Essaouira: Laid back beach vibes and top notch shopping

With its laid-back beach vibes, Essaouira was the perfect place for a few days’ rest and relaxation before embarking on the last leg of my Moroccan adventure, Marrakech.

Situated on the country’s Atlantic coast, Essaouira has been occupied for millennia.

The area first came to the attention of the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC. They were followed by the Romans in the 1st century BC and the Portuguese in the 16th century, who named it Mogador.

But it wasn’t until the 18th century that the city really began to take shape when the French architect Théodore Cornut was commissioned to design the harbour, the town and its fortifications.

Strolling along Essaouira beach

One of Essaouira’s biggest attractions is its huge, inviting strip of golden sand that stretches all the way to the city’s harbour and medina.

The beautiful, lively beach is a popular spot with locals and tourists alike.

Along with humans, birds and the occasional horse, you may also find camels – not something I’d ever seen before!

As novel as the camels were, it did mean I had to look where I was walking to avoid an unpleasant surprise.

Known as the ‘windy city’, Essaouira is renowned for surfing and other water sports such as kitesurfing and windsurfing.

There were a few people swimming and surfing in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean while I was there, but there sadly wasn’t enough wind for any other water-based activities.

Catching a glimpse of the Îles Purpuraires

Just off Essaouira’s coast lies a series of small islands, the Îles Purpuraires (Purple Isles, above), so-called because the Romans made them the centre of Tyrian purple dye production in the 1st century BC.

The Romans created the dye using sea snails fished from the surrounding waters and used it to dye the senators’ togas.

The largest of the islands, the Île de Mogador, is home to the remains of a prison and a mosque, which are visible from the shore.

Today the uninhabited islands are a bird sanctuary, home to gulls and rare species such as Eleanora’s falcon, and can only be visited with a permit.

Exploring the fortifications

The city’s medina is surrounded by thick walls and its coastline is protected by exceptionally sturdy fortifications, designed by Théodore Cornut.

You can walk along a small section of the ramparts, the sqala de la ville, and the impressive north bastion (above).

There isn’t a huge amount to see in the north bastion, but it offers superb views over the old town’s rugged coastline (above).

The sqala de la ville, meanwhile, is lined with 19 immaculate green cannons, all pointing towards the ocean (above).

We spent a fair bit of time walking along the sqala, taking photos and admiring the incredible views over the rocky Atlantic coastline (above and below).

At the far end of the sqala, we came across a cat near one of the watchtowers who was sheltering with her kittens.

As we watched them, one of the kittens, who was missing an eye (above), wandered over to me and began sniffing my trouser leg.

It was a curious, adorable little thing and I hope it’s gone on to have a good life in the medina.

Shopping in the medina

If you’re planning to do some shopping in Morocco, then head to Essaouira.

The medina is filled with delightful shops and boutiques selling artworks, antiques, furniture, rugs, clothing, bric-a-brac and more.

If I was rich and had a big house to fill with antique furniture, I’d make a beeline for the city.

Here are a few of my favourite boutiques in the medina:

Galerie Jama

This antique and carpet shop is spread over four floors and sells spectacular pieces – think wooden doors and objects, bags, jewellery, textiles and carpets.

I was particularly taken by a gorgeous wooden cane in a cabinet on the second floor that had a huge snake carved around the outside and some exquisite wooden pots that were used to hold kohl.

The third and fourth floors are the place to go for rugs and carpets, and were by far the best we came across in Morocco (and we visited a lot of carpet shops).

Mustafa, the gallery’s owner, has a fantastic eye – the rugs were works of art and full of personality.

Coté Oriental

This small boutique near the Sqala de la Ville sells superb, reasonably priced bags, shoes, clothing and household objects, such as crockery.

I could have bought half the shop, but reigned myself in and stuck to two leather bags that would have cost a small fortune in the UK and a leather wallet for my dad.

Galerie la Kasbah

Hidden down a small alley in the medina, this wonderful art cooperative-cum-antique store is packed with fascinating pieces and we spent a good hour looking around.

It sells all manner of wooden furniture (including the most beautiful wooden coffee table I’ve ever laid eyes on), artworks, wooden doors, sculptures and bric-a-brac.

Set over three floors, be sure to head up to the roof terrace, which boasts excellent panoramic views over the medina (above).

Sampling the seafood

If you like seafood, you’ll love Essaouira, as there are lots of great seafood restaurants.

For fish and shellfish fresh off the boat, head to the series of simple seafood shacks near the harbour. Order what you want from the catch of the day (you pay by weight) and they’ll grill it for you there and then, served with fries and bread.

I had some delicious grilled lemon sole from shack number five for lunch (above) – a steal at only 100 Dirhams (around £8), including a drink.

I also enjoyed a lovely dinner on the rooftop terrace at Restaurant des Rêves in the medina.

I had the festival tagine (above), an enormous dish laden with seafood (prawns, squid, monkfish, swordfish and another fish I couldn’t identify), along with a Mogador Dream (a banana-based mocktail).

It was very tasty, but there was far too much food and I couldn’t eat it all.

If you’re looking for somewhere that serves international fare, we had an excellent meal at Chez Sam (on a shop owner’s recommendation) just outside the medina, near Bab Sebaa.

There, we shared an exceptional seafood paella (above), crème caramel and a bottle of Moroccan vinho verde.

Relaxing in a hammam

One of the things I was keen to do in Morocco was to indulge in a hammam, so we headed to Les Massages Berbères in the medina for a two-hour pamper session.

I booked a Berber massage, steam and scrub for the bargain price of 500 Dirhams (about £40).

The session started with half an hour in the steam room, before I was scrubbed to within an inch of my life (every part of me, including behind my ears, was given a good going over). It’s the cleanest I’ve been.

I was then treated to a superb foot massage, followed by a very thorough full-body massage (my masseuse even massaged between my fingers and toes).

I normally feel awkward and self-conscious in a spa setting, but this was by far and away the most relaxing experience of my life.

I kept forgetting anyone else was in the room and was on the verge of nodding off. The session ended with a refreshing cup of green tea.

The only (very minor) quibble I had was I was covered in so much oil, it took a good many shampoos to wash it out of my hair.

That aside, I can’t recommend it highly enough, as it was utter bliss.