With a laid-back king loosening the bonds of tradition and bringing party-lovers back to Morocco, the windswept fishing port of Essaouira, long a favourite refuge for surfers and backpackers, is netting a new kind of guest.
WHERE TO STAY
LA MAISON DES ARTISTES
19 rue Laàlouj, Skala du Port, Essaouira(00 212 524 47 57 99)An airy riad that feels more like a friend's home than a hotel. Rooms are stylishly decorated with local finds, but cosy and not overly designed. The restaurant serves great Berber food.L'HEURE BLEUE PALAIS
2 rue Ibn Batouta, Bab Marrakech, Essaouira(00 212 524 78 34 34)Built in the 19th century as a palace for the city governor, this grand old Relais & Châteaux property feels more like a private members' club than a hotel.BOOK NOW
Bedrooms are discreetly furnished, but it's the suave common rooms - bar, library, billiard room - that make this elegant hideaway seem like a colonial home from home. The rooftop pool is a sunlit sanctuary above the old town, and the leafy courtyard is a wonderful place to read or snooze. Head chef Ahmed Handour gives a fresh twist to Moroccan staples, and the hammam will give you a bracing massage and scrub down; but it's the service that sets this place apart. French director François Laustriat is passionate about his adopted home, and his team provide an insider's introduction to the city.RIAD CASA LILA
94 rue Medel el Qorry, Bab Marrakech, Essaouira(00 212 524 47 55 45)Run by a young French couple with a passion for Essaouira, Casa Lila's big, elegant rooms are decorated with contemporary local furniture and fabrics. A delicious Moroccan breakfast is served on the roof terrace.SOFITEL THALASSA MOGADOR
Boulevard Mohammed V, Essaouira(00 212 524 47 90 00)This recently built resort hotel sits just outside the medina. It has a nice pool, a large spa and several restaurants. Just across the road from a private beach, it is the obvious choice for families who want to be close to the beach but within walking distance of town.VILLA MAROC
10 rue Abdellah Ben Yassine, Essaouira(00 212 524 47 61 47)Morocco's first riad hotel originally catered to surfers but has become a little more serious lately, although it remains a charming, relaxing place to stay. All white and electric blue, with a fabulous roof terrace and rooms spread over three houses, it also has a small spa.VILLA DE L'O
3 rue Mohamed Ben Messaoud, Essaouira (00 212 524 47 63 75)Housed in an 18th century building beside the ramparts of the Kasbah, this 12-room riad has been converted into an idiosyncratic boutique hotel by two French sisters who clearly share a keen sense of fun and a sharp artistic eye. The communal spaces are tastefully decorated with sepia photos of the harbour, but the quirky bedrooms are the pièce de résistance. Ask for the Opium Room, with its sunken bath and marvellous beachside views.BAOUSSALA
Douar el Gazoua, Essaouira (00 212 666 30 87 46 )An eco-lodge built in kasbah style, Baoussala is set in eucalyptus forest a few miles outside Essaouira, and hidden from view by burnt-orange walls. Inside there are just six charming bedrooms dotted around the grounds, among gardens, various terraces, a swimming pool, hammam, and an outdoor cinema in a mini amphitheatre - all of which was built by French owner Dominique. Rooms are big and private enough to hole up in and feel secluded (some have mini tiled hammams, some open fireplaces); or take over the entire place with friends.WHERE TO EAT
ELIZIR
Rue de Agadir (00 212 524 47 21 03). 'I call it hippy chic,' says Abdellatif Rharbaoui, proprietor of what resembles a 1970s junkshop transported from the Portobello Road. After the trash-aesthetic decor, his menu seems quite conventional: oriental classics with an Italian flourish, a legacy of the nine years he spent in Bologna. Order organic chicken with fresh figs, and lemon sorbet with vodka. About €35 for dinner for two.
CAFE RESTO LE TAROS
Place Moulay Hassan (00 212 524 47 64 07, www.taroscafe.com). As well as a bar, boutique, gallery and library, Taros has a kitchen serving nourishing Moroccan food (try the chicken tagine with prunes and almonds); but this is a meeting place as much as a café, and its rooftop is the place to be seen. Cocktails from about €5. Two-course meals about €15 for two.
LA LICORNE
26 rue Scala (00 212 524 47 36 26, www.lalicorne-essaouira.com). More faux-baronial decor, this time under the ramparts of the Scala. La Licorne serves some of the finest couscous, tagines and pastillas in town.
L'HEURE BLEUE PALAIS
(See Where to stay). The most sophisticated dining in town, a mix of Moroccan and French conjured up by Sylvain Scotti, a talented chef from Lyon, and served in a Moorish-baronial dining room or outside on the patio.
RESTAURANT DU PORT CHEZ SAM
Port de Pêche (00 212 524 47 65 13). An old-time favourite, Chez Sam serves beautifully fresh seafood: oysters brought down from Oualidia, fresh sea bass, hake and sole off the boat, all served simply.
