My favorite city in all of Morocco—I could have spent a week in just Essaouira. Granted, it doesn’t feel as “Moroccan” as other cities, and certainly isn’t as culturally rich as Fes. But it was something in itself. A very comfortable mixture of Moroccan and French Mediterranean influences – this would be a great place to come and shop, sightsee, surf, or just relax and do a lot of nothing!
Kimberly
For photos, click here.
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| Essouira |
We stayed at a great riad, Hotel dar el Qdima and enjoyed our palatial experience. This was just the beginning of our treats! We enjoyed the best food here of anywhere on our trip: pigeon pastilla at Les Alizes (order the day in advance), seafood tagine and the hip Le Patio, and tasty Italian at Sylvestro and Les 3 Portes.
You might recognize Essaouira in our photos because it was where Orson Welles filmed Othello in 1949. The city was also known as Mogador at various points in historyThe city has been influenced by a mixture of cultures: Berber, Carthaginean, Portugese, English, French, and others. The town as it looks today wasn’t built until 1760 by Mohamman II, who decided it would be the ideal place for a naval base. He decided to model the fortifications on the style of European fortresses and had them built by Theodore Cornut, a renowned French architect. Adding to the fun jumble of historical influences, hippies decided to hang out in Essaouria in the 1960s, attracting such stars as Jimi Hendrix.
Today, Essaouria feels very much like a combination of a fishing village, artisan workshop town, and tourist holiday destination. It is also the most approachable of Morrocan cities – hiring a guide here is really a nice-to-have. You can easily explore the medina on your own – and do lots of great shopping for souvenirs!
Hotel Dar el Qdima
+212 (0) 24 47 38 58
4 rue Malek Ben Rahai
www.darqdima.com
-An 18th century house converted into a beautiful Riad, with rooms around an interior patio.
Restaurant Les Alizes
26 Rue Skala
+212 (0)44 47 68 19
-Order the pastilla the day in advance. And don’t eat anything beforehand…I’ve never been given so much food! (and it was only $30 total…incredible!)
Le Patio
28 Bis Rue Moulay Rachid
+212 (0) 24 47 41 66
-Very trendy place…kind of felt like the hip Moroccan spots in Paris. Service was pretty awful though.
Les 3 Portes
34 Rue l’Attarine
+212 68 86 49 63
Silvestro
70 Rue Laalouj
+212 (0)24 47 35 55
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