Diary of a Happy Goth

I could go full influencer vibes and only post the luxurious side of my trip to Marrakesh. But I’m prioritising authenticity in 2026, and I really want to share with you the hilarious, unglamorous and Inbetweeners-esque aspects of my January Moroccan getaway.

This post is absolutely not one of complaints, we laughed off the downsides and didn’t take anything too seriously. If there’s one thing this trip has taught me, it’s that not everything goes to plan, and that’s okay! Instead of stressing about holiday mishaps I’m ready to laugh and be grateful for the privilege that I was able to come in the first place. The trip was glamorous and spectacular in so many ways, but I’ve also understood the importance of learning to love the downsides.

Upset stomach

I’m starting with the absolute worst one. My stomach wasn’t getting along with the Moroccan cuisine at all, one day I even experienced some stomach cramps which left me wanting to curl up in bed. We’d moved from our apartment into the Savoy Hotel for our final night, which we managed to get for a bargain price. 

We were excited to treat ourselves to spa treatments, indoor pools and luxury food and drink to end our Marrakesh getaway. That was until disaster struck: a sausage that my sister hadn’t cooked properly in our apartment the night before had hit. Violently. With a vengeance. Luckily my vegetarian diet meant I was spared, but my sister wasn’t given any mercy. Our perfect final night of luxury was quickly ruined by the worst case of food poisoning I’ve ever seen. 

For me, I was spared from the food poisoning but not the general dodgy stomach. Belly growling for help as well as the toilet, I was suffering. I’d heard of Bali belly, seen the horror stories, but I didn’t think Morocco would give my insides such a cold welcome!

This tale does end happily, never fear! Our flight was a late one, which meant we had one final full day in the Savoy. We woke up feeling better, not perfect, but mending, which meant we did manage a massage and swim after all!

Noisy Riad

We wanted a taste of the traditional Moroccan experience, so for our first night we stayed in a Riad. A Riad is a traditional Moroccan house with a central courtyard, turned into a hotel. Our Riad was deep in the Marrakesh souks, which meant lots of thin, dark streets and getting lost! Thankfully the people are kind and will help you, but be careful of accepting directions because some will expect a tip for it. 

The Riad was cramped and very noisy, especially since a key aspect of Moroccan culture is staying up late: these guys bring the late night vibe! There was also a power cut in the middle of the night, which caused a commotion. It’s all part of the bustling Moroccan experience, but I definitely didn’t feel well rested in the morning.

Lots of rain!

This January, Morocco has had an unusual amount of rain. Great news for the farmers but unfortunate for tourists seeking some winter sun, the rain was torrential and made the souks especially incredibly muddy: white trainers were not the move. 

We were lucky, though, because we had much less rain than we had forecasted. The cooler days and grey skies did mean we missed out on the winter sun, but since we were mostly dry, we were still able to explore. In fact, the cooler weather meant the markets and general wandering was much more comfortable and enjoyable.

A bit too much tequila

This was entirely the ‘Brit-abroad’ moment hospitality workers from around the world dread. Yes, we got far too drunk on the Moroccan wine and cocktails that we made fools of ourselves. We made friends and got far too excited, and paid the price the next day hungover in our apartment. The entire day. Luckily we had a balcony, so we weren’t entirely void of the bustling streets of Marrakech…

Our apartment’s TV boasted an array of streaming services so we weren’t left bored. But instead of watching a Moroccan or Arabic film, we watched Michael Showalter’s The Idea of You, which was not great. And Seth MacFarlane’s Ted, which was even less great.