Where's Johnny Jet? Exploring Casablanca and Coming Home

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It recently struck me that I need to do something about my blog. Fortunately, I had an epiphany and decided that I should start blogging daily on useful, cool and new travel websites, and update it with fun pictures of places I'm currently visiting. If you know of any brand new travel websites you think I should check out, please email whitney@johnnyjet.com.

Last time we left off, I was in Fez, Morocco (here's the link) and this week we travel all over the place. We go from Fez to Rabat to Casablanca to New York to Los Angeles to South Florida. If you're excited to see a whole slew of places, I have the scoop.

Rabat

The distance from Fez to Rabat is 198 km (123 miles), which is about a 3-hour drive. There's a lot to see in Rabat and the Atlantic coast shoreline is picturesque, but I didn't have a lot of time to really check it out because I needed to be in Casablanca for dinner. I was there to have lunch with Moroccan tourism officials at one of Rabat's best restaurants called Salle à Manger. It's inside the 30 Room, 6 Suite Villa Mandarine (rates per night begin at MAD 1,967.86 [US$232]). The guesthouse is located down a residential street on a former orange grove and the restaurant attracts a very trendy, international crowd, many whom (like me) are meeting with Moroccan government officials. The food is colorful and the service is excellent. Guests can dine inside or out on the terrace with a view of the garden. The Villa Mandarine, 19 Rue Ouled Bousbaa, Souissi Rabat; tel. +212/37 75 20 77.

Rabat to Casablanca

Rabat to Casablanca is 93 km (57 miles) and took 90 minutes to drive. I checked into Le Royal Mansour Méridien, which is located in the center of town and is one of Starwood's preferred properties (it will cost you 7,000 Starpoints for a free night). The five-star hotel was built in the 1950s and is considered the most prestigious in the city and is a favorite among business travelers for its setting, service and food. The marble lobby entrance is impressive with its huge bouquet of roses below the picture of the former King Hassan II (1961-1999). FYI: Every place I went into in Morocco had either a picture of King Hassan II or the current King Mohammed VI. The hotel's service is very good and new arrivals are greeted with sweet Moroccan tea and traditional cookies.

Le Royal Mansour Meridien

My fourth floor room at Le Royal Mansour Méridien was so comfortable I didn't want to leave to go to dinner. And the marble bathroom has to be one of the nicest I have ever been in. When I went to use the loo, I was shocked to see rose petals floating around. I have had them in the bath before but never in the toilet. Pretty cool, eh? Also not to be missed is their daily breakfast buffet, which is included in the daily rate (rates begin at US$200 per night). I will now add this to my list of top 10 best breakfast buffets. It's served elegantly in the atrium near the lobby and offers a wide variety of fresh squeezed juices, breads, pastries, eggs to order, handmade pancakes, with all kinds of freshly-made jellies and other condiments … Before going out for the day be sure to go to the ninth floor rooftop balcony, which has a terrific view of the Casablanca skyline. My biggest complaint about the hotel is that Internet cost MAD 300 (US$35) a day -- what a rip. Le Royal Mansour Méridien, 27 avenue de l'Armée Royale; tel. 800/543-4300.

