1

...... solo female drinking in a bar in Morocco will cause heightened excitement resulting in you being pestered mercilessly. Confused signals, this is the behaviour of working girls, and "no I'm not interested" won't be understood. Alcohol is something of a taboo issue in Morocco and Islamic countries in general, if you go give up the oul gargle for the duration, might give you a better slant on life...... if only for a week.

2

If you can't live without alcohol for a week, choose another destination. Remember that Morocco is a Muslim country, and among Moroccans consumption of alcohol is indulged in only by the underclass.

3

Buy beer / wine in big shops and drink it in your room.
Have a nice trip

4

There are bars and then there are tourist bars.

The local bars are dark, intimidating places for drunk (and often sad) males and their accompanying prostitutes. A loan female westerner would not only be pestered, but once they found out you weren’t a prostitute (the ONLY women who frequent these bars) you will be very unwelcome…..so no need to upset the men folk by going to their drunk boys club. These bars are found in most places from small non-tourist towns to big cities. They are technically illegal. I personally would never upset the local drunks by crashing their party and getting then all hyped up about a girl being in their midst.

Then there are the tourist bars which are western type bars which cater to tourists and well healed locals who like the western life. These places are fine for loan ladies as your presence will be expected. Unfortunately, this does not mean you won’t be pestered. Though these bars are basically for foreigners (as consumption of alcohol by Moroccans is in theory illegal) they are often frequented by local Moroccan chancers and Muslims from other more strict Islamic countries who, under the common and deeply ingrained assumption that all western women will have sex out of wedlock, are trying to get their end away with a likely lady……you! These guys are annoying but mostly harmless. They are the equivalent of male bar flies who are waiting for their one lucky encounter and they can be very persistent.

My favourite place for a drinky in Morocco, and the one bar that felt like I wasn’t being eyed up as a lady of the night, was the Tanger Inn in Tangier. It’s got a long and illustrious history of being the bar of choice for the beat generation authors from the Interzone days and still feels like a little secret bit of a time that’s long gone.

I also like the bar at Hotel Batha in Fes. It’s a bit old school but it’s a nice civilised place where the barman knows how to make a great G&T.

There are loads of tourist bars in Marrakesh both in the new town and the medina that are great for a session too.

5

Kate, where have you been? I was beginning to worry.

6

..... probably the bar in the Hotel Taroudannt.

7

Hi Siobhan,

Over the past 2 1/2 years, I have visited Marrakech often; sometimes by myself and at others with one of my friends, many of whom feel as you do about a couple of drinks in an evening as being a part of their holiday.

Within the Medina, the serving of alcohol is officially forbidden but, should you decide to stay in a riad (highly recommended), many stock beer & wine, or alternatively, are happy to go & buy some for you.

On this basis, you could then enjoy your drink on the riad terrace, taking in the evening's sights and sounds. At the moment, the sounds include a festival, Aashura, which appears largely to comprise of the bashing of drums & tambourines by boys, young & old.

My favourite sound, however, is around 8pm, when the muezzin sound like an echo encircling the city.

On a clear night, you might also be able to see the mountains, now heavily snow capped. Alternatively, you could go to the Gueliz area, which is both sophisticated & cosmopolitan.

Maybe it's just me, but I have never felt over pestered. If you are worried about this possibility, you could always ensure you visit a place with free wifi, that way you could appear engrossed in your emails. In addition, if you do not speak at all, the potential lounge lizard will have no idea whether or not you understand him & then he will move on to another target. Mind you, if you are blonde, all bets are off, I'm afraid...

Finally, if you really are serious about visiting in December, you need to get a move on - it is High Season here until the middle of the month.

Edited by: Truman13

8

Spelling knot my best subject Tim….. Ewe must no this buy now!

9

Thanks to all of you who took the time to reply - I appreciate your advice.

Have decided to leave Morocco to a visit when I'm not on my own, but I will definitely make it someday soon - no doubt I'll be annoying you for more info then!

Many thanks,

Siob.