Dar L'Oussia Essaouira, Essaouira, Morocco

Essaouira

Essaouira was designed for unwinding , but if you want to go down to the port at lunchtime or in the evening you’ll see the stalls of fish which the local boatmen have brought in. Haggle for the price of a fresh bass or bream and they’ll grill it there right in front you on the hot coals. There’s no better way than this to eat fish and with a view of the Atlantic rolling out in front and the walls of the old city all around there’s probably nowhere more suggestive either.

If you are feeling active then you could try windsurfing or kitesurfing on the endless beach just outside the old city walls, the wind is reliable here and it’s a bit of a hotspot for those in the know.

You might fancy galloping across the beach on horseback (horses are brought down to the seafront just for the purpose and a couple of hours’ ride is very cheap – select only those horses that are well-cared for though) but if all that sounds like too much stress then there’s always time for a little shopping.

Essaouira has pretty much everything that you might want to buy in Marrakech but in a more relaxing environment. The local government has promoted artisans’ workshops here and the quality is good. You may pay slightly higher prices than deep in the souk of Marrakech or Fes say but you can often see the products being made and anyway here bargaining is still fun with both sides expected to have a healthy dose of irony, patience and drama.
Our recommendation for the hamams or baths is to buy your own scrub – they’re sold on almost every street corner – and have the massager use that. Moroccan hamams are not really about massage though, it’s more of a sweaty scrub and manipulation of those tired joints.

Whilst this may not sound the most appealing of pastimes it is to be indulged at least once. Hamams can often be found close to mosques and are either designated for men and women or tend to operate on specific hours with men (and male scrubbers) working for the morning, say, and female hours (with strictly female scrubbers) in the afternoon shift, or vice-versa.

There are now a number of spa hamams in Essaouira which are basically upmarket variations on the theme and cater mostly for Westerners who expect slightly less scrubbing and more pampering. Either way, it is a wonderful way to pass an afternoon and this, let’s face it, is what being on holiday is all about.