My name is T. S. Bunton. My wife and I traveled in Morocco for two weeks from December 1 through 13, 2024, with our arrangements made by Helen, a travel specialist recommended by Wendy Perrin. This was our second trip to the country (following our first trip nine years ago).

After arriving at the Casablanca Airport, we drove to and stayed in Marrakesh, then Essaouira, and finally Olinto Mountain Retreat in the Ouirgane Valley. The timing of our trip enabled us to be in Morocco when the climate typically is most comfortable, avoiding the very hot summer and times when the greatest numbers of tourists are present.

The trip was thoroughly enjoyable and the arrangements enabled us to do and see all we had hoped to do and see on this trip. We communicated our wishes and preferences to Helen both in an initial phone conversation and in multiple subsequent emails, and she assembled an itinerary and arrangements that were extremely well-matched to our criteria.

Some of the specifics of her arrangements for us:

– We stayed in a riad in Marrakesh, La Maison Arabe, that had 29 rooms and was within easy walking distance of the medina/main souk. It was lovely in every way: its decor and furnishings; its architecture; the quality and setting of its restaurant; and the helpfulness and friendliness of its staff. Its scale permitted us to enjoy our stay without being overwhelmed or feeling like just one of many customers as sometimes can occur with very large hotels. If we visit Marrakesh again, we fully expect to return to La Maison Arabe.

– In the Atlantic coastal town of Essaouira, Helen arranged for us to stay in the nicest hotel in town, the boutique L’Heure Bleue Palais that is a part of the Relaix & Chateau association. The town offers enticing scenery including the Atlantic Ocean coast with an expansive beach, a blue-and-white small boat fishing fleet, former coastal fortifications, and traces of the Portuguese occupation that ended in the 1500s.

– In the High Atlas Mountains south of Marrakesh, we stayed in the Olinto Atlas Mountain Retreat that has nine “pavilions” (or free-standing suites) located in the middle of a lush and tranquil grove of olive trees and gardens in the Ouirgane Valley. The retreat, created by an Italian prince who maintains a home on the premises, is a beautiful and luxurious escape in every way, with round-the-clock personal service and an excellent restaurant that relies on produce grown in on-site gardens.

– We had the services of an experienced and capable guide for our days in Marrakesh who was able to take us to the best of its historical and cultural exhibits and buildings and to the most reliable shops and merchants offering the types of Moroccan products and handicrafts we wanted to see and purchase. We highly recommend using a guide of this caliber when visiting Marrakesh’s medina and souks.

– For transfers between the Casablanca Airport where we arrived and departed and the three locations in Morocco where we stayed during our visit, Helen arranged for a new, comfortable van with a friendly, competent, English-speaking driver.

– Helen gave us recommendations for sight-seeing, restaurants, shopping, and historical, architectural, and cultural attractions. Among our favorites in Marrakesh: The Secret Garden, and the Dar el Bacha palace.

– Helen made appointments for spa and hammam treatments.

After we agreed on an initial itinerary and the services we would receive, Helen remained in contact with us, especially in the month preceding our departure for Morocco, and responded quickly to our requests to fine-tune some of the arrangements. She also was accessible to respond to questions and requests during the time we were there, and stopped by the riad in Marrakesh to say hello to us.

We are unequivocal in highly recommending Helen as a travel professional to arrange trips to Morocco. She is friendly and personable, knows Morocco and what it has to offer, has a network of reliable and capable travel service providers to use in making travel arrangements for clients, makes dependable arrangements, and carefully crafts arrangements that are responsive to her clients’ wishes and preferences.

If you believe you may wish to obtain Helen’s services in planning a trip to Morocco, you should carefully follow Wendy Perrin’s basic guidelines for communicating with travel professionals, and ensure you are letting Helen know your preferences, what you want to avoid, and what would “ring your chimes” to make your trip extraordinary. Stay in contact with her from the time of your initial conversation until you depart on your journey and, if your desires metamorphose over time, be sure to let her know. Don’t set yourself up for a disappointment she will have no ability or opportunity to work with you to avoid by failing to clearly convey to her the kind of trip you want (this applies to your interactions with all travel professionals with whom you work).

We recently completed a 15-day trip to Morocco (March 31-April 15, 2024) and couldn’t be happier. Working with Helen Wilson was such a pleasure. She lives in Marrakech and therefore is incredibly knowledgeable about Morocco. We spent a lot of time at the beginning discussing our interests, likes and dislikes — and she came up with the perfect itinerary. I especially appreciated how responsive she was, which is very important to me.

We wanted a guide with us the entire time we were there and Helen assigned Saaid Daoudi. He was fantastic. I can’t recall ever asking him a question that he couldn’t answer. His English was excellent and he had a great sense of humor, to boot. Our drivers were all fully capable and pleasant to be around. We always felt safe and well cared for.

