moroccan beaches

As island dwellers, residents of the United Kingdom can be inclined to take their extensive and varied coastline for granted. So too with Morocco, where the focus of tourist interest is on only a handful of well-known resorts, leaving much beautiful and unspoilt coastline to be discovered and enjoyed by the more adventurous Moroccan visitor. Morocco's Southern Atlantic Coast The Southern Atlantic coast of Morocco, which extends from Casablanca in the North to Rabat in the south, is home to Morocco's two main beach resorts.

The beach at Agadir resembles in many ways that of a European seaside resort, with long expanses of white sand, beach loungers and parasols and a warm, inviting sea. Agadir is rightly popular for family holidays and offers a variety of reasonably priced hotels and self-catering accommodation.

The town itself is something of a disappointment, the original settlement having been destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake in the 1960s and rebuilt in a modern style which lacks the charm of a traditional Moroccan town. The other main tourist resort on Morocco's Southern Atlantic coast is Essaouira, which is a mecca for watersports enthusiasts.

Again, the resort boasts fine sandy beaches, but the combination of strong winds, high seas and cool water temperatures provides conditions that are inimicable for family beach holidays, but ideal for both surfing and windsurfing. Indeed, Essaouira is recognized as one of the premier locations in the northern hemisphere for both surfers and windsurfers, although it is definitely not somewhere for the novice to take to the waves!

Morocco's Nothern Atlantic Coast Stretching northwards from Casablanca is Morocco's Northern Atlantic coast, which is both less popular and less populous than the coast south of Casablanca. In fact, those who visit will find that the Northern Atlantic coast has beaches that are quite the equal of those further south - what it lacks is well-developed tourist infrastructure which means that it has escaped the attention of the major tour operators.

Dotted along the coast are a number of small towns, such as Mehdya and Moulay Bousselham, which are popular holiday resorts for Moroccans, who arrive in droves from Rabat and Kenitra. The Mediterranean Coast Morocco's Mediterranean coast is perhaps the most appealing for holidaymakers, offering a combination of sandy beaches and sheltered coves suitable for a family seaside holiday, and traditional Moroccan coastal towns offering reasonably priced accommodation.

Resorts popular with families include Ksar-es-Seghir, a small town with a pleasant sandy beach, and Al-Hoceima, which is stretched along a sweeping bay lined with traditional whitewashed Moroccan dwellings, and has a fishing harbour and a number of beaches, of which Plage Quemado is particularly appealing. Saidia is a favourite holiday resort with Moroccans, on account of its fine beach, but is liable to get very busy during the height of the summer. The Rif For those that do not want to spend all day every day on the beach, the inland area adjoining the Mediterranean coast, The Rif, offers a varied, lush landscape of almond trees, olive groves and native forest which appeals to hikers and nature lovers.