I'm an animal lover and share my house with my 5 rats (and my husband). My hobbies are learning lang...
I'm an animal lover and share my house with my 5 rats (and my husband). My hobbies are learning languages, tap dancing, figure skating, snowboarding and scuba diving.
Member since:02.02.2001
Reviews:30
Members who trust:11
I think Morocco is an acquired taste. I went to Agadir with my mum for a 2 week break (leaving from Glasgow) during the month of December. I chose to go then because I knew it would be a bit quieter.
It was my second visit to Morocco, the first having been to the north in the early 80s with my identical twin sister. As my twin and I are both red heads that caused quite a stir among the locals who would constantly ask us if we'd dyed our hair with Henna (and why we were so white!!!).
I had a bad experience on my first day down at the beach in Agadir with my mum when a really rude carpet seller just wouldn't take no for an answer. Luckilly for us a friendly local intervened. He was very decent and actually gave us lots of good advice about how to get to more remote, less touristy places.
The town of Agadir is split into 2 areas: the new area reconstructed after the earthquake, and the old town which is higher up. The old town is ideal for small, cheap restaurants whereas the new town is more touristy with lots of quite expensive shops. From the local bus station you can get buses to local towns to visit the markets.
We spent a couple of days in Marrakech and stayed in a small hotel just beside the Katoubia. The Jma El Fna Square is an experience not to be missed, although it is not for the faint hearted. I have never experienced so much hassle in my life. It was impossible to take photographs of the many weird things like a stall full of human teeth as the owners want money from you. It is, however, worth the hassle to see the snake charmers and fortune tellers peddling their wares. The souk is good if you don't mind bargaining. If you do then there are shops run by the state which are strictly fixed price and are fairly reasonable. We did a tour of the city in a horse and trap and that is the best way to avoid hassle with the locals.
Although I enjoyed my visit to Marrakech it was a relief to return to the peaceful atmosphere of Agadir.
Eating out in Agadir isn't too expensive either and there is a great variety of food such as Pastilla which is a kind of savoury cake made of pigeon meat, roast nuts and filo pastry with icing sugar on the top. This has to be tried as it's absolutely delicious. I also liked the Tajine which is a chicken or lamb casserole with a spicy sauce. We walked down to the port to the fish restaurants which are really just little stalls in a sort of grubby yard but that was one of the nicest meals we had and a small band came in and the locals had us up dancing.
There is a small tourist train which takes you a tour of the town and doesn't cost very much. There isn't much in the way of nightlife so if you're into discos and clubs then it is not the place for you.
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Thanks for the great info. I have never thought about Morocco for a holiday. Perhaps it's about time I did. - Thanks Donna.
Freespirit 16.02.2001 14:55
I've been to Agadir and had one of the worst experiences ever there. We were befriended by a local who basically abducted us and then tried to get us to part with cameras, bags. Didn't you have any hassle at all there? I know its not all bad especially if you are a red head like you say. apparently Mohammed (the prophet of Islam) had red hair so us red heads are considered very special people.
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Feb 16th, 2001
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