sure what you want, and you would prefer to get an experience recommended by someone else - but these tend to be more expensive. If you have your own ideas of what you want to do, a guided holiday isn’t for you!

Sometimes going far away from home isn’t the only great way to spend your time off, sometimes it’s good to do things while you’re at home instead! You don’t have to spend so much money on having a good time, and there’s likely plenty for you to do not so far from your home! You can find plenty of staycation ideas online, and you’d be surprised how much you can enjoy what’s around you if you haven’t already considered it!

Try something different

One of the best things you can do for yourself when you’re having time off is pushing yourself to try out something new for yourself! People often feel safer in their comfort zone, and would prefer not to do things that they’re not familiar with - but you could be seriously limiting your enjoyment! You could set yourself a goal while you’re off of work to try out something different, you never know what you might learn about yourself!

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Picking company

The company that you choose for your time off can make the world of difference, and it’s important that you pick it right! Consider if you’re going to another country, you’re going to be with that person the whole time you’re there! Your wants have to line up with theirs, else the holiday can become difficult. Some people prefer to take their vacations alone, and it can be easier to get around and save money like that. You only have to keep your plans, meals, and accommodation in mind - which means you’re free to spend or save whenever you want to!

Pack for the occasion

If you’ve planned your vacation to be spent in another country, how you pack for it is very important, and you should be sure not to overpack. If you’re staying in a hotel, and you’re confident that you’ll be able to get your luggage there, you don’t have much of a problem. However, if you’re planning to be on the move a lot, it can be very difficult to bring a lot of bags and suitcases with you. Some people prefer to pack very light and fit all that they’re bringing into a backpack with them. A few changes of clothes travel documents, some money, and their electrical devices with charges - that’s all you need to bring with you, and other things can be bought while you’re there.

The Pros of Vacation Rentals

Right now traveling isn't really that much of thing, because most things aren't open, so this is the time to super relax. Our road trip was a lot of driving around, stopping at viewpoints and parks, then chilling at our rental. If nothing else, this is the time to splurge on some extras. 

Generally, we use out timeshare when we travel, unless there isn't one where we've chosen to go or we take the dog. When this happens, I check out Airbnb {<--use that link for $40 off!}. There's a time and a place to opt for a hotel, but as a budget traveler, being able to save money on food and saving my sanity by not being in everyone's pocket 24/7 is very important. Here are my 6 reasons to choose a vacation rental.

You get a kitchen

This means you can cook your own meals! Now, keep in mind, I don't go on vacation to cook, especially since cool new foods are the best part of traveling to me. I do, however, hate getting up super early, so I tend to load up on breakfast foods. This allows me to spend a little more time in bed, plus I save money on morning dining. We usually spend at least one dinner in, either making something easy or eating leftovers, which we were able to bring back, because we have a fridge and an oven.

In many rentals we've stayed in, they've also included grills, so we could BBQ if we wanted. This is great if you are traveling in the warmer months. If you travel with kids, having a place to prepare and store foods can be imperative for your sanity and saving money.

You (generally) have a separate bedroom

Listen, I don't need to have a different room with a bed, but it's nice. I'll settle for separate, defined spaces, just so I can get away from my travelmate(s) for a minute. I adore my husband, but we don't always want to be in each other's faces. A hotel room normally has a bed and one chair. If you're lucky, you get a tiny table or a desk. Even if you bring back leftovers, you can't really sit anywhere comfortable. If you have to do work or just want to play on your laptop, there's not a good place to do that either. 

I don't always go to bed at the same time as people I travel with. It's nice to have a table where I can type away, a couch to relax on, a bed for sleeping purposes that doesn't also double as a terrible chair, or a room where I can just hang out alone in that isn't the bathroom. 

You can choose your amenities

I have a small list of must-haves when I travel: WiFi, TV, a shower (if I'm traveling to Europe where not all places have one), and laundry facilities. I get these things in a timeshare property, but I can also choose these things specifically when searching for a vacation rental. For example, we're going to Edinburgh and London in the fall and I want to pack light. Because of this, it's especially helpful to have access to a washer and dryer. I've had to go to the laundromat in the past and while it wasn't the most annoying thing, it cost quite a bit in London. 

You can choose your price range

Sure, you can do this with hotels, but for the same price, you can search for a vacation rental that is in a location desirable to you, plus includes all the amenities you hope to get in a place to stay. If you can get all this for the same price or a little more, you're still saving money on baggage fees, food, laundry, and possibly entertainment, because you have room to spread out and play games and/or watch movies.

You can feel at home

This is the number one reason I enjoy a vacation rental over a hotel. Feeling weirdly displaced when you travel is hard. I like to feel like my space is a home. I don't need a maid to come in and clean up after me every day. I want my space to feel cozy and comfy and lived in. I can make a rental feel like my home until I leave. I can spread out my stuff, not worry about anyone coming in to clean (where I have to clear up things before I leave each morning). 

Having what equates to a small home or apartment makes me feel like I'm a traveler instead of a tourist. Like I'm living like a local. Some come with free parking, some are in buildings with extra security, some have pools or gyms. The best part is that if you don't want these things, you rent a different place and don't pay for them, unlike when you stay in a hotel that offers them for everyone.

You have a true local on-call

One thing you usually don't think about is having someone you can contact for an inside look at your destination. Yes, there's the front desk or concierge at a hotel, but when you rent from a local, it's easy to pick their brain to find out where they like to go and what they'd recommend seeing to an out-of-towner. They probably aren't rich and they certainly don't get kick-backs for pointing you in the direction of an activity or restaurant. Some live steps away or welcome calls/texts or leave detailed folders with all the cool stuff for you to peruse. I always get awesome suggestions this way. Our most recent rental had a welcome website that included a whole list of all the restaurants and their hours and websites. 

Vacation rentals are a lot safer than a lot of hotels right now, too, because there aren't dozens of rooms that staff has to clean. There's just one place with several rooms. You're usually asked to do a bit of clean-up before you leave to make this easier. I know that Oregon and Washington has strict Covid rules for vacation rentals, meaning there's plenty of time for owners to get everything cleaned before another renter checks in. 

Before we left, we were asked to wash towels, any blankets used for the dog on furniture, and start the dishwasher. We put blankets in the washer before bed on our last night, then I got up, moved them to the dryer, tossed our towels in the wash, then finished loading the dishwasher, started it and turned off all the lights before we checked ourselves out. 

What are your favorite reasons to choose a rental over a hotel?