RESTAURANT FERDAOUSS
27 rue Abd Essalam Labadi (00 212 524 47 36 55). The creation of chef Madame Souad, who left Villa Maroc (renowned for some of the best food in town) to set up on her own. The food is unfussy, delicious and pure Morocco.
LE CHALET DE LA PLAGE
Mohammed V Boulevard (00 212 524 47 59 72). A local landmark since 1893, this light and airy seafront restaurant serves great seafood with bay views. Your jolly host Jeannot is a patron of the old school, straight out of the cast of Casablanca. Ask for a table on the terrace.
Each lunchtime, a string of gargottes (food stalls) opens in the park near the entrance to the port. The fish is fresh and simply cooked. Trust your nose and the warmth of the welcome. Prices are fixed and printed on a boardWHAT TO DO
COOPÉRATIVE FÉMININE MARJANA
(00 212 664 69 87 82) Buy culinary or cosmetic argan where Moroccan women make it, just 15 minutes by car from Essaouira.
LES DOMAINES DU VAL D'ARGAN
(00 212 524 78 34 67; www.valdargan.com) Enjoy a meal in the bodega or buy a bottle to take away (from €5) at southern Morocco's only vineyard, a half-hour drive from Essaouira.
MUSÉE SIDI MOHAMED BEN ABDALLAH
(00 212 524 475300) A former pasha's palace, filled with Roman ruins, Jewish artefacts, Moroccan costumes and musical instruments.
FESTIVALS
Essaouira also plays host to a number of festivals, the best-attended of which is the Gnawa and World Music Festival (www.festival-gnaoua.net) in June.
HAMMAM MOUNIA
Rue Oum Rabii (00 212 24 78 42 47) is the most accessible public hammam for foreigners, offering a combined modelage (soapy scrub), massage and ghassoul (clay, seaweed or argan paste wrap).
LAND ACTIVITIES
If you'd prefer to stay on land, Cap Sim Trekking (00 212 62 20 18 98;www.capessaouira.com) can arrange outings for hours or days on foot, quad-bike, camel or horse.
L'HEURE BLEUE PALAIS
The spa here (see Where to sleep) is the best in the medina. But if you want the full treatment, head for the hammam and thalassotherapy centre at Sofitel Thalassa Mogador (see Where to sleep), which is open to non-guests.
SURFING
Océan Vagabond, plage d'Essaouira (00 212 524 78 39 34; www.oceanvagabond.com). This is one of the better surfer hang-outs, with a beachfront café. You can rent surfing, windsurfing and bodyboard equipment and be taught how to use them.
TAKE A WALK ON THE BEACH
If you want to do something more energetic, take a stroll. This is particularly recommended in the late afternoon, when the town's youth are out playing footballWHERE TO SHOP
BOUTIQUE MEHDI
Rue Bou Toumment. The newest boutique in town, selling a small range of beautifully made leather, glass jewellery and table linen.
GALERIE DES ARTS FRÉDÉRIC DAMGAARD
Avenue Oqba Ibn Nafia (00 212 524 78 44 46). Danish furniture designer Frédéric Damgaard has done more than anyone in Essaouira to promote the local gnawa painters. Others have now joined the market, but Damgaard's long-established gallery still represents the best artists in town.
GALERIE JAMA
22 rue Ibnou Rochd (00 212 524 78 58 97). Tucked away near the sea wall, this shop has an exquisite collection of old textiles, silk kilims, beautiful leather bags and Berber jewellery.
KIFKIF
204 place du Marché aux Grains (00 212 661 08 20 41). Colourful, contemporary, Moroccan-made accessories and homeware, including table linen with coloured tassels, kids' towelling jellabas and great Seventies-style bags. There are also branches in Casablanca and Marrakech.
RAFIA CRAFT
82 rue d'Agadir, Bab Marrakech (00 212 524 78 36 32). The fibres of the doum palm have been woven into shoes and sandals in Essaouira for years and can be found all over town. Rafia Craft has some of the best, designed by an Italian and exported to Europe.HOW TO GET THERE
AIRPORT
Marrakech airport is the nearest for Essaouira.
AIRLINES FROM THE UK
There are no direct flights to Essaouira from the UK, so the best way of getting there is to fly direct to Marrakech. Royal Air Maroc (www.royal-airmaroc.co.uk) flies to Marrakech from Heathrow. EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) flies there from Manchester and Gatwick, and BMI (www.bmi.co.uk) flies from Heathrow. Most hotels will arrange transfers to Essaouira for around €100 each way.
JOURNEY TIME
About a 3.5-hour flight to Marrakech from London, then a 2.5-hour drive to Essaouira.WHEN TO GO
Essaouira is busy during the World Music Festival in June, when daytime temperatures reach about 30°C. It is better to explore the town in the autumn, when it is less crowded and not quite so hot.
No comments:
Post a Comment