Practical Information

Local Information on banks, food and drink shopping, telephones etc.

Communications Banks/ATMs Wine and Beer Food Shopping DIY Goods Car Rental

Mobile Phones: The mobile phone coverage in Morocco is superb; we have travelled from the north down to the Mauritanian border and never lost a signal! As always, using an overseas phone can be expensive. If your phone isn't locked, it is better to buy a local SIM card for a few Dirham and then buy scratch card credits.
Internet Cafes: There are internet cafes everywhere, with several in Saidia.
Internet Connection in the Villa: If you are bringing a laptop with you, you can buy locally a broadband dongle that will allow you internet access through the local 3g mobile phone network. The dongle simply plugs into a spare USB port on your computer, you enter a PIN from a scratchcard which allows you 1 month's internet access, and you're set up!

ATMs and Banks in Saidia: There is an ATM/cash dispenser that always seems to be working in Saidia, at the Banque Populaire (100m straight past the main square, on your left). They will also change currency for you inside.

Morocco has an improving wine industry, partly due to the huge investments that the country has seen. Moroccan wines can be very good, and prices are roughly the same as the UK. Sprits are also available in off licences. Local beers are typical lagers, with Cassablanca and Flag being most common.
Off Licences: Off licences are open roughly the same hours as other shops, but do not sell alcohol on Fridays. The off licence in Saidia is easy to find - with the Hotel Atlal on your right, turn down the road just before it, take the 2nd left, and it is on your left just before the pharmacy.

Although the prices are roughly the same, it is easier to buy alcohol in Marjane in Oujda. The choices are better and it is more comfortable, as it is self service.

Licenced Restaurants: Few restaurants will serve alcohol, most only seve soft drinks. In Saidia, the Hotel Atlal serves wines and beers (although it does not sell uncorked bottles, you can have it uncorked them take the bottle home, provided it is covered up in public).

There are several shops in Saidia which have a limited selection of foods and soft drinks. The best one we have found is opposite the Banque Populaire on the main road in Saidia, where you can also buy local fresh bread.
It is probably better to use the local shops to top up and do you main shopping in Marjane, just past Oujda Airport, abou 50 minutes drive away. Marjane is the Moroccan version of a French Hypermarket, selling everything you could need under one roof. It also has an excellent selection of food, with fresh meat and vegetables, and many European ingredients and sauces as well. If you want to buy alcohol, it has a good selection, although this part is shut on Fridays.

There is also a local market on Sundays, on the way out of Saidia towards Ouda. It is a quiet, fun market, not intimidating, with very cheap locally produced fruit and vegetables. Definitely worth going to.

If you are staying at the villa whilst you are sorting out snagging issues at your own property, you inevitably will need some DIY goods. Don't expect the quality of goods to be the same as at B&Q (especially paint brushes!) but there is a local hardware shop in Saidia (30m past the Banque Populaire on the right, with footballs outside), which sells most things. They speak French, so bring a Screwfix catalogue to point at if you need to! You can get most things you will need here. larger items, such as stepladders, can be bought cheaply at Marjane near Oujda.