Is all-inclusive worth it in Marrakech? the prices of eating out vs eating at the resort

Planning a trip to North Africa involves making extremely important strategic decisions about accommodation and your daily meal plan. One of the most recurring questions among travellers is this: working out whether it is really worth paying for an all-inclusive plan in Marrakech, or whether it is far cheaper to go out for lunch and dinner every day through the nooks and crannies of the Medina.

The answer, firmly based on our extensive experience in the destination, is clear and emphatic. Although purely street food can be very cheap, the restaurants that meet tourist, hygiene and comfort standards have surprisingly European prices.

Therefore, the all-inclusive plan is hugely worth it for three fundamental factors that make all the difference: it gives you total and absolute control of your holiday budget with no last-minute frights, it gives you unlimited access to alcoholic drinks that are scarce and very expensive outside the hotel, and, above all, it guarantees you unshakeable food safety from the very first bite. Through our fantastic Be Live properties in Marrakech, at Ona Hotels & Apartments we explain, with real and objective data, why opting for this meal plan is the smartest decision to protect both your wallet and your precious health during your longed-for holiday.

Eating in the Medina of Marrakech: the reality of the prices

There is a widespread and certainly misleading myth among tourists visiting Morocco for the first time: eating on the street is always extremely cheap for a European. While it is strictly true that the country offers some very economical options, the day-to-day reality of the standard tourist tends to be quite different when you look for certain minimum levels of comfort, air conditioning and table service. To truly understand the cost of tourist life, it is essential to separate two parallel gastronomic worlds that live side by side every day in the vibrant red city.

On the one hand, we have strictly street and popular food. If you decide to have dinner standing at the bustling, smoky night stalls of the legendary Jemaa el-Fna square or buy quick snacks in the deep souk, the cost is undoubtedly very low. In these purely local places, a basic meal of bread, Moroccan skewers or a plate of couscous can easily come to around five or eight euros per person at the exchange rate. However, constantly choosing this very immersive option carries an extremely high risk for European stomachs, which are not at all used to the powerful local spices, to the environmental conditions of preserving food in the open air, or to the quality of the water used in the quick cleaning of utensils and cutlery right there on the street.

On the other hand, we find the more pleasant but costly face of the destination: the tourist restaurants, French-style cafés and beautifully renovated riads. When the international traveller wants to sit down calmly on an attractive panoramic terrace, enjoy an impeccably clean setting, read menus translated into English or Spanish and have toilets available, the daily budget quickly shoots up. In these lovely establishments carefully prepared for international tourism and photogenic posing, the price of a full lunch or dinner rises with enormous ease to twenty-five or even forty euros per diner. We are talking plainly about prices that are practically identical to those you would find in any major capital in Spain, in the south of France or in Italy. Consequently, if your holiday plan is to sit down for lunch and dinner every day of the week in this kind of select venue that guarantees a minimum of comfort, the daily spend will pile up dizzyingly and silently, completely throwing off the initial budget you had thought of setting aside for your exotic African getaway.

Comparison table: daily meal budget (out vs resort)

So that you can have everything perfectly clear, we have put together a very realistic financial estimate. This detailed table reflects the average daily cost per person if you decide to have each and every one of your meals in tourist venues in Marrakech, compared with the unbeatable option of having absolutely everything sorted at our accommodation.

As you can see, the daily outlay for being out on the street can reach and even exceed one hundred euros per person if you are not extremely careful. Smartly opting for the all-inclusive plan cancels out this painful hidden cost from the very first minute you set foot at the hotel reception.

The surprise factor: the price of alcohol in Morocco

When carefully calculating the overall budget for a holiday trip, there is a cultural, religious and legislative detail that completely escapes many Spanish tourists. This is the limited access to and the exorbitant price of alcoholic drinks in a country of deep Muslim tradition. For strictly religious and legal reasons established in the country, alcohol is not served widely in the vast majority of local restaurants, nor at the picturesque fast-food stalls of the Medina, nor in the traditional tea houses where locals spend the afternoon.

If you fancy accompanying your tasty, spiced lamb tagine with an ice-cold beer to ease the intense African heat, or romantically enjoying a good glass of red wine at sunset, your range of real options shrinks drastically. You will have to look for a handful of very specific venues aimed one hundred per cent at the affluent Western tourist, or take refuge in the large international hotels that hold the costly state licences. As it is a product with strong public-sale restrictions and very high government import taxes, the final retail prices of alcohol on the street are truly prohibitive.

In one of the few places with an official licence in the centre of the new city (Gueliz) or in the Medina, a simple, small national beer can easily cost you between seven and ten euros. If we are talking about wine, a standard glass of Moroccan or French wine will rarely drop below twelve or fifteen euros. This is precisely where the all-inclusive plan shines with an undeniable light of its own and more than makes up for the hotel investment. By freely choosing this convenient option at our hotels, the financial worry disappears completely. You can freely enjoy refreshing, colourful tropical cocktails by the huge pool, order international beers in the mid-afternoon and savour good wines during your generous dinners without having to look at your wallet with fear and anxiety after each drink you ask the waiter for.

