Where is it worth splurging in Morocco?

If I could direct every traveller to spend their extra money in just one place, it would be the desert camp. The Sahara is the experience people remember for the rest of their lives, and the gap between the cheapest bargain group camp and a good one is enormous for the price difference. For $150 to $400 or more per person you get a private or premium-comfort camp with a real bed, an en-suite, proper food served under the stars, fewer tents around you and a crew who make the night magical rather than just functional. This is the single splurge I never regret recommending.

The second worthy splurge is one genuinely special riad. You do not need to stay in design palaces every night — that gets expensive fast and the simpler riads are lovely too — but treating yourself to one or two nights in a truly beautiful one, the kind with a courtyard pool, a hammam, a rooftop at sunset and service that anticipates your every need, becomes a highlight in its own right. At $150 to $400 a night these are not cheap, but as a deliberate one- or two-night indulgence rather than your everyday rate, they are worth every dirham and a wonderful way to bookend a trip.

The third place I steer money is a great private guide for one complex city — and in practice that means Fes. The medina there is the world's largest car-free maze, and a licensed expert guide for a day does not just stop you getting lost; they get you into the funduqs and medersas you would never find, decode the trades and history, and turn what can be an overwhelming city into the highlight of the trip. For a relatively modest fee it transforms the experience, and it is the rare guided cost I think almost everyone should pay.

My honest framework: pick your splurges deliberately rather than letting the budget creep up everywhere. Go all-in on the desert night, one beautiful riad and one expert guide, and be happily frugal on the rest — local food, trains and buses, simpler rooms on the in-between nights. That contrast is actually part of the pleasure: the rough-and-ready medina canteen tastes better the day before the candlelit camp dinner. Spend where the memory is made, save where it is not. Rates move with season and demand, so confirm current quotes before you commit to any splurge.