Take a 10-hour trip to Essaouira from Marrakech and spend time in the laid-back fishing town. On route, stop to visit an Argan Women’s Co-operative to see the women at work extracting oil from argan nuts, and then continue your journey westward.

Essaouira is fortunate to have an excellent climate, with cooling sea breezes in the summer (also good for water sports) and warming lowland air in winter. This lovely climate, together with its beautiful Portuguese architecture, has always attracted artists and poets, but it continues to be a traditional fishing port at its heart to this day.

Essaouira is the perfect destination for a day trip away from the hectic activity of Marrakech, with a vast array of things to do and try including: shopping in the souks for leatherwork, metalwork, glazed pottery, jewelry, brightly colored carpets, original art, olives, spices, rare argan oil and more. Visit the port and watch fishermen landing their catch, or learn how boats are crafted using centuries-old techniques, then eat fresh grilled fish or shellfish at one of the seafood stalls, visit Place Joutiya between 16.00 and 17.00 to watch locals auctioning everything from teapots to trousers, walk 2 miles along the beach at low tide to see the romantic fort of Borj El Barod crumbling into the sea, or the ruined sultan's palace at Diabet, take a boat to the Iles de Mogador, breeding ground for the rare Eleanora’s falcon, try some watersports (surfing/kitesurfing/windsurfing/bodyboarding/kayaking), or just sit at a beachside café. Relax and watch the world go by with coffee or mint tea, and maybe a Moroccan pastry, in one of the cafés on Place Moulay Hassan.