Morocco Reviews: Atlas Mountains and Essaouira

After visiting Aït Ben Haddou we headed to the mountains for a fix of nature. We drove to Imlil and here we hired donkeys to transport our day packs, while we trekked for about an hour uphill to the small village of Armed. In Imlil it is possible to rent hiking sticks if you need them. The track was not overly demanding, but there were still som tricky patches, where it was quite gravelly and you had to be careful not to slip. Anyone of average fitness would be able to handle this hike. Coming down the mountain the next day we went by a different route, which included a river crossing. I only had one pair of shoes, so I decided to go barefoot in the icy waters. This was fine, except I got a lot of sand in my shoes, when I put my semi-wet feet back in. As for the weather is was warm during the day, but it got a little chilly during the night and in the morning, so it is advisable to bring a thick sweater or a light jacket to keep warm. 

Auberge Azizi

We stayed in Auberge Azizi, and we had been warned that it would be pretty basic. But I was fairly impressed by the standard. There are rooms with 3 beds and a larger common room, where we were served mint tea and popcorn on arrival. There is a shared toilet and a shower. For dinner we had the traditional harira soup as a starter and then couscous with vegetables and meat. Breakfast consisted of bread, yoghurt, orange juice, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, cheese and chocolate spread. I thought this was an impressive spread considering the location. 

After trekking down the mountain we drove on to Essaouira on the coast. This is a smaller city famous for its relaxed vibe, and a lot of people from Marrakech come here for the weekend, as it is only a couple hours drive away. There is not a whole lot of touristy things to do in terms of sightseeing and such, but we had a day to just wander around the city and take in the atmosphere, shop in the medina and walk along the beach. This was quite nice and relaxing, since we had been pretty busy on the tour, and only stayed for one night in many places. The medina in Essaouira is lovely, one of the better medinas on the tour I would say, and while many shops had the same things, you could easily find some pretty unique things too. 

The weather in Essaouira was a bit cooler than in the rest of the cities we have been to. I don’t know if it is always like this or if it was just a coincidence. But for the two nights we stayed there I used my jeans and my long sleeved shirts for the first time. 

Hotel Cap Sim

In Essaouira we stayed at Hotel Cap Sim. I believe this is built in the style of a riyadh, but the central court yard had been covered. This makes a larger lobby, with lots of seating. Breakfast is served here, and there is wifi. The rooms are apparently of quite differing size, but we had a large room with two double beds and a small sofa set in the corner. There are en suite bathrooms, but no airconditioning. But this is not really needed as there is a fresh breeze blowing all over the city, which keeps the rooms cooled. The hotel also has a roof terrace with a view over the city and chairs and tables and sun loungers. Breakfast consists of orange juice, coffee or tea, a pain au chocolate and bread with cheese and jam. If this does not suit you, there a plenty of cafés around town that serve omelets and the like. 

The lobby

The roof terrace

The view from the roof

Our room

Beach and Friends Café

For lunch we went to a small café called “Beach and Friends”, and it was really nice. It was a small place situated on the beach, and it had a section with tables and one with beach chairs and sofas. I don’t know if you had to pay to use this section, like at a beach club, since we just sat at a table. I had a veggie burger with fried vegetables, cheese and dressing and the nicest fries I have had in Morocco. Including a soda and a small tip, I paid 100 dirhem. 

Restaurant M Gallery

For dinner we went to a quite fancy restaurant called M Gallery. It has a view over the beach and white table cloths. There is a daily menu, and an a la carte menu, which covers most of what you could want for dinner, including soup, burger, steak and fish. There is also a wine list, but like all places in Morocco alcohol is quite expensive. I went for the steak with fried potatoes, and it was really nice, although it was served quite lukewarm, which meant that it got cold quite quickly. But this is apparently a general thing in Morocco, as I often got food served, that was colder than expected. 

My friend's burger

And my steak!