One of the things that we were told we HAD to do while in Morocco was take a day trip to Essaouira, a seaside town 2 hours West of Marrakech. We hired a private driver through our riad (Riad Malaika) which was 30 Euros one way, a bargain considering it was a 2 hour drive and there were four of us. The road trip to Essaouira was just as fun as the trip in Essaouira but more on that later. Even though we were only in Marrakech for one day, Essaouira was the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. Essaouria is probably one of the most beautiful seaside towns I’ve ever been to with white buildings and blue doors and blue window shutters. You instantly feel calm and relax when you arrive here and hopefully you will too just by looking at these photos.
The common area in our riad.
Colorful carpets and blue doors
A little messy and smelly but none-the-less the fish market.
Picking our fish for lunch.
Cleaning our John Dory fish.
We brought our fish to a restaurant and they cooked it for us how awesome is that?
We also had couscous with vegetables.
In search of my magic carpet.
The old port
The view of town from the old port.
My favorite time of day is during sunset especially when it’s by the ocean.
Elizir the best and quirkiest restaurant in Essaouira.
The best part of the meal was the bread and dips.
Coming home to this cozy riad.
The next morning we went horseback riding on the beach. My first horse went a little crazy so I switched mid-ride.
We stopped by Marjana an argan oil coop where we learned how they make argan oil…
…then we saw goats in a tree! That’s me holding a cute baby goat.
We made it back to Marrakech just in time for a snack before our New Year’s Eve festivities. This is stall No. 32 in Jemaa el Fna.
Last sunset of 2014 in Marrakech.