Riad Villa Damonte Essaouira

... gifts for people in the Souk its just really hard saw loads of things for people but try and haggle is annoying I just want to pay a price and it seems silly haggling for like 7 quid nearly bought you a bag Alex but the man was doing my head in so will have to try and find you something else ha ha.<br><br>Had some more mint tea in the square and then back to the Riad as Ian is going to the Hamam this is a place where all the locals go ...

... into a vibrant local "garage sale" (if there's a "Goodwill" in Morocco, by golly I'll FIND it!) where a cluster of scarf-clad matrons (at first clearly skeptical of a lone tourist with a camera barging into their cloistered midst) soon amicably melted (as I made it clear I wouldn't dream of snapping photos in such a private domain.) Indeed, eventually I negotiated for a somewhat tattered (but nonetheless ...

... us horse riding &#8211; that&#8217;s good enough for us, so we ask him to ring his friend who offers to pick us up from the riad at 10:30. He&#8217;s bang on time and we follow him through town to where he has parked his van and he drives us out to his ranch. The horses are in good condition and obviously looked after really well, so I&#8217;m happy with the situation. The horses get saddled up, we&#8217;re given hard hats (just in case) and then we get up on horseback! My ...

... in there, the food was delicious again. I absolutely love Moroccan food, I am definitely going to purchase tagine pots and cook tagine at home, I&#8217;m addicted to it!!!! This time I have Tagine de Kefta, which Alex tells me is one of the most traditional dishes for the area &#8211; and essentially it is meatballs in tomato sauce with a poached egg on top, another firm favourite for me.<br><br>Afterwards we walk round the harbour to look at all the ...

... A popular old Russian song by Alla Pugachova, the light suddenly went down low for a couple of seconds and the show was over... It looked like synthesizer of a band member was burnt by electricity failure=( It was so pity...<br><br>So, as far as we ended our drinks, we went back through the night city, which looked wonderful at night... Then again we spent some time by the pool with some wine=)<br>

... 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 ...

... the middle ages and no cars or motorcycles are allowed in the medina. Even if you have a shop or move into a house, there is no exception, so everything gets transported by wheelcarts. It is a friendly city where you can peacefully stroll through the streets without constantly being hassled by vendors. I checked into Riad Baladin, a wonderfully restored old house with a central courtyard and ...

Essaouira has a fascinating fishing port, not unlike the tanneries in Fez or various workshops in the souks of Moroccan cities where you can see men hard at work in traditional manual professions. Men here were busy hauling in fish catches, repairing boats, and pulling boats out of the water to dry dock using only muscle power. The was an active fish auction only a short distance away. Meanwhile, the ...

... a bad option - maybe some time in the 4WD will give him a chance to recover a bit and get back on later. There is a comical scene of Pierpaolo offering his helmet, boots, gloves and jacket to Hassan, but he's happy in his sneakers and his Turban. Really makes you feel like an "All the gear and no idea" muppet! Handy advice on sand riding is dispensed from our 2 wheeled Tuareg... keep it in first gear, feet down, and leave the "standing on pegs at top whack" lark for the pros ...

... center where I purchase a wooden mask of a Berber face to add to our collection. Lunch is at a restaurant with an ocean view from the upper level terrace. I gratefully soak in the sun, which has been so absent during this tour. I have absolutely no idea that we are just around the corner from the new home of one of my clients. We have arranged in advance to allow the group inside to see it. The original plan was for the owner to be present to greet us personally, but he is unable to get ...