Essaouira – the wind city of Africa
Morocco is not everyone’s cup of tea. You will either love or hate the land of haggle and bargain. This was my 4th time in Morocco so I guess it could be said I love it. There’s something rather addictive about the Arabian influence, the Moorish architecture and north African food, it’s for the same reason why I return to southern Spain almost every year.
First things first though, how the heck do I pronounce that name Essaouira … we are told it’s es-Sweera in Arabic, Wind City of Africa.
Previously you would have to travel via Marrakech and then further 3 hours on the road to get here so when Easyjet introduced direct flights, I had to check it out and I got lucky to snap a real bargain – £42 return!!!
With the flight being mere 3 ½ hours, soon you will find yourself on the road that’s lined with argan trees. It was beginning of November and the weather was pleasantly warm, around 20-23 degrees. Perfect for exploring.
Palais Des Remparts is a riad hotel inside the walls of Essaouira old town next to the seawall. What a lovely place that was going to be our home for the next 3 nights. There was a massive interior courtyard and lovely winding staircases. Breakfast is served on the pretty roof terrace where you could take in a wonderful view of the old city and the coast. Just watch out for the greedy seagulls!
Amply fed, we set off to spend the morning wandering around the medina and the maze-like streets. There are no cars to disturb you, only young boys zipping around on bikes.
Essaioura was once a popular hippy hangout (Jimmi Hendrix was staying here for some time). There are many arty galleries and music shops. This is not the usual Morocco I’ve experienced in Marrakech and other places, for starters the buildings in Essaouira are not painted red but they are white-washed, where there’s madness of the souks in Marrakesh, Essaioura is quite laid back and relatively mellow. You could just spend your days sipping on coffee on the little squares watching the world go by or soaking up the atmosphere in its narrow spice-scented alleys, palm-lined avenues of the fortified medina, and historic seafront fortifications of this Moroccan coastal town.
There are five main attractions in my opinion to visit:
Fishing Port – we visited the charming and vibrant fishing port several times to watch the locals sell their catch of the day and brave fishermen battle the Atlantic waves. It’s like stepping back in time a fantastic place for great photo opportunities – oh those iconic blue boats and the omnipresent seagulls. We sat down at one of the seafront stalls that sell fresh fish.
Ramparts – The walls protect the charming little town from the pounding Atlantic waves. Climbed the tower to enjoy the castle view from a large walkway with cannons.
Souks – Now for the retail sweat – there’s not much haggling going on here, it’s quite a subdued souk scene when compared with Marrakech. We enjoyed that much more.
Beach – And then there’s the big, wide sweeping beach. Due to the trade winds, it’s any surfer’s paradise or if you, like us, love to fly kites! Camel sunset ride – Ranch de Diabat is a horse and camel stable. You can ride a camel along the beach. Lonely beach, sand dunes, forest and some ruins of building … we went to a 3-hour camel ride on the beach at sunset and it was a lovely experience. Mustafa, our guide aka camel whisperer, was very kind, cared about the animals and the region, and spoke excellent English, not to mention that he was also a very good photographer!
It’s not all just about the sea and fish though. There are also cats, millions of cats! If you don’t watch out and bend over to take photos, there will be one definitely jumping on your back as personally experienced!
Hammam – when in Morocco, you have to experience Hammam. There are so many places to choose from, but Azur Art & Spa caught our eye. Don’t be misguided by the entrance, it’s in a very dark and little alley, but inside it’s an oasis. The spa is so beautiful with many places to relax and sip complimentary mint tea – such as the roof top terrace. We had hammam followed by 1hr massage. The steam room was dark but beautifully lit with candles and scented with rose petals. After 15-20 mins we then moved to the tables where we were thoroughly scrubbed all over.
Food – There are many authentic restaurants with Portuguese, French and Berber influence. Seafood is the main thing on the menu in most restaurants. As we visited in November and a lot of restaurants were closing for the season. Although there were still a few decent once opened – Triskala Café, The Loft, Restaurant Le Sirocco – next to our hotel, owned by a French woman, we ended up here after our dinner as this was one of the few places selling alcohol. They do amazing desserts served with local wines from a nearby vineyard Val d’Argan winery – we are told you can arrange tasting tours with lunch included – one for next time I think!
Essaouira is a very different type of Morocco that you will find in Marrakech, it’s all about the sea, wind and waves here. With its gentle pace it was the perfect mini break for November catching the last sunrays before returning to wintery Europe.
Eyes On The Cloud 