ROADTRIP TO ESSAOUIRA

Scarf: Pucci (Similar Here), Shirt: Poetry (Similar Here) , Pants: Sandro (Similar Here), Shoes: H&M (Similar Here)

This year I had the opportunity to visit Morocco for the first time. If you’ve been following my blog you may have read Part I of my journey through Marrakesh. This post is a continuation of my Moroccan diary, and the beautiful day I spent in Essaouira.

Prior to this trip I’d read mixed reviews about Essaouira. Some suggested it was worth staying overnight and others said it was better spent as a day trip. Since I couldn’t decide what to do I booked an affordable hotel in Marrakesh for $35 USD per night, stored my luggage at the hotel and headed to Essaouira. I packed one small overnight bag just incase I decided to stay the night. One of the great things I’ve recently discovered from traveling so much is how many last minute deals you can find when your plans change on a whim. I was able to lockdown great deals through Airbnb, Booking.com and Hotels.com.

The bus from Marrakesh to Essaouira took about 3 hours one way and cost roughly $10 USD. The drive is a little long and there isn’t much to see along the way so I recommend bringing headphones and a book to keep yourself occupied. Some buses offer wifi but the signal is slow when everyone on the bus is connected simultaneously. In fact, I was never able to connect to the wifi on my phone. I had been told Essaouira was a beach town so once I arrived I didn’t know what to expect. Living in Los Angeles, CA where there are so many beaches I wasn’t sure what “beach-town” meant in Morocco, but I was interested to find out. From the moment I arrived it was magical despite the brown water beaches and infestation of seagulls. At that moment I was on a beach in Morocco and that to me felt like heaven. It was completely different from Marrakesh which was a nice change of pace. A lot less noise and street commotion, too. I spent the entire day taking it all in. It’s not an exotic beach by any means, but there is so much history it feels surreal. I probably took 1,000 photos of everything I saw.