Morocco - Essaouira and Agadir

Posted by Anura Samara, 1 January 2015

Our first stop in Marrakesh was to pick up the hire car for the drive to Essaouira.

Actually getting the car was an ordeal, as despite booking a GPS it wasn’t available when we got to the car so someone had to go back to the rental company office to fetch one. The car itself wasn’t what you expect in a European country – dusty inside and out, with a few scratches and worn patches.

Essaouira

Essaouira seems to balance services for tourists with a very local feel. Our hotel was in the medina which is still fully enclosed by the walls of the old town. There are ramparts with cannons on the seaward facing front which you can freely wander along to catch the sea breeze or just enjoy the sunsets.

The medina itself is a maze of narrow, cobbled streets which are navigated by scooters and motorbikes or else guys pushing trolleys. At one side is the souk where practically everything is on sale, including animal heads. As there are lots of cafes and restaurants along every street, it’s a good idea to seek out recommendations beforehand so you’re not left feeling overwhelmed.

Outside the medina, there’s a long beach with camel rides at the far end, and more modern restaurants and bars. Frankly, we weren’t keen on the idea of a camel ride but I can say the bars here are a great spot to enjoy the sunset while having a cold beer!

Agadir

We decided to drive down the coast. Although it’s less than 200km away, the drive is along a highway with a single lane in each direction, reduced speed limits through every intersection and village and of course dealing with the varied traffic of cars and vans, trucks, motor bikes, animal-drawn carts and even pedestrians on the edge of the road.

Driving was a good way to see the countryside. The first part of the journey was inland, with mostly open country used for agriculture. There are a few decent towns along the way – we stopped at one for coffee – and the you drop down from the plains to the coast where you have views of the sea. There’s a steady build-up of tourist traffic which is a clue as to what lies ahead.

Agadir itself is a city by the sea that clearly promotes itself to tourists. There’s a new promenade along the beach with modern restaurants and resort style hotels and a shopping strip one street back. To be honest, Agadir seems to be rapidly turning itself into a clone of all the other beach-side tourist destinations – it seemed to have nothing remotely Moroccon about it. I guess you can see why someone from a colder European country might like to come here for a holiday in the sun, but as I say there’s nothing distinctive about it.

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