Chilling in Essaouira 1-day
In November 2022, we made a 16-day Road trip in Morocco going all around and driving over 2 500 km (in a Fiat 500! What an adventure).
Our trip started and ended in Fes, and we made a loop in order to visit this magnificent country. Our itinerary went through the main cities, the Sahara Desert, the seaside and the mountains of Morocco.
We personally rented a car at the airport and did the following: Fes, Chefchaouen, Rabat, Casablanca, Essaouira, Marrakesh, Imlil, Telouet, Ait Ben Haddou, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Merzouga, Ifrane. However, you don’t need to follow it by the dot, you can use it to make your own plan.
This day was our 6 days in Morocco. And we have already been from Fes to Chefchaouen to Rabat to Essaouira. So, we felt it was needed to take is slow for a day.
For that, we had booked a guesthouse 30-min away from Essaouira in the middle of nowhere. It was perfect to relax, enjoy some freshly made local food (best food of our trip in Morocco by the way) and go for a little hike.
We also had the opportunity to discuss with the owners of the guesthouse Marion and Said who were amazing!
Let’s dive in this “Chilling in Essaouira 1-day” guide.
Here is our complete video from this trip :
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
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Getting there
The only reasonable mean of getting there is by car. Otherwise, it will be more than complicated. Drive to the airport and then follow the dirt road on the left following the airport’s wall. Then go around and once behind the airport turn left on the bridge et then right and follow until you see a sign on the right side.
Do not follow GPS.
Where to Stay
For this day, we stayed in the unique guesthouse of Marion and Said called Dar Baba Diali. It is located 30-min by car from Essaouira city center.
Marion and Saïd are two writers, also kick boxers and for one, psychologist and psychotherapist and for the other former director of a socio-cultural center. They built this single-storey house of 600 m2 on a plot of 25,000 m2 in the middle of an argan forest. The nearest house is 500 m away.
The house is composed of 2 rooms and 4 suites of 45, 55, 70 and 90 m2, a living room of 110m2 (6m high). Our room was “SAFRANE” with its 45 m2 , a fireplace, living room and bathroom. (PS: Bed is a bit hard as it is custom in Morocoo)
The rest of the house is made of a a patio, a swimming pool (not available during the winter season), a hammam, a gym with boxing ring and punching bags, a library, gardens and terraces. The cuisine, traditional Moroccan, is concocted with organic products. 5% of net profits are donated to the local development association Ida o blal …
What to Eat
A simple breakfast is included. But you can ask for lunch and dinner. We did both and it was just so amazing. We will describe it a bit further.
Chilling in Essaouira
Morning
To start, we went out of bed around 8h30 and I went for a yoga class and Tina for some meditation on the roof. Nothing better to start the day. Plus, Tina was joined by Igor (the dog) in her practice.
We then had breakfast in the inner yard of the house. It was really great even if breakfast was simple (fresh orange juice, bread, 3 type of jams and butter, coffee and tea).
We then met with Marion, talked a bit with her. She told us about a few walks around, launch and so…
Lunch
After that we took it easy and chilled in our room. We then went in the living room for lunch. It was a super yummy lentils stew with eggs and olives. Desert was grapes and yogurt.
We stayed a while in the living room enjoying the architecture and atmosphere.
Afternoon
Later, we went for a 1h30 hike to the nearby hill that offers a 360° view. It was quite easy as the area is flat. Just had to be careful not to walk in between sheep herds as the guard dog would be barking to protect its sheep. But not attacking.
Once back we met Said and talk some more. That much that we missed sunset. But we discussed the story of his best friend/brother Abdeljabbar. And how he was abandoned in a cemetery at childbirth. Was brought to the police by the cemetery guardian that was told by the police to keep him. When he brought him home, his wife didn’t accept and made his life a misery. As soon as he could he ran away and slowly Said’s family took him in. That was such a moving story.
Dinner
Couscous for dinner. The best one we have ever had. Normally, couscous is eaten on Friday lunch in Morocco. At this time, people are on a break from 11h to 16h. Time for prayer and couscous.
Dessert was an avocado cream with walnuts and honey.
End of the day
Some more chat with Said who recommended us to visit “La maison de la mémoire”. A museum in Essaouira about Jewish history.
We then clean our bill, 187 Mad or 17 euro (99-82 from the room rate, then 17 for 1 lunch and dinner for 2). We left 200 mad.
We also chatted a bit with Marion, about what she is doing with mindfulness, her books… And now it is time to rest.
We hope you will enjoy this “Chilling in Essouira” like we did 🙂
ضرب الحديد ماحدو سخون Strike the iron while it’s still hot. (Take advantage of the opportunity before it passes you by)
Get our full map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once? With this map, you get all our pins, destinations, things to see, where to eat and sleep, and so much more in one time.
