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Clinging to Morocco’s Atlantic coast, Essaouira swaps the rose hues of the mountain towns for sparkling whitewash and blue shutters. The pretty medina is confined within solid great ramparts, and sidles up to a 18th-century military harbour. But both are dwarfed by the vast sweep of beach that runs along the approach to the city. In true Maghreb style, the sights to see are the quotidian ones: djellaba’d men whiz by on motorbikes, the port’s clamour competes with gnaoua-soundtracked cafés and the call to prayer – but forget comparing the pace of life of the souks here to Marrakech. Everything happens in a distinctly lower gear, and a wonderful air of insouciance prevails. Fish-fed cats snooze in carved Moorish horseshoe archways; graffiti is scratched on medieval doors; glimpses of shady courtyards and dim passageways lure you to yet another mint tea. Contented, cosmopolitan and cool without caring about it, Essaouira is a jaded urbanite’s delight.
Visit the women’s co-operative, where there's quality argan oil and cream for sale in Tamanar, about ten minutes walk out of town. And keep your eyes peeled: the locals climb up the argan trees and place goats in the branches for the amusement of passing camera-brandishing tourists.
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Essaouira
If you're staying at Madada Mogador on a summer escapade with a lover, there’s no doubt the rooms upstairs with the massive Balearic-style terrace are the ones to earmark.
Built into the medina walls, Heure Bleue hotel is an oasis of luxe in laid-back, countercultural Essaouira, the sandy seaside sister of Marrakech.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
June Musicians from Europe, America and across Africa flock with their rhythms, beats and bass to perform at the Festival d’Essaouira (www.festival-gnaoua.co.ma). July and August Windsurfing contests.
The fishermen display their catch in the harbour every afternoon; choose what you want to eat and they cook it. This stall was our favourite.
Buy a day-old newspaper from home, have an early-morning coffee, and watch the fishermen head to their blue-hulled boats in the harbour. If you have a hankering for Italian coffee, pull up a chair at this place.
Place Moulay Hassan
A cosy, wooden-panelled Essaouira institution at 1 boulevard Mohamed V, where the sea urchins are fresh, the sea bream gleaming, and the waiters dignified. There’s pigeon and pasta on the menu, but you’ll want something piscine, with the Atlantic crashing away just beyond the terrace.
This restaurant on Rue Youssef El Fassi is the sister resto of nearby Madada Mogador. Giant lightshades and a purple/pink palette make a Euro-style statement of this largely couscous-free zone, where you can eat coquilles St Jacques or beef carpaccio followed by molten-chocolate cake. Closed on Tuesdays.
This unassuming shack on the tip of Port de Pêche will assuage your fresh-fish hankerings.
The mod Maroc food makes this restaurant on Place Moulay Hassan a prime spot for lunch on the terrace overlooking the harbour, or cocktails and snacks in the evenings.
For a reasonably priced dinner of Moroccan home cooking, this relaxed candlelit venue at 26 rue de la Skala (no credit cards) is a great spot to seek out.
There's not much Western-style nightlife in laidback Essaouira, but this venue offers a variation on the Lost in Translation theme.
Avenue Mohamed V
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