Morocco is such a beautiful country and the people are so welcoming. There were many highlights, but glamping in the Sahara at Erg Chegaga surely had to be one of them. It’s a real schlepp to get there, but it is worth it! You are literally in the middle of nowhere and feel like an extra in Lawrence of Arabia. The dunes are spectacular.

Another highlight was a day trip from Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains to have a superb lunch at the beautiful and exclusive Olinto property. We met the owners, who are friends of Helen, and they took us on a tour of the property. Stunning and serene. And Helen surprised us by treating us to lunch, which we were not expecting.

We chose hotels from among those Helen suggested and were not disappointed. They were all wonderful, but we were particularly happy with the Kasbah Tamsna in Ouarzazate. Our balcony overlooked the countryside and the suite was perfection.

If you are contemplating a trip to Morocco, do it! And have Helen Wilson be your planner. You won’t be disappointed.

Helen was great, especially on such short notice. She chose a beautiful riad for us within walking distance of the Medina. We also spent a few nights at the Oberoi (my choice because I didn’t know how frenetic the city would be). Knowing what I know now, I would have stayed at the riad the entire time. It was stunning—La Sultana. The guide we had was great and the activities she suggested—a tour of the Medina in a side car, a cooking class outside the city, and the hike in the Atlas Mountains—were all really enjoyable. The only thing I would not give a 10 to was the lack of good restaurant recommendations. Our last meal at the Villa des Orangers was delicious, but I found the rest of our meals on the “meh” side. Many of Helen’s restaurant suggestions seemed to require fancy/dressy clothing—see-and-be-seen-type places. My husband and I had completed a bike trip in Portugal prior to flying to Marrakech; therefore, we didn’t have proper attire, as we were attempting to pack light. Perhaps that’s why the other restaurants weren’t so great? Otherwise, Helen was attentive and available while we were there and very pleasant and fun to coordinate with.

We had a fabulous trip to Morocco over the holidays with our four children. Our travel planner, Helen, has worked with us over the past 3 years and we have had to cancel twice due to COVID, so we were thrilled to finally get to go. Everything was seamless from the airport pickup to the beautiful hotels, but the highlight was our guide, who had extensive knowledge and a great personality. Helen was able to incorporate our interest to see the Jewish sites of Morocco into our itinerary, which made it very personalized. We liked it so much we are hoping to return next year to spend time in the desert, which we did not do on this trip.

This was our first visit to Morocco. Helen arranged for our wonderful guide and driver (both named Saaid) for two amazing weeks exploring this fascinating country—2,000 kilometers taking us to cities and villages, desert and ocean, forested mountains and lush agricultural valleys. We were there in October, when the weather was perfect.

We usually travel independently, but it was a great luxury to be driven by such a skillful and careful driver and escorted by a Berber (Amazigh) guide who spoke flawless English and knew the country and its history intimately. Some of the most memorable experiences for us included wandering the souks in the médinas of Fez and Marrakech, hiking in the old-growth cedar forests of the Atlas Mountains with a naturalist guide, and spending a night camping in the Sahara. We happened to be in Fez at the beginning of their annual Festival of Sufi Arts and Culture and were able to get tickets for a marvelous concert of Azerbaijani music. We enjoyed delicious food and delightful accommodations everywhere we went.

Helen planned everything for us so meticulously that we always felt safe and comfortable, even pampered.

Helen Wilson planned a flawless 9-day trip (for 4 women, aged ~50) that covered all the major cities and sites we wanted to see. She picked the perfect guide and together curated a very multi-faceted, unique Moroccan experience that covered the breadth and depth that we were hoping to experience. She and our guide were able to customize the itinerary around our interests, and even were able to accommodate last-minute requests. Both know the country inside and out and were so knowledgeable about taking us to the very best and most interesting that Morocco has to offer. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and I cannot thank Helen and our guide and driver enough.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Go, go go now! We just got back from Morocco after putting it on hold for a year. Helen planned the perfect trip. Most everything was open except for a few monuments. Tourist are coming back but not in droves so the medinas and souks were busy but with locals. Tour busses were hardly seen. Our guide, Said, enjoyed showing us his country and seeing colleagues he hadn’t seen in almost two years. His expertise took us to gardens and museums before the crowds arrived and he knew the best shop owners to get quality goods. The itinerary Helen planned was perfect. One day would be spent on a city tour and the next we were hiking in the mountains, then there would be a travel day so no two days were the same. Said would hire local guides for certain hikes or village tours, which gave us a personal insight into the area. We stayed in small riads from the North to the South. All of them unique. Everyone from the hotel staff to the shop owners were so happy that we were there. People smiled everywhere we went. COVID-19 was not issue. Morocco has a high vaccination rate and everyone in the tourist industry was vaccinated. The hotel restaurants were all open air. Helen arranged for a COVID test the day before we left to return to the States. It couldn’t have been easier. Dar Alham in Skoura was our last stop and what a way to end the trip. Not only was it relaxing lounging by the pool but the staff would organize special outings for their guests like a tea ceremony at sunset high in the mountains.
Loved everything about this trip, timing, itinerary and the people!