Casablanca

To me, the name Casablanca has always conjured up images of a far-off, mysterious land. But unfortunately, that's not the case. First of all, Casablanca is not that far -- it's just over a six-hour flight from NYC. Secondly, the city is a cement jungle and doesn't have a lot to offer to leisure travelers so no wonder most bypass it. Another huge disappointment to many will be when they learn that the 1942 movie Casablanca wasn't even filmed here but instead, in Warner Bros' studios in Hollywood. This means that Rick's Café never even existed -- though after the movie's release, many started popping up. The most popular is in the Hyatt Regency Casablanca which is just a few blocks away from Le Royal Mansour Méridien. Of course, I went in to take a picture in front of Rick's Café like every other foolish tourist. When I walked into the luxurious, modern lobby of the Hyatt, I was told by the doorman that Rick's Café was closed for remodeling. I still decided to check out the hotel and I heard some faint music coming from behind a closed door. I opened it to sneak a peek and the sound drew me closer. I was in the hotel's restaurant, Dar Beida, and wow, was it cool. It was dark, and designed like a traditional Moroccan restaurant, reminiscent of an Arab tent. There was an eight-piece Oriental orchestra with singers and a belly dancer entertaining guests in real Moroccan style (this takes place every night from 7:00 pm to 2:00 am). My friends and I sat at down at one of the few empty lounge chairs and tables. We ordered a round of drinks even though we figured it would cost us an arm and a leg. Surprisingly, it didn't -- I think beers were about US$8 each. The Hyatt has 255 rooms and suites and rates begin at MAD 1,440 (US$170). Hyatt Regency Casablanca, Place des Nations Unies, Casablanca, Morocco; tel. + 212 22 43 1234.

For dinner, we went down to Casablanca's port, which is a bit seedy but has good and inexpensive seafood restaurants (they also offer "land lubber" dishes). L'Ostrea was recommended to us by a local friend and the two-floor restaurant is small, crowded, loud and smoky but does indeed have good and inexpensive seafood. L'Ostrea, Sur le parc a huitres 007, OUALIDIA, tel. +212/23 36 63 24. After dinner, I took a drive along Casablanca's coast to at least see the place before I departed early the next morning. The beach area is called Le Corniche and it has private clubs similar to St. Tropez where locals and tourists can spend all day lounging on beach chairs near small pools. The coastline is long and the highlight was seeing The Mosque Hassan II, which looks like a huge lighthouse from afar. It's not -- but it is the world's tallest mosque and third largest in size. It was completed in 1993 and is one of the few Moroccan mosques where non-Muslims can enter. The public can tour the library and non-praying areas. There's a retractable roof and a glass floor. The inside has enough space for 25,000 worshippers and outside can accommodate another 80,000.

Casablanca to JFK

I was going to extend my trip and go down to the Sahara Desert for the weekend but the last-minute flights were expensive and my asthma was starting to act up -- it was the first time I had to use my inhaler since my Chinese doctor in Malaysia cured me a few months ago. From downtown Casablanca the airport is just 30 minutes away. I needed to check some bags because I had bought so many souvenirs (though I didn't check anything of real value, which you should never do). As an added security measure I paid MAD 20 (US$2.36) to have my bag wrapped in plastic by one of the machines you see in airports. It worked. My 8-hour, Royal Maroc flight was smooth and not crowded at all. In fact, I was able to get the exit row with an empty seat next to me. Unfortunately, I didn't see any real change in the bad attitude of the flight attendants that I experienced on the way over. And this time the lunch (fish or beef) and snack (pizza and quiche) weren't that good unlike on the outbound flight. They also showed the same movie.

JFK to LAX

I was supposed to spend the weekend in New York but it was freezing cold and because my asthma was not a hundred percent, I decided I better forget those plans. I called up Delta Airlines as soon as we touched down (from the runway). To my surprise, it was just a $50 change fee to catch the next (and last) flight home. After clearing customs I took the Air Train to the Delta terminal and ran to check-in. Then I waited in their long security line. Unlike the Delta terminal at LAX, JFK does not offer a separate check-in line for elite members, which was a real bummer because I was running late and the line was slow. I almost missed the flight as they were paging my name (and a few others) over the PA system. It was too late to get food to bring on-board, so when I handed my ticket to the gate agent I asked if they were selling food in coach. She said, "you don't need to worry about it, Mr. DiScala", and handed me a first-class ticket with a smile. Was I delirious from jet lag? Nope. There was an empty seat in first and since I'm a lowly Gold member (just need to fly 25,000 actual miles on Delta a year) I got upgraded again without asking. Gosh, how I love Delta. Not only that: Delta uses the old Song planes for this route which meant I had live TV and an electrical outlet which made the flight -- fly by.

