Traveling to Morocco offers an exciting new, sensory experience for adventurous souls. You will have the opportunity to encounter a new culture, culinary options, language, religion, architecture, scenery, pace of life, and a local community that is quite different from what we generally experience in Western culture. Most people find it transformative and “life-changing”, and many even come back again to repeat the experience!

The great benefit of joining an intimate group retreat is that you can experience all of the above within the comfort and convenience of a thoughtfully curated itinerary, where all of the details are well planned and well managed and you simply have to arrive with your suitcases, and an open heart and mind.

Curated group retreats provide a great opportunity for sharing your time and experiences with like-minded travelers. We’ve found that many of our guests make new life-long friends from this shared adventure.

We will guide you through a maze of the Medina for special shopping opportunities and personal connections with our artisan community. We’ll take you out of Marrakech for excursions and overnight trips to enjoy the slow pace of rural life and local culture. We’ll encourage you to get hands-on experiences with Moroccan cooking and artisanal crafts. We’ll share and show you the best that Marrakech and Morocco have to offer, using our experience planning and leading retreats here since 2009.

In short, we’ll provide every opportunity for you to enjoy experiential travel to enrich your time here with creativity, culture, and connection.

Morocco is our home, by choice, so of course, we think it’s the best place in the world to visit!

But here are some things to consider for yourself before booking:

A group retreat requires a fairly set schedule, moving around as a group, and general attention and respect for the needs of the group overall. If you really like to be independent and “go it alone” you might want to consider a different type of trip to Morocco.

Marrakech, and the Medina especially, requires a good amount of stamina because it requires a lot of walking through narrow and busy streets, as well as stair climbing in the Riads and restaurants. If you are suffering from health issues or a recent surgery that limit your energy or mobility Marrakech will be challenging. 

Life can be unpredictable. We may need to make adjustments to the itinerary as we go along.

We may be in places where the WiFi doesn’t work optimally. When we travel outside of the city you may find varying standard levels of plumbing and hygiene. You get the idea…

We will share with you the beautiful “Instagram” version of Morocco, of course, but also the reality of a country with lower standards of living, education, and animal rights. You may find and see things that are “eye-opening” in ways you don’t expect. For us, discovering a new culture and country like this up close and unfiltered is the ultimate adventure, but maybe it’s not for everyone.

We’re not trying to be discouraging. In fact, we imagine that if you are thinking of a trip to Morocco you already have some of these ideas. But a retreat is an investment of your time and money, and we want our guests to leave with nothing but suitcases full of treasures and happy memories. If you want to discuss any concerns or get more information before booking, please email contact@maison28marrakech.com.

Absolutely! Our hands-on craft classes, either with local artisans or guest instructors, are designed to accommodate all levels of experience. What better place to try your hand at a new art or craft form that Morocco!

We like to provide an intimate and personal experience for our guests, so most retreats will cater to 8 guests, with a maximum of 10. This allows us to move comfortably around together for walking and driving excursions, and enjoy creating new bonds of friendship with shared meals and our many cultural activities.

Marrakech Menara International Airport is your final flight destination in Morocco.

We are happy to provide vegetarian and dairy or gluten free option meals as requested, but understand that this will limit your variety of menu choices.

Yes. It is mandatory that you secure a good travel insurance policy to cover trip cancellations, flight delays or cancellations, luggage loss, medical expenses, property damage or theft, accidental death, emergency evacuation, repatriation, etc. You should secure your policy within a few days of enrolling in a retreat with a deposit.

To be honest, it can be challenging. The historic Marrakech Medina is a network of small streets and alleys and very few areas are open to car access. This means that traveling around the Medina requires a LOT of walking-between souk shopping, visiting historic sites, and going to local restaurants. The closest car drop-off point to Maison 28 is a 7-minute walk to the house, so if you are planning a trip to Marrakech be prepared to spend a lot of time walking.

Also, important to note is that most Riad/guest houses and restaurants are designed on 3 levels: ground floor, first floor, second floor, and then roof terrace so be prepared to climb a lot of stairs to get the full Moroccan experience.

Please be VERY sure that you will be able to commit to the retreat you are enrolling in. Your deposits and balance payments are unavailable for refund upon receipt. The mandatory trip insurance policy you obtain should cover trip cancellation due to illness.

For additional information regarding our cancellation policies, please visit here.

In the event that the host needs to cancel the retreat you have signed up for, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid.

In the event that the retreat needs to be rescheduled due to such occurrences as a global pandemic, temporary border closure, act of terrorism, or another event beyond our control, the retreat will be rescheduled for a later day. There will be NO refunds offered, but you will receive full credit for all monies paid to be used for a future retreat.

As stated above, a travel insurance policy that covers medical expenses is required. You should print a copy of your policy to bring, along with your private insurance cards. We have never experienced a problem to date, but in the event we need to seek medical care for you these will be required. Note that there are very good private clinics in Marrakech for health care should the need arise.

We encourage you to explore more of Morocco while you are here and can assist with other travel and tour arrangements either before or after the scheduled retreat. However, as our lodging calendar at Maison is structured to allow for “off-time” for the house and staff before and after each scheduled retreat we can’t accommodate an extra night there. You will need to make separate lodging arrangements.

This is a group retreat with a carefully planned itinerary. We try to build in some “down time” and free days or afternoons for people to explore interests on their own, but the majority of your time will be planned for shared activities.

Marrakech and Morocco is generally very safe for women and tourists in general. Practice the same precautions you would in any tourist area. Walk with a friend if possible, wear a closed cross-body handbag, be aware of your surroundings, don’t wave your phone around, and ignore solicitations from “false guides”.

Safety is why Morocco is a favoured destination in North Africa, as crimes committed against tourists are extremely low (and severely punished by Moroccan law). However, you should always check your state department website before traveling to any country.

We would love to have you! Simply click here, sign up with your email, and you will receive more information as to how to proceed with hosting your retreat at Maison28. We would love to have your group join us and will work with alongside you to ensure it is the best experience for you and your guests!