Le Littoral Hotel Essaouira

Got up to another really tasty breakfast had a terrible nights sleep as some spanish girls that were staying in our Riad got up with the call to prayer at 5am and they were going off on a trip to the desert! You can go on a camel to the desert and stay overnight sleeping in a traditional tent and eating traditional food something that we would have done had we had more time.<br><br>We decided to go for a little walk around and try and buy ...

... alleyways of Essaouria. <br><br> - Though I normally minimize my time w/ fellow travelers (preferring instead to - why rub shoulders w/ the locals of course!), one evening I opted to sip a beer atop a seaside "tourist" restaurant balcony whilst enjoying a spectacular Moroccan sunset and... There I met a delightful couple from London, along w/ a lad from northern England. Blessedly, our chatter avoided the usual ...

... she sent a text message to, which happened to be me and rang my phone to tell Alex her phone had been found and to come and get it from the horse ranch. Alex goes off to go and get her phone and its such a chilled out and relaxed cafe that me and John decide to stay there and wait for her &#8211; so we order &#8230;&#8230;&#8230; mint tea!!! <br><br>We&#8217;re catching the 6:45pm bus back to Marrakech, so when Alex returns we have just enough time to go round saying goodbye ...

At 7 A.M. we already left the hotel to move north to the ancient port town Essaouira. It was a Pirate port and has a lot of history to tell and to show us.<br><br>The trip was much more dangerously now. The Serpentine is so scary, and the driver of the bus drives like a mad man, but of course, he's just very experienced, but sitting near the window made some people almost sick. The road took ...

... the city formerly known as Mogador) this rare gem of a hotel<br>offers more than one could ask for within the medina walls.<br>Featuring 35 luxurious African, English, Portugese and Oriental themed rooms and suites, this<br>grandeur Morroccan house turned five star hotel holds true to the cluster of cultures that have touched the surrounding land. The hotel is appealing to both the business traveler ...

Breakfast was surprisingly wonderful in my little hotel along the road, I got a very nice French Crepe, a thin crispy pancake, and a fruit salad. The bus to my next destination Essaouira left at 8 am but I didn't want to spoil the day with the sound of an alarm clock. I was sure there would be some other possibility to get there, and I was right. It was the time of some mutton-eating festival in ...

... also finally lost our yes and no stones (a game where if you have the "yes" stone and you make someone else say "yes" then they get the stones) - either a real conversation starter or stopper! Arrived in Essa and saw the fort at sunset, the fishing port with seagulls flying around the catch. Had dinner overlooking the fort and then drinks and dancing in the club above the restaurant - home at 1.30am - the latest night out the whole trip!

... in a garden on a nice lawn and there were peacocks and flamingos around. I was sitting in a lounge chair by a pool when I noticed a giant Cheshire cat, one that looked a little like my parents' cat Claude, chasing a New Guinea Victoria Crowned Pigeon. This cat was huge, though, almost my size. The cat caught the pigeon and swallowed it. New Guinea Crowned ...

... So we ride into the very unimpressive town, stop at a cafe and figure out what to do. Continuing on the "Mad dogs and Englishmen" theme in Chapter 4, 2 brothers on a big Enduro KTM and Beemer stop in and chat to us "cos they saw the UK Plates" on our bikes. Top lads from Kettering, and we marvel at their minimalist approach - 10 days in Morocco each with just a 20 litre backpack and 5 Litre plastic jerry can strapped to their bike. Day 6 for them and I am amazed they don't ...

... the softest leather in the world are offered to don and sincere invitations to share in the ritual of brewing and drinking mint tea abound. A unique market treasure is thuya, a fragrant wood carved by local artisans into everything from treasure boxes and salad bowls to camels and checkerboards. Sporting a striking blue and white color scheme, the town of Essaouira is protected by two huge forts, or skalas at either end. Along the ...