Marrakech next week for two nights ..........

[ginettajoe]

..... with seven mates on our pre-Christmas dinner & drink. Could some of you well travelled give us a few tips on what & what not to do, what currency to take, what the temperature is likely to be & what sort of clothing we should take. Any information would be welcome, thanks.

[jaybkay]

It's 20 years since I was there (in a Triumph Herald). Hotel was good and cheap, phone calls home were horrendous. Weather should be ideal, but it gets cold in the evenings.

No doubt there will be touts everywhere, get rid of them if you can.

Pounds will be OK, no doubt these days Euros will be even better. Can't give you any advice about changing them.

[rocksteadyeddie]

We were there a couple of weeks ago. Are you staying in the medina? If so there's no alcohol available outside of the hotels. If you go clubbing you need to make your way to Le Guelliz which is the New Town and is a lot more relaxed about alcohol.

The Souks are great fun. Just wander around. Haggling is a game and should be approached as such. All the looks of hurt and offence are part of the game. A smile goes a long way in getting the best deal, but dont get caught up haggling over thrupence.

Make sure you eat in the Jemma El Fna (main square) one night for a cheap fun meal in the open air.

Temperature will be mid 20s in the day, and cooler at night and first thing in the morning before the sun gets up.

3 hours on a plane, a million miles away from the UK culturally. I'm sure you'll love it.

[greygoose]

They have a closed currency there so you can only change money when you get there, either at the airport, banks or hotels. It's a fixed rate of exchange so there's no advantage to changing at any particular one. Cashpoints do not always accept British cards.

The current rate is 12.5 dirhams to the pound.

[ginettajoe]

Thanks to those that have replied,..... useful information as usual from the PH mine of information.