Disadvantages:
Not exactly the party capital of the world, if you do manage to find a bar serving alcohol, as a woman you will feel pretty uncomfortable in there .
Having lived in Essouira for two months, I may be biased, but I can't recommend visiting Essouira enough. Having spent 5 months in Morocco as part of my gap year, I travelled extensively and didn't find anywhere in Morocco I liked as much as Essouira. As a young blonde white girl I had grown used to being hassled in the street, it's part of Morocco's charm, but if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of places like Fez and Marrakesh, Essouira is definately the place to head for. It is a small white-washed chilled out market town on Morocco's West coast. It's definately a tourist town, but somehow it doesn't feel that way. In contrast to the built up concrete tourist trap that is Agadir, staying in Essouira will give you a taste of the real Morocco. Cafe culture is strong and the ancient walls and the fortress overlooking the sea make Essouira a pitturesque place to sit and drink mint tea in the afternoon sun. There is a very long golden beach, but Essouira's nickname of 'Windy City - Africa' means it is the ideal place for windsurfing, but NOT sun-bathing. In the sixties, and today, Essouira was firmly on the hippy trail. Jimi-Hendrix once lived here, and song 'Castles Made of Sand', among others, was written here. There are several top quality seafood restaurants and for less than a pound you can eat freshly grilled fish, straight of the fishing boats, in the open air of the old port. There are several art galleries and many artisan craft stalls in the winding alleyways which make up the town. The best buy in Essouira is the wooden goods which you will see and smell all around you, remember that you should always barter, starting off by offering about a third of what they ask for. If you are a budget traveller, a good hotel is the hotel Beau Rivage, above a cafe on the main square. You can get a good basic room for less than 5 pounds a night, but remember to ask to see the room before you agree to take it. If you are staying for more than a couple of weeks, ask around in shops and cafes if anyone knows of an apparment for rent, we got a really nice one for a bargain rental price off a nice man in a carpet shop. Overall, I would definately recommend Essouira to anyone, especially the budget traveller looking for somewhere to chill.
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Before reading your op. I knew nothing of Morocco. All the detail that you have included is really helpful for the would be traveller. Thanks for all the info. Did you know that you can type your ops. in Word and spell check them ? Once completed cut and paste onto Ciao. Look forward to the next one. HB
xanadu 11.03.2001 09:58
Great first opinion..welcome to Ciao. Thanks Donna.
tommartin 11.03.2001 04:08
Hi there, welcome to the fun that is Ciao. That was a great first opinion, keep up the good work and I look forward to reading your next one. Thanks Tom
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Mar 10th, 2001
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