The real advantage of all-inclusive: health and stomach peace of mind

Beyond the obvious and emphatic financial saving at the end of the month and the thorough control of family spending, there is a hugely important reason that tips the scales definitively towards the option of staying at a large resort. We are undoubtedly referring to the most important and delicate pillar of any international trip outside Europe: looking after your health and undisturbed stomach peace of mind. The fear of suffering traveller's diarrhoea is one of the main invisible barriers that hold the European tourist back from fully enjoying the charms of Africa. A simple acute digestive problem from a bad meal can ruin several unrecoverable days of your precious, well-earned holiday, forcing you to rest in your room's bed while your travel companions explore the city.

For this reason, the greatest and most indisputable advantage of not having each and every one of your meals on the street is the strict guarantee of sanitary hygiene that an enclosed, controlled setting gives you. This is where the very high, demanding operating standards of Ona Hotels & Apartments make a difference against the competition. Within our portfolio, the spectacular Be Live properties in Morocco work as a true, solid protective shield for your all-round health.

In our kitchens we constantly apply the most demanding European regulations on food hygiene, cold storage and the direct handling of perishable food. The great technical key to our culinary success is this: we use, exclusively, advanced industrial systems of purified and intensely filtered water. This completely safe, pathogen-free water is used meticulously to cook all the hot dishes, to wash leaf by leaf the crunchy salads and the juicy fruit served daily at the spectacular buffet, and, of course, to make absolutely all the crystal-clear ice that chills your summer drinks. In this way, we offer you a safe gastronomic setting where you can dare to try the exquisite traditional Moroccan food with the absolute certainty that your digestive health is in no danger at all.

The perfect balance: explore by day and dine in your oasis

There is a fairly unfounded and often repeated fear of believing that booking an all-inclusive plan means being obligatorily shut away and trapped within the hotel's limits, missing the enormous opportunity to get to know the true essence of the real destination. Nothing could be further from the truth, and even less so in a metropolis as vibrant, chaotic and boundless as the famous red city of Morocco.

The perfect and strategically smartest plan for the modern, curious traveller is based entirely on the following balance: making the most of the freshness of the early morning and the vitality of the afternoon to explore the labyrinthine souks in depth, visit spectacular historical palaces and soak up completely the ordered chaos of the Medina, before returning triumphantly to your quiet private oasis to have a generous dinner and relax to the maximum. By being immersed in the city during the sunny hours of the day, you can allow yourself the small luxury of nibbling on something light, preferably packaged, during your hot excursions. You will do so knowing deep down that the big main meal or the succulent dinner is waiting patiently for you in the immense air-conditioned comfort of your accommodation, without having to pay a single euro extra for it.

To physically bring this perfect holiday balance to life, within the broad portfolio of Ona Hotels & Apartments we have two unbeatable options under the umbrella of our Be Live brand. Both establishments are strategically located in the exclusive, green and extremely peaceful area of the great Palmeraie, away from the noise of the engines but just a few minutes' drive from the very heart of the historic centre.

On the one hand, we highlight the Be Live Experience Marrakech Palmeraie resort. This immense hotel is the ideal, dreamed-of setting for large travelling families, since the all-inclusive plan works here as a true, tireless logistical lifesaver with the little ones. It lets them eat plenty and enjoy completely safe, hot snacks by the main pool.

On the other hand, for those couples looking for a romantic trip completely free of organisational stress, the majestic and quiet Be Live Collection Marrakech Adults Only is the unbeatable choice in the area. It offers select international cuisine, beautiful themed dinners of a very high culinary level and premium cocktails with no unpleasant surprises or extra taxes on the final bill of the trip. It is truly the perfect fusion between the exciting African visual adventure and the maximum luxury and comfort of European style.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about meals and budgets in Marrakech

To put the finishing touch to this complete economic, health and gastronomic guide, we have gathered the main questions our clients pass on to us daily at reception.

Is a tip usually left in tourist restaurants in Marrakech?

Yes, it is a very deep-rooted, widespread commercial custom that is greatly expected by all the local workers in the hospitality sector. It is very common, and a sign of good manners, to leave around ten per cent of the total bill on the table, as long as the service provided has been attentive and friendly and a service charge is not already included compulsorily on the final printed receipt.

Is it safe for your health to drink tap water in the Medina or in the small local restaurants?

No, under no circumstances. For the delicate digestive system of a European tourist not acclimatised to the area, drinking water from the general public network poses an excessively high risk of contracting serious stomach and severe intestinal upsets. We strongly recommend always and at all times consuming bottled water, properly sealed and served cold when you are walking around the streets.

Are there purely vegetarian or gluten-free options available daily in the all-inclusive plan?

Of course there are; it is one of our great operational priorities. In absolutely all our broad and varied Be Live buffets, firmly backed by the superior quality guarantee of Ona Hotels & Apartments, we have plenty of completely healthy food options every day. Our experienced chefs prepare countless special dishes adapted to all modern dietary needs, different healthy lifestyles and severe food allergies, so that all diners enjoy the experience equally.