Where can I refill water, and is tap water ever OK in Morocco?

I will give you the honest, practical line I give every guest: drink bottled water in Morocco. It is not that the tap water in major cities is untreated — Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat and Fes have chlorinated municipal supplies, and locals drink it daily — but visitors' stomachs are not acclimatised to the local mineral content and microbes, and the most common way to lose a day of your trip is a mild but miserable upset. Bottled water removes that gamble entirely, and it costs very little.

Bottled water is sold absolutely everywhere — every hanout (corner shop), café, petrol station and medina stall — usually in the familiar Sidi Ali and Aïn Saïss brands. Buy the big 1.5-litre bottles to refill a smaller daypack bottle; it is cheaper and lighter on packaging. Always check the seal is intact before you pay. In the desert and on long drives your guide or driver typically keeps a cooler of water in the vehicle, so you are rarely far from a refill on a guided trip.

For everyday hygiene, you can relax a little. Brushing your teeth with tap water in a city riad is fine for most people, and washing fruit or showering is no concern at all. If you have a sensitive stomach or are travelling with kids, use bottled water even for teeth-brushing in rural areas — it is a cheap insurance policy. Ice in upmarket hotels and restaurants is generally made from filtered water; in very casual roadside spots I skip it just to be cautious.

If you want to cut plastic — and I increasingly have guests who do — bring a filter or UV-purifying bottle (the kind with a built-in 0.1-micron filter or a SteriPen). These let you refill from the tap and drink safely, which is brilliant for a longer trip and for the desert where you would otherwise burn through bottles. Plan your hydration deliberately: carry more water than you think you need on hot days and in the dunes, where dehydration sneaks up far faster than you expect.