Louise Redknapp: Morocco amazes me
It's a magical part of North Africa
Saturday, 11 November 2006
Singer Louise – aka Mrs Jamie Redknapp – first visited Morocco with her parents. She says: 'The place has amazed me ever since. An Arab man offered my dad 40 camels for his little girl! I went back recently and it was still fascinating.'
So are you tempted? Find out more...
Once the preserve of the gilded jet set, Morocco now looks certain to become a favourite year-round short break destination for everyone, thanks to the intervention of the country's dynamic King Mohammed VI.
He wants to open up the country to tourists and make exotic Morocco a 'must-see' hotspot to compete with Turkey, Tunisia, Spain and Greece. As a result, budget airlines have added Morocco to their routes.
Building has already begun on six new four- and five-star super-resorts – five on the Atlantic coast and one on the Mediterranean due to be completed by 2010.
Why go there?
Morocco's Atlantic coast bowls along for more than 500 mainly undiscovered miles. Cities such as Marrakech and the boho chic resort of Essaouira can be packed but are captivating.
TV presenter and writer Jane Moore loves the city of Marrakech: 'It's one of the most magical cities I've ever visited and it has the most incredible atmosphere,' she explains. 'Visiting there is almost like being an extra in Raiders Of The Lost Ark.'
Few people even realise that, just off the beaten track, lie unspoilt beaches and charming towns with hardly a tourist in sight.
Must see, must do
North Atlantic coastal area
Sale
Close to the capital Rabat, this compact, white-walled city has a distinctive character and a nearby beach. Main draws are the medina (old town) with its souks on the west side of the square filled with craftsmen hard at work weaving and making pottery. Good buys include traditional Moroccan leather goods (particularly slippers and sandals) and generous-sized pieces of colourful textiles to use as throws.
Larache
A pretty little town with a ramshackle historic centre that still retains a Spanish feel from the days at the turn of the last century when it was a Spanish protectorate. Andalusian-style houses with blue-painted doors and window frames stare out from whitewashed walls. Join the locals who keep the Spanish tradition of taking an evening stroll through the town's main street, starting at around 6pm.
Southern Atlantic coastal area
Safi
While foreign visitors head for the nearby fashionable resort of Essaouira, the locals make for Safi with its tree-lined boulevards and elegant villas. The city overlooks a natural harbour and retains a potter's quarter just above the medina. A short cab ride or bus journey away are two unspoilt beaches, at Cap Beddouza and Cap Safi, where the rocky headlands give way to two beautiful sheltered sandy beaches called Lalla Fatna and Sidi Bouzid.
El-Jadida
Meaning 'the new one' in Arabic, El-Jadida is a chic and attractive European-style beach resort with a modern vibe, duvet-soft sand, lots of fashionable cafés and bars and a lively nightlife. So far, it's relatively unknown to tourists, but the completion of the motorway linking it directly to Casablanca around 70 miles away looks set to draw in visitors.
The South Atlantic coastal area
Souss-Massa National Park
Just 40 miles south of Agadir, the estuary of the Oued Souss river meets the sea in a spectacular series of creeks, lagoons and sweeping sandy beaches. Flamingos gather during the winter months along with red-necked ostriches and a variety of other unusual birds and animals.
Plage Blanche
Probably Morocco's greatest secret, this vast white beach stretches for 37 miles near the frontier-style town of Goulimine, dubbed by the brochures as 'The Gateway to the Sahara'. Also worth a visit is the hugely romantic Fort Bou-Jerif and the two magnificent oases of Abbainou and Ait Bekkou, both with bathing areas for men and women (the water is a tropical 28°C/82°F).
Sidi Ifni
Built in the 30s and given over to the Spanish until 1969, Sidi Ifni has a romantic, almost film-set-like atmosphere with lots of Art Deco architecture. Slap in the middle of town, the Plaza de Espana has an Andalusian garden with Spanish tiled benches and a tiled fountain. Two attractive sandy beaches border the town, and the neighbouring beach at the bustling village of Mirhleft is particularly beautiful.
Sopranos actress Lorraine Bracco says: 'Morocco is magnificent. I love everything about the place: he food, the people, the colour, the smells – everything! It's my favourite place in the world and I've been about 15 times.'
Food and drink
Don't miss a tajine meal. The name refers to the vessel in which the dish, a type of light casserole, is cooked. Usually composed of tender meat, fruit and spices with vegetables or couscous piled up on the outside, it's delicious. Also good are simply grilled local fish, vegetable salads and fresh mint tea.
Fact file
Currency Moroccan dirham
Flight time Around 3 hours
Language - Moroccan Arabic and French, but English is quite widely spoken in the resorts.
Climate - Summers are very hot on the Altantic coast; temperatures are at least 28°C (82°F). The best time to visit is late September to November; expect 23°C (73°F), or March to May, when it's around 24°C (75°F) on the coast.
Expect to pay - Two course dinner £6.50, plate of grilled local fresh fish and salad £8.50, bottle of beer £1.50, glass of wine £2.95 (local rose is the best), mint tea 40p.
How to get there
www.easyjet.com
www.thomsonfly.com
www.ba.com
www.ryanair.com
Photo shows: Mosque at Casablanca
Philip Blackmore
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