Sarah Miles, mom of 2 teens, Hanover, NH
I’d love to have our readers get a sense of who you are…
What are 3 words that describe or are important in the way you travel?
• active
• authentic
• high quality
Please share one of your favorite travel experiences.
Marrakech, Morocco
In the summer of 2018 when our kids were 13 years old we were going to meet up with friends in Spain. Given its proximity, Morocco, was an easy add-on. It was our first time to a Muslim country, and we were particularly excited to expose our kids and ourselves to their culture and religion.
We stayed at the Royal Mansour in the center of Marrakech. It is a peaceful oasis in the middle of a chaotic city. There are secret passages around the hotel so you rarely see a staff member walking about. It was large, spread out and dotted with lemon and orange groves. It gave you the feeling like you were the only people there. You would never know from the outside that this magical place was on the inside.
What is your favorite memory from this trip?
While walking through the medina with our guide, it was a surreal sense of being completely immersed in the culture and having no sense of where we were. Our guide took us to amazing little shops and apartments. The entrance would be a simple front door, but once he opened the door it was like we walked into another, incredible world. At the back of one shop we went in was a hidden door. When we stepped through it felt like we were in Narnia, just a completely different world we didn’t know existed.
We learned that the Muslim tradition practices being humble on the outside and beautiful on the inside and that was evident in our experience.
What tip would you give your best friend if she were going to Marrakech next week?
Invest in a great guide to walk you around the city. One that takes you to the less touristy places. We walked by tourists everywhere staring at the maps on their phones and they were missing so much of the experience. Our guide took us to a restaurant for lunch with no other tourists and we really enjoyed that authentic experience.
What’s on your bucket list?
Cape Town. We’ve never been. Because of some of our personal connections, we are looking forward to getting a real local, inside perspective on the city. We’ll be visiting townships and the Apartheid Museum and spending time in more everyday places.
Royal Monsour, Marrakech