Shivering in Siberian temperatures this week, warmer climes are calling. With a whole new year of annual leave possibilities awaiting, what will be top of the mini breaks in 2015? With a new direct flight route from London in May, my money’s on Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Blissfully free from the snake charmers and hard-sell henna ladies of neighbouring Marrakech, Essaouira offers a bohemian costal sanctuary where artists and musicians rub along peacefully with fishermen and the world’s loftiest goats.
Alain Feulvarch Essaouira
Wild and windswept, Essaouira is a town bursting with creative energy. Every May, jazz, blues and reggae performers jet in from the four corners of the globe to join the Gnaoua musicians in one of the world’s biggest jam sessions. Derived from Arabic, African and Berber beats, the stirring trance-like Gnaoua rhythms fuse surprisingly well with their modern counterparts. Shaking the white-washed walls and burning up the old cobbled streets, the Gnaoua WorldMusic festival attracts music fans in their droves – book accommodation well in advance to avoid disappointment.
A cultural melting pot and trading post for three hundred years, Essaouira’s UNESCO-classified medina is split into ordered, hassle-free zones ranging from spices to slippers. Ras el hanout – the all-round Moroccan super-spice makes a great addition to the store cupboard while crafty gems of note include primitive-style gnaoua paintings and strikingly simple tribal masks carved from thuya trees. More importantly, the medina is also home to the world’s most potent hair potion.
Cliff Williams spice market, Essaouira medina
Proving that money really does grow on trees, Argan oil has taken the hair-dressing world by storm as the new wonder treatment for fried and frazzled locks. The oil’s journey begins with Essaouira’s nimble goats risking life and limb to scale lofty branches in hot pursuit of Argan fruit. Once the fruit makes its inevitable transit, the stones are cleaned and painstakingly ground into oil by locals at the town’s co-operatives. A staggering one hundred kilograms of kernels is required to create just two litres of oil. Stock up while you’re here.
www.Supercar-RoadTrip.fr Essaouira
Once you’ve worked up an appetite in the medina, there’s an eclectic range of dining options to choose from. The smoky scent of grilled sardines will lead you to the huddle of seafood restaurants along the harbour. If you prefer your seafood as street food, grab lunchtime catch of the day at food stalls located in the park at the entrance to the port. Cheap as chips and deliciously fresh. If you’ve over-done it on the cous-cous, opt for a bowl of spicy chilli at La Cantina or push the boat out with a spot of refined dining at L’Heure Bleue – Essaouira’s poshest riad.
Tiberio Frascari Essaouira
Already experiencing the Marrakesh effect, Essaouira boasts several palatial riads with on-site spa facilities where you can be slathered in Argan oil. If your salary won’t stretch to a stay in such salubrious surroundings, you can still be pummelled and scrubbed at Hammam Lalla Mira – Essaouira’s oldest traditional public bath. (advance bookings essential).
If you’re looking for a chilled-out weekend retreat a world away from the well-worn tourist tracks of Marrakesh and Agadir, Essaouira is refreshingly alternative. Just watch out for the flying goats.
Direct flights to Essaouira from London Luton Airport from 1st May 2015.