Holiday in Morocco, Villa in Morocco, Beach Front Villa Agadir

A New Marina for Aourir

March 18, 2012 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

As I have said lots of times before, things happen very quickly in Morocco!

When we were over last October, there was lots of new building projects going on; basically the King had decreed that any land could be built upon as long as local labour was used, the land was then given for free. So as you can imagine, builders were in high demand and buildings were going up everywhere.

Then a few things changed. Not really sure what but the next thing we know is that most of the buildings that were built were being demolished. Not really sure why, but it was a bit of a surprise. In away it is good that all the work stopped as it was all just getting too much. One story I heard was that over 6000 new constructions were happening in Aourir alone, and this is a small fishing village.

Anyway, the next update was that a Marina was planned right on the beachfront between the surf schools and the hillside – just at the end of the market square. This is a great spot for a development as it is in clear view of the main N1 road, thus drawing people into the village.

We are out in Aourir in a few weeks so will be able to give some updates, however here are a few pictures of the planned development and the site with construction underway.

We think this will be really good for the local economy of Aourir, bringing much needed work and tourists to the village. It is also just far enough away from Agadir to have its own personality for want of a better description. I am really looking forward to seeing it and hearing what the plans are for the rest of the village.

Recent Refurbishments now completed

February 15, 2012 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

When you own a property by the sea, one thing you have to do is constantly refurbish and paint everything! On our last trip over to Villa Ramallah, we noticed the paint was starting to peal off the front walls and roof terrace, so we contacted our builders to ask advise on the best way to stop this happening. After a meeting and a bit of arm waving, it was decided to stipple the wall with new render and a different grade of paint, more suitable to the harsh conditions of sea, wind and sun.

We also wanted to do some more decoration inside the villa – we want to create an authentic Moroccan experience for our guests, specifically based on the region. Decorative tiling is very common in all homes in Aourir, so we decided to increase the tiling, and give the rest of the house a lick of paint at the same time. We also upgraded the water pump in the well – it had a few problems over the last year, so we wanted to fix it once and for all.

So after the obligatory haggling over the prices, the tea of course and a firm handshake, the plans were launched.

The only stipulation was that the work must start almost straight away, which we decided was not a problem. Little did we know that the remaining week of our holiday would be living in a building site!

The next morning, we were woken at 6:30am to the sound of lots of shouting and hammering – I jumped out of bed and ran outside – only to be greeted by the builder and his merry band!

Then the hammering started….3 days solid of chipping off the old render, making good the wals ready for tiling and then the dust…my god the dust!

So for the remaining week of our holiday, we went out from 7am until 6pm everyday, visited loads of places and ate everywhere – as it happens we did more than normal and met lots of new people so in fact it literally got us out of the house!

Anyway, we are delighted with the results – the villa looks amazing and hopefully we will not have to do any further maintenance like this for many years to come.

Why not go over and see yourself – contact us at Holidays Morocco now for your beach front villa in Agadir.

Enjoy the pictures:

Filed Under: Beach Front Villas Tagged With: Agadir, Aourir, Beach Front Villas, holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Holidays, Morocco, Villas in Morocco

Visit the Souk in Agadir

November 26, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

No trip to Agadir can be complete without a trip into the ancient Grand Souk El Had in Agadir.

The Grand Souk El Had is pretty easy to find, but rather than stress about it, just hail a Petite Taxi (the small orange ones), say a prayer and climb in. Don’t forget to haggle about the price before you get in though – from the beach front is should only be a few Dirhams for 2 of you.

The first view you will get is the pink colored walls of the old fort which houses the Souk – you will almost certainly be dropped off at gate 8 or 10, this is where there is a small car park. One thing to be aware of is the number of “guides” who will all tell you they are government approved etc – choose one if you want to as they will be very entertaining and informative, but beware, they will take you to several friends shops to show you some bargains, have tea etc – but it will cost you.

On our first visit to the Souk, we took a guide and paid the price at the spice seller friend….but lessons learnt!

The Souk has everything you can imagine. From ceramics, fruit and veg, livestock, fish, shoes , gold, leather….you name it or want it and you can find it. There are literally thousands of shops. If you have done your homework and want something specific, do work out a price before you go, as unfortunately they will try and increase the prices for tourists. Just be prepared to walk away and not show you want the goods you are after – they will sell it if they want to and make a profit.

Our big tip is to be friendly and speak to the shop keepers, whilst it takes longer to do a tour around, you will be less stressed and not look like a tourist!

On our last visit, we went with Layla, a friend from the village. Going with a local Berber speaking person changed everything and the prices seemed to tumble to unbelievable levels, so go with Hassan or ask him to sort out going with Layla for a girlie trip to the Souk.

Set aside a good few hours just to mill around – it does get quite crowded despite the size of it, but its all under cover and reasonably cool inside. You will really feel the culture and experience Moroccan life in here – so enjoy it.

For a holiday with a difference, go to Morocco and stay at Villa Ramