1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

The Kettuvalium boat trip on the Malarbar backwaters. The trip was excellent - and the service and food on board was about the best all holiday. What topped the fun was a mishap - through no fault of the crew, the boat suffered a bent rudder on the return trip - and we had to be rescued by dug-out canoe!

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Expect deviations from published details. We did not follow the itinerary - no trip at day 3 to Mahabalipuram, because the tour leader said there was no time! - very disappointing at the start of the holiday. The £50 local payment is payable in addition to tips & gratuities! - it was very confusing at the start of the holiday when the tour leader only asked us for £25 per person for tips/entrance fees - and then we were asked to pay the £50 when we had returned home, because he had forgotten to ask us.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes, because we were a small group, we could blend in and enter local shops and bakeries etc for lunch-time snacks, rather than having to rely on large hotels which cater for the larger groups. Also, because we did not travel about in a huge group, we did not get a sense that our presence was intrusive in any way.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Excellent. Note however, that it was disappointing that the tour leader was late to collect us at the airport on arrival - he had gone to International arrivals rather than domestic arrivals; and on our return he made the same mistake and took us to the wrong departure point. But no harm done - just a niggle.

Read the operator's response here:

Our itineraries are flexible due to the unpredictable nature of the destinations we visit but we do our best to stick to them where possible. The oversight of the Group Leader in collecting the Local Payment was a rare incident but one we have followed up. Many of our Group Leaders set up a tip kitty at the start of our trips to tip for services en route. Generally clients are more comfortable with this and it eliminates the need to have small change to hand. It is disappointing to hear of the mix up at the airport and again this has been followed up with our local agent. Great to see that you had a wonderful trip overall.

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

Now I wonder if this is what you would like to hear.
Yes I do know that it would be cold at night. However we had a dreadful room on a very cold night. 'It was only for one night!' No working heater to warm the room. Despite a change of batteries for the hand set, which did then turn the thing on. But then it still did not work the heater. (Other guests, our party and from a different group were offered changes of room for this problem and other reasons, ie: two men given a double bed to share, we had singles! We were not offered this chance at all, and infact the reception, not being arrogant, were not at all helpful. The batteries for the heater hand set were changed and that was that). It was the end room on the bottom floor with three windows in it No. 139. The window at the end of the corridor, just outside the room was broken! All adding to the cold. It was not a large room but high.
Then the food in this hotel was not very good and seemed to be of little choice from another fixed price expensive (we thought) evening meal.
Back to the 'ROOM' where one slept in ones clothes with the additional blankets on a bed. I found this to be shaped like a wedge of cheese. I have never had this delight ever before. It was difficult to do, hanging on was an eye opener in this single narrow bed! No I did not sleep at all well. My husband did not have a wedge of cheese shaped bed.
One more memorable detail of this room 139 was the wash hand basin which was flush up to the wall. The toilet flush up to this and the space of the shower was laughable if I was able to laugh at this point. The towel rail was over the wash hand basin to the side flush up to the wall, the towels hanging into the basin. I demonstrated to the receptionist in the morning the fact that one was able to soak the towels without even trying to when turning the taps on, if you did not move the towels out of the way, and put them: WHERE? Now that was an interesting question..
Then to breakfast - Oh! well that was a non interesting even by local standards meal. Anyhow that repast over and done with. I stood and stretched my poor syatic damaged right leg, while doing this, the little girl clearing a table proceeded to empty the left over contents off the plates into the dishes from which we were/had just been served jam, honey, fat type spread for our bread. Yes I was watched as I stood there stretching my mouth open in astonishment watching her and the man doing the serving of these foodstuffs to other clients clearing the plates into the serving dishes which were still being used.
Yes I had made my feelings clear regarding the heater to the reception but just got the batteries changed for the hand set. I had requested help from our guide who seemed to do very little.
Then I could go on to tell you of the number of rooms we were in which did not have electric lighting for one reason or annother. The toilet cistern which ran water all the time because the ball/cock was displaced, then I could tell you of the room with no bedding on the bed!!!! Oh and the night we were over the reception area and the night watchman was smoking with and talking to someone who kept reving up his motor bike well into and past 02:00
And then lastly the guide did not turn up as he said on the last morning to take us to the airport. "No!" He said when we saw him just as we were going into the departure gate, "he had not slept in but it was quite a distance from his home to our hotel!!!!! he was unable to get a taxi." He did remburse the taxi fare for the six of us.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

I have no idea

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

sorry cannot comment

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

One could say that it was maybe satisfactory

Read the operator's response here:

Thank you for providing comments on your recent Morocco trip. We are very sorry to hear about the problems you encountered at various hotels on this trip. We have used all the properties on this trip in the past and have generally had good feedback on them. Unfortunately it is slightly difficult to ascertain from your comments which hotels you refer to precisely, which makes it somewhat more difficult to follow up on the issues raised. It appears that in one hotel you were unfortunately lodged in a particularly unpleasant room. Many hotels in Morocco have not been purpose built as hotels, but have been converted into hotels at a later stage. This can result in great variability of the range of rooms available. We do however conduct regular reviews of all hotels through our ground agents with regards to the general quality of the hotels. We will request that the group leaders also inspect the particular rooms allocated to our groups on arrival, so that they can assist with any problems. We will also certainly pass your on your comments so that particular attention can be paid to the provision of bedding and functioning accessories, and the presentation of food.

I hope that despite your disappointment with some of the accommodation you enjoyed your holiday in Morocco while discovering its many attractions.