Awash with stunning mosques, ornate palaces and perfectly landscaped gardens, the former imperial city of Marrakech is one of the most popular tourist destinations in North Africa. At the heart of the action is the perpetually busy medina, the city’s walled medieval district that dates back to the Berber Empire. Here, locals and visitors alike rub shoulders along its mazelike alleys where market sellers peddle traditional textiles, pottery and jewellery.
A view over the bustling Jamaa el Fna in Marrakech (Tak via Flickr)
Marrakech attractions significant numbers of visitors each year and there are numerous flights from the UK on a daily basis. Whether you’re seeking all inclusive holidays or package holidays that give you a little more freedom and flexibility, we’ve looked into the various online options for booking a trip and come up with three that we’d recommend.
TUI’s unique selling point is that they promise that all of the hotels listed on the website are individually handpicked and vetted for their quality. The big benefit of this is that it means you don’t need to delve too deeply into guest reviews and you can be confident that a company as well established as TUI would know a good hotel from a dud. Another advantage of booking through TUI is that they run a HolidayLine that’s open 24/7, manned by team of travel experts who can help you with any queries. As one might imagine, the range of destinations available with TUI is significant, with every type of holiday and accommodation style catered for, and flights from several UK airports. For trips to Marrakech, we found an impressive range of options, with the choice of flying out from Manchester, from London, from Bristol and from Birmingham. In a nutshell, TUI’s flexible flight options, airport transfer booking service and flights from a range of domestic airports give them a deserved place in our shortlist of recommendations.
Expedia come with a hard-earned reputation as one of the world’s foremost travel agencies, making them a reliable bet for booking a holiday. The first thing you notice on their website is how user-friendly the interface is – there’s no searching for icons or drop down menus, it’s all there at a glance. To make a booking you first need to enter key information such as flight dates, destination, and numbers of adults and kids travelling, before being taken through to a detailed listings page tailored to your requirements. At this point you’re also given options for rental cars and other auxiliary services, as well as additional information about your trip including any potential layover times. As for expedia’s cancellation policy, it’s fairly generous, letting you cancel flights within 24 hours of booking without hitting you in the pocket with punitive charges. However, the general useabilty of the website does drop a notch or two at this point, with the cancellations page somewhat hidden away. On balance, though, we had no hesitation in including expedia in our top 3 picks.
Part of the Emirates Group, Travel Republic offers a wide range of holidays to destinations across the world, including all-inclusive, self-catering, winter sun, and family and couples’ breaks. Flights to Marrakech are available from five UK airports. Users buy their hotel and flights separately and the website links them together for your convenience. Deposits start at just £49 per person for some packages, and they even offer deposits for as little as £1 on many hotel rooms, with the balance due just 14 days before you depart, allowing you to be flexible with your payments. The company is an IATA Accredited Agent and a full member of ABTA, ATOL and the Scheduled Airline Failure Protection Insurance scheme, meaning you can book your holiday safe in the knowledge that you’re protected.
