Morocco · The Atlantic coast
After the heat and intensity of Marrakech, Essaouira is a long, cool exhale. Two and a half hours west, on the Atlantic, it is a walled town of whitewashed houses and blue shutters where the trade winds keep the air fresh and the pace unhurried.
The old medina is UNESCO-listed and wonderfully relaxed, easy to wander with none of the pressure of the big-city souks. Out on the ramparts the Skala bastion faces the open ocean, and down at the harbor the bright blue fishing boats unload the day's catch, much of which is grilled on the quay for lunch.
It works beautifully as a day trip, but we love it as an overnight, when the day visitors have gone and the town is yours. The same wind that cools the streets makes the wide bay a favorite with surfers and kitesurfers, so it suits those who want a little salt air with their Morocco.
