Agadir or Essaouria?

[Arwen]

Could anyone advise me please? which out of these two Agadir or Essouria would be the best to base ones stay? As I have not yet visited Morocco I'm unsure as to the geography and distances involved. I would like to be near the sea, within distance to visit Marakesh and the desert. preferably using local transport. I could I expect get this information from books etc. but would prefer to hear of other peoples experience.

Many thanks in anticipation of any replies. Kind regards.

[urmoroccanfrien]

Hello Arwen,Essaouira is the best place to spend a night in ,and it is close to the beach,too, like Agadir.You can do an excursion from marrakech from which you can see the desert,too.All the best

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by urmoroccanfrien

Hello Arwen,Essaouira is the best place to spend a night in ,and it is close to the beach,too, like Agadir.You can do an excursion from marrakech from which you can see the desert,too.All the best

Hello and thank you for your reply. I will check out Essaouria and see what I can find. Hopefully I shall be in touch regards the desert tours.

[urmoroccanfrien]

Hello Arwen,
If you want ,we can provide the excursion for 2 days /1 night to Essaouira for you.You can choose between going to Essaouira firstly or later after visitng the desert.Most people prefer the desert first then spend a night in Essouira enjoying the sea food and the beach though it is very cold all the time as it is considered the windy city of Morocco.From Marrakech to Essaouira is about 3 hours plus stops along the way , it will be about 4 hours.There are people who can do the excursion in 1 day ,but it depends of your time.In ESSAOUIRA, you will have a visit of the old Medina and old things of the city.All the best

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by urmoroccanfrien

Hello Arwen,
If you want ,we can provide the excursion for 2 days /1 night to Essaouira for you.You can choose between going to Essaouira firstly or later after visitng the desert.Most people prefer the desert first then spend a night in Essouira enjoying the sea food and the beach though it is very cold all the time as it is considered the windy city of Morocco.From Marrakech to Essaouira is about 3 hours plus stops along the way , it will be about 4 hours.There are people who can do the excursion in 1 day ,but it depends of your time.In ESSAOUIRA, you will have a visit of the old Medina and old things of the city.All the best

Thank you for this information. I plan to have 2 weeks in Morcco in early June. We like to spend time at the beach and to swim in the sea, Do you think Essaouria would be a good place to base oneself? I was looking to book a hotel and do trips Desert, Marrakesh etc. from there. Not sure I like the idea of the "cold wind" Remind me please where are your tours based? My sister, who I shall be travelling with, thinks she would only like a short trip in the desert...I intend to change her mind on this as I would like to spend maybe 2 or 3 days Medina sounds good. Thanks again.

[urmoroccanfrien]

Hello Arwen,
Well,since it is June,I think Essaouira is still cold, then Agadir will be the best solution.It is still worth to be visited.For us we can pick you up from anywhere and to anywhere in Morocco.We can provide 2 days excursion to Essaouira,then go down to Agadir so that to enjoy the beach.If you need more time in Agadir you can stay as many days as possible and when ou want to come back,we can bring you to Marrakech so that to not to hire us for 2 full weeks as the budget will be higher.if you are in msn we can have a chat and you are allowed to send me a private message.Kind regards

[john9159]

Looks like some posters here are touting as guides in which case I advise you to ignore them; you do not need a guide for either Agadir or Essaouira.
My observations of both are as follows:
Agadir is a modern town which was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake; it was built with tourism in mind but sadly the Swiss architects gave no consideration to its former appearance and hence it could easily be mistaken for any Mediterranean resort. The tourist area is clean and very presentable, like a picture-postcard in places.
The tourist sector comprises three main roads parallel to one another; Avenue Hassan II, Ave Mohammed V and Boulevard du 20 Aout. These are where the main hotels and restaurants of Agadir are situated and getting about on foot is easy as the area is really quite small.
Although Agadir is modern, there are still sights worth seeing, these being the port, the souk and the kasbah. The kasbah is an old fortress overlooking the town and visible for miles around. A tour of the city takes about three hours and should include a visit to the local museum, a stop at a mosque, a visit to the port to see the catch coming in and to see boat building, a visit up to the kasbah where many were buried by the earthquake and subsequently left, and a visit to Souk al Had which covers four sqare kilometres.
Typical trips on offer from Agadir are Marrakech for one or two days; Agadir city tour; Tafraout & Tiznit including an ascent into the Atlas Mountains; a Berber soire; a visit to Essaouira; half day trip to Taroudant, described as a miniature version of Marrakech; camel or horse trekking and others. Trips into the desert are also possible but these are usually for two days. Watching the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean is not to be missed whilst enjoying an ice cream from Ice Legend on the promenade.
Other attractions here include the Valee de Oiseaux, a bird and wildlife sanctuary but conditions for large birds of prey and Macaque monkeys are totally inadequate; the Petit Train will give a tour of the area; the beach with its reputed 11Km of golden sand and La Medina d'Agadir which is a reproduction of the old medina.
Tipping is not obligatory although Moroccans will generally be very happy with a few dirhams but some deserve more than others - waiters get tipped regularly although the door man of a hotel gets little so certainly deserves some consideration. Chamber maids and cleaning staff also get next to nothing in wages as Moroccans are paid very poorly, typically €5 per day.
There's no shortage of restaurants in the tourist sector but the better class are found on Boulevard du 20 Aout, close to the beach front hotels. Top of my list are Le Jazz with live entertainment, Catanzaro and Fouquet. La Scala is frequented by the King of Morocco although the place would then be closed to visitors.
There are western style eateries, in particular McDonalds and Pizza Hut. In the Talborjt district, where the local people live, eat and shop, are many restaurants offering three course meals for 45Dh. One should, however, avoid the Bab Marrakech who offer family size portions and charge accordingly, even though you may eat alone and only expect a smaller helping; 150Dh is not uncommon.
Water should only be drunk from bottles which will cost around 6Dh for 1.5L and is available from street kiosks, local shops or Hyper Marjane. Do not drink tap water, only use it to wash with or clean your teeth. If you buy water from a hotel, you will pay far too much, 15 or 18Dh is typical for 1.5L.

Essaouira is a coastal town which I always recommend, located North of Agadir about three hours drive it has a great beach. It is a popular destination for day-trippers from Agadir and it is far more relaxing with less hassle from traders and has good restaurants in spite of this being quite a small place.
Like Agadir it too has a port and associated fish restaurants but always ask what you are expected to pay as the prices on display are only a guide and as we are tourists, we are there to be fleeced.
A word of warning if going by coach; as soon as you get off there are quite a few guys waiting to be your guide or escort you to your hotel, they are not easy to shake off.
Shopping is good as things here are cheaper than Agadir and there are many small markets along Avenue de L'Istiqlal and Ave Zerltouni and it is steeped in history.
Many traders come out onto streets in the evening which helps to liven things up considerably.
Accommodation can be either inexpensive rooms or expensive apartments in the medina (many will not have a pool) from 100Dh (€10) or less upto 1000Dh (€100). There are tourist hotels just outside of the medina, like the Sofitel at 2000Dh per night or Hotel Des Iles at about 900Dh per night.
I 've stayed at Jacks Apartments and the (Moroccan) Sahara Hotel.
Maps of Essaouira and Agadir available to study if you are interested.