L.A. Times Travel Show

I wasn't in L.A. long and the highlight (besides having my dad come out to visit) was speaking at The Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show, which has become the largest travel exposition in the United States with almost 500 exhibitors and over 20,000 attendees. Before my panel, I was standing in the hallway speaking to my fellow panelist (James Gilden and Vani Rangachar, both of the L.A. Times) when an older man tapped me on the shoulder. I thought he was going to ask me for directions, but instead he asked, "Excuse me, are you Johnny Jet?" I said -- I sure am. He said "Would you mind taking a picture with my wife? She has been reading your newsletter for 3 years including the days of Amber Airplane." Then they handed me a handy, mini flashlight and said, "We got this for your travels." How sweet was that? Of course, I said thanks for making my day and they said thanks for making theirs. Too cool. Another high point was having dinner with travel gurus Rick Steves, Pauline Frommer, Don George, Huell Howser and National Geographic's Adventure Travelers of the year; Colin Angus and Julie Wafaei. Can you believe that this Canadian couple completed an extraordinary two-year, human-powered circumnavigation of the world? The pair undertook this adventure to encourage people to use no-emission forms of transportation, such as cycling and walking. They rowed (yes, rowed) across the Atlantic -- during Hurricane season.

L.A. to Fort Lauderdale

I then flew to Fort Lauderdale on Delta and again they upgraded me -- for free. I was headed to one of the country's most prestigious hotels -- The Breakers in Palm Beach. It's about an hour away (42 miles) from the Fort Lauderdale airport and after having dinner with Colin and Julie, I turned down my car service and took the Tri-Rail to West Palm Beach. It not only cost just $5 but it's emission-free. FYI: Palm Beach International Airport is just seven miles away but they don't have nonstop flights from California.

The Breakers Palm Beach

You know, I have to be the first person in modern-day history to ever stay at the exclusive Breakers and arrive by Tri-Rail. To stay at The Breakers you need to have some deep pockets or a generous boss. The Breakers is a luxurious, Renaissance-style, oceanfront hotel and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and engineering significance. You feel like you're stepping into an Italian villa. The main lobby will definitely take your breath away; it was inspired by the Great Hall of the Palazzo Carega in Genoa. It has a long history and was originally constructed in 1896 by Henry Morrison Flagler and then rebuilt after a fire in 1926. I only spent a night there so I can't get into real detail but I promise to visit it again and write a full story on it -- which it deserves.

I will tell you, the place is huge. It has 560 guestrooms on 140 acres and is perfect for business travelers or families. They have two 18-hole championship golf courses, five swimming pools, 10 tennis courts, a variety of water sports, and an extensive program of family and children's activities. There is nothing about the place that is cheap -- I was inin an Oceanfront Junior Suite and in season (November to April) it costs $1,180 per night. Ouch. The beachfront has all been newly redeveloped. Beach Bungalows range from $200 to $1,000. These are just day bungalows -- there's no bed and you can't sleep in it.

The Breakers has eight restaurants and I dined at Echo (tel. 561/802-4222), which is located in the heart of Palm Beach and serves tasty Asian cuisine. For breakfast, be sure to sample the buffet in the Circle dining room which is truly magnificent with its intricate hand-painted ceilings. The Breakers Palm Beach, One South County Road, Palm Beach; tel. 561/655-6611.

Note: This trip was sponsored by The Moroccan Tourist Board and The Breakers Hotel.

John E. DiScala (aka Johnny Jet), is the founder of www.johnnyjet.com, the ultimate travel website and weekly newsletter. He logs over 150,000 miles a year, has been featured in over 850 articles (including Frommers.com, USA Today, Time, Fortune, the New York Times, CNBC and MSNBC), and has published the book, You Are Here Traveling With JohnnyJet.com.

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