Last summer, my partner and I decided to visit Morocco for a two-week adventure. We had heard so many stories about its culture, delicious food, and beautiful architecture. As travelers who love to explore new destinations, we were thrilled to visit Morocco. Everything was going well until we reached the Merzouga Desert, where we had a terrible experience with a camp that was clearly trying to rip us off. In this blog post, we will share our experiences in the hope that other travelers can learn from it before booking a similar trip.
We had booked an expensive and good-looking accommodation on Booking.com, which said that everything was included. However, once we got to the Merzouga Desert, we found out that the reception was located in the middle of nowhere (which is okay, we did not expect society). Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when we were asked to pay 30 euros per person for transport to the camp by 4×4. You have to imagine, the camp is located in the desert where you can only get by 4×4 from the reception which is already in the middle of nowhere. The transport was supposed to be included, so we were surprised at the exorbitant fee. We reluctantly paid the amount and hoped that it would be worth it.
To our shock, we found out that we could not stay at the campsite for two consecutive nights because they did not serve people during the day. They would bring us back to the reception, and we would have to wait there until sunset to return to the campsite, which would cost us another 30 euros per person. It didn’t make sense to us that we would have to spend an entire day in the reception, watching a movie on our phone like other tourists. So we decided to cut our losses and stayed for just one night. By the way, did we tell you already that we had our dinner at 23pm? They did not want to serve us until everbody arrived, some people had gotten lost in a sandstorm, so everybody had to wait for two people and their guide.
It got worse when we found out that the resort gave its customers a discount if they paid in cash and deleted their Booking.com reservation. They did this to avoid paying a commission, which meant that they would earn more from customers. We were flabbergasted that they tried to take advantage of us this way. It was clear that the resort had ulterior motives, and we couldn’t trust them anymore. Of course we sent Booking.com a complaint and they responded first that they would look into it. After a few weeks, they apologized for the experience and they this organisation could indeed not be trusted. We were not the only ones suffering the same fate.
As experienced travelers, we have learned that it’s always important to research and read reviews of a destination before making reservations. Despite the high price of the resort, we tried to look beyond the cost and hoped that it would be worth it. The reviews that we saw were good. Unfortunately, our experience taught us that sometimes costly accommodation does not always guarantee a great experience.
In conclusion, we would advise all travelers to exercise caution when selecting their accommodation in the Merzouga desert. While a place may seem perfect, it’s important to be critical. My partner and I learned this the hard way at the Merzouga Desert resort, where we experienced some of the worst hospitality in our travels. However, we didn’t let it ruin our trip, and we managed to find other places that exceeded our expectations.
As travel bloggers, we hope that sharing our experiences will help guide other travelers towards a more fulfilling and memorable adventure. Don’t feel bad for us, after Morocco we went to Sorrento in Italy, on the Amalfi Coast, where we stayed for another 2 weeks, which was one of the best experiences ever!
This review is written by Alexander and Laura, the owners of the expert travel blog, Lost between Oceans.
