A little bit about Essaouira, Morocco

Posted on by Lea Ann Reynolds
The horse and buggies have just as much right on the road as the big busses

Our reasoning for spending time in Morocco is due to the Shengen zone issues we had in the beginning of our planning. Morocco isn’t part of this zone restriction and we needed somewhere to go for another 40 days. We had heard from other travelers that staying in Morocco was safe so we feel comfortable being here.

One of the small shopping centers had this dress shop. The colors were pretty. Lots of silky type material.



We were just not really prepared for how much different this country would be.  Morocco is a part of Africa, however, it’s European population are descendants of ex-slaves brought to Africa from Europe and therefore are ethnically Europeans and not indigenous Africans! We chose Essaouira because it has a more laid back style and of course its on the beach.

Orson Welles Hotel

We read in many international travel magazines that this is one of the places expats like to live. There are not many places to stay or rent here close to the beach so finding a place with good reviews on HomeAway was a plus. 

Another horse and cart. Chuck thinks they are regulated because they ahve numers on them and they are all the same color. The taxis are the same. 7 dirham/$.73 cents (USD) for a trip to anywhere basically. Some have the wheels almost falling off.

To tell you a little bit about Essaouira. It is a port city and resort on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Its Medina (old town) is protected by 18th-century seafront ramparts called the Skala de la Kasbah, which were designed by European engineers. Old brass cannons line the walls, and there are beautiful ocean views. Strong “Alizée” trade winds make the city’s crescent beach popular for surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing.  We counted no less than a dozen of these today and those guys were flying!

These are the police bikes. Kawasaki!

The population of Essaouira is approximately 78,000 people.  The town is formerly named Mogador and the old city (Medina), which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. It is a popular tourist destination and is famous for its numerous riads (a type of bed-and-breakfast), so we’ll be sure to visit that part of Essaouira.

One of the upscale hotels

A fun fact: in the early 1950’s, film director and actor Orson Welles stayed at one of the hotels in Essaouira during the filming of his 1952 classic version of “Othello“. The film contains several memorable scenes shot in the labyrinthine streets and alleyways of the Medina. Legend has it that during Welles’ extended stay in the town he met Winston Churchill, another guest at the same hotel. While walking around we found a hotel named after Orson Welles.

We were suprised that halloween is such a big deal. They go all out in decoration. Scary clowns and bloody eyeballs. EEWWW!

Not sure if its the same one but we did notice its up for sale. 


The temperatures for the next 10 days will be in the mid 80’s. It’s really nice and I am constantly fussing at Chuck about wearing sunscreen, but if you are in the shade, its like 10 degrees cooler, especially with the wind. During our walk we saw some nicer parts of the city and some not so nice parts. The sidewalks in the back alleys are falling apart.

When we arrived in the apartment, Bouchra had these roses in a vase with mint tea and morrocan bread. It was a welcoming gift.

Chuck stepped on one and the whole piece of concrete moved! We also saw these buggies with really sad, thin undernourished horses pulling the carriage. It was so sad to see. It would make you want to cry. 


We’ll probably spend the day at the beach today. The wind is very low and the sun is hot. So we are looking forward to that!

May God bless you always!

Chuck & Lea Ann

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