Real Honeymoon: Spain and Morocco

It had never occurred to me to enlist someone else to plan our honeymoon, but I highly recommend using Annie’s services! Not only was it really nice not having to plan one more thing, but we also felt at ease during the trip because of the high quality services. Every activity that we did the guides were so knowledgeable, nice and accommodating. It was great being able to just follow the itinerary and only have to worry about enjoying the honeymoon!

Weatherly and John had both traveled around Europe and were looking for something different for their honeymoon. We came up with a winning combination of Spain and Morocco: specifically Barcelona and Marrakesh. They were interested in a mix of history and culture, food and wine, and relaxation.

Itinerary Snapshot

Barcelona → Marrakesh→ Essouira, Morocco

Duration: 11 days

Month: October

Hotels: Hotel Murmuri (Barcelona) → Villa Makassar (Marrakesh) → Palais des Ramparts (Essouira)

STOP 1: BARCELONA

We absolutely adore Barcelona for honeymoons (and for any type of trip!). We paired their love of food and wine, history and culture together to come up with some unique and classic tours around the city.

Evening Aperitif, Wine and Tapas Tour

Delve deep into the world of Spanish and Catalan wines along with the rich Spanish tradition of going out for tapas. Explore wines from sparkling cava to aged temparanillo. Get a feel for the tapas scene in Barcelona by exploring three tapas and wine bars in the Born neighborhood.

Neighborhood Food & Market Tour

Enjoy a food tour around the Gràcia neighborhood where you’ll meet residents and food entrepreneurs as you visit a locals-only market, family-run restaurants specializing in Catalan cooking, and specialty shops offering local foods.

STOP 2: MOROCCO

Morocco is a very exotic locale and perfect for a honeymoon with a mix of culture, food, and relaxation. Marrakesh is a bustling city where you can stay in a riad (traditional house style hotel) and get lost in the souks (old-school markets).  Essouira is a quaint seaside village on the Atlantic ocean. On the drive here you can make fun stops to see the goats climbing argan trees, or visit a cheese farmer.

Guided Tour of the Historical Sights

You’ll head into the medina to take in the architecturally stunning historical palaces of Palais El Badi and Palais Bahia first. You’ll also see the Saadian tombs, dating back to the 17th century, the tombs are historically significant, but the real reason to visit is the stunning beauty of the arches and other architectural features that define the site.

Next up,  you’ll head into the Souk for a guided visit of the markets.  The term Souk refers to the markets. The markets of Marrakech are located in a serpentine set of alleyways with twists and turns. Your guide will give you the overview of how the souk is laid out and where the different sections are located, each focused on a different set of goods (clothes, spices, lamps, shoes, traditional crafts, etc).

Camel Ride and Tented Dinner in the Agafay Desert

Make your way to a luxury Berber desert retreat located 45 minutes outside of Marrakesh. Enjoy a quintessential Moroccan experience on the back of camel, through the rugged landscapes around Marrakesh dunes. For those who haven’t ridden a camel before, the experience of getting on and off the camel is a sensation unlike any other. Camel ride is followed by dinner set in a genuine Berber tent made from durable dark brown goat’s hair.