Our Many Moons of Honey: Morocco: Life is a Beach

After the hustle and bustle of city life we slowed it down quite a few notches and went to check out some beaches along the western coast of Morocco. The landscape here is a dry rocky mountainscape dotted with many goats, sheep and donkeys and of course, cactuses.

Essaouira

Our first stop was Essaouira. This quiet fishing town, which resembles the Greek islands with its white buildings and blue accents, was very peaceful and hospitable. Essaouira was designed by the same Frenchman who designed Brittany’s most famous port town Saint Malot. However, it is nonetheless very Moroccan in the old town’s medina with the narrow alleyways full of colourful merchants. With its laid back atmosphere, this medina feels very different than those found in the big cities. The waterfront has the most seagulls we have ever seen likely due to the infinite amounts of fish in the port.

So, Essaouira’s most famous American son, Jimmi Hendrix, used to relax here in the 60’s and 70’s. Every guide book speaks of the fact that his song “Castles in the Sand” was likely based on an old castle in the sand found at the end of the beach. However, they then go on to say that the song was released two years before his first visit to Essouira. Not only was the man a legendary musician but he also seems to have be psychic J .

Kitesurfers, Essaouira

The beach at Essaouira is roughly 3 km’s long and is a famous windsurfing and kitesurfing spot due to its relentless wind. At the end of the beach one can find many camels and horses for beach rides and some small but nice sand dunes. Notwithstanding the wind and the ice cold Atlantic water, this is still a fantastic beach to relax on with its super fine golden sand. Strolling along the boardwalk that lines about half the beach you will be sure to encounter several children, as well as grown men, selling you quite delicious cookies (and “space cookies”) and will be sure to come across an evening game of beach football.

While in this quaint little beach town we had the pleasure of meeting Khalid, a leather salesman. This man is one of the most hospitable people we have ever met with a heart of gold. We met him by chance while browsing his store and after a few brief conversations he invited us over to his store for mint tea. After our tea he invited us over to his house for dinner where we had one of the best meals in Morocco by far (but more on this in our upcoming Morocco food post … ya, like we’d miss talking about food!!). After our amazing dinner, being a gentleman, he walked us home to ensure “we got home safely so that he could sleep ok”. This is where the story gets interesting and Khalid got more than he bargained for J . We got to our apartment only to find that the downstairs door was locked and the keyhole had fallen out, so of course, our key didn’t work. After much knocking and shouting with the assistance of a neighbourhood boy and downstairs neighbour, we realized we were definitely locked out for the night. Poor Khalid was stuck with us and not only did he offer us his home to crash in but he gave us his room and went to sleep with his roommates. We’re telling you, an amazing man!

Khalid and the gang

Our second stop was Agadir. Oh Agadir you tourist whore (pardon our language). This place is your typical Florida or European beach town with hundreds of hotels and restaurants lining the beach and surrounding streets (including a Club Med), a large boardwalk and a huge beach. Agadir itself is a huge city with it’s own medina but as we only spent a very short time here we cannot comment on much else but the touristy beachfront. Unlike any other place in all of Morocco, alcohol is available everywhere unless stated otherwise, hence the many British pubs.

Legzira Beach

Our last stop was Mirleft. This place was just amazing - so relaxing and the town is asleep by 10 pm. The main tourist drag resembles an old western movie with its dusty dirt road and two story saloon like buildings lining the street. While in Mirleft we had the pleasure of staying at Hotel Atlas (http://www.atlas-mirleft.com/), which was a great value with friendly staff, a fantastic cook and a massive rooftop patio. The perfect place to make your home base. We sat every morning in front of our hotel eating and watching the slow paced town folk go through their daily routines including the old man trotting by on his donkey. The beaches at and around Mirleft are quite spectacular, all surrounded by steep cliffs. We only made it to three of the five closest beaches, two within walking distance and the last one was a 30 km moped adventure. Picture the two of us on a small moped designed for a short 12 year old. M drove while S sat on the back bike rack on a very comfortable ¼ inch foam pad (do you sense the sarcasm here … S still can’t feel part of her derriere). The ride was well worth it as the beach we got to was simply amazing. Legzira Beach, with its dramatic natural stone archways reaching over the ocean and five kilometers of secluded beautiful sandy beach. We’ll let all the pictures do the talking but needless to say that Morocco’s beaches are well worth a visit.

For the rest of our pictures click on this link (password: mirleft): http://s912.photobucket.com/albums/ac322/sandymilos/Morocco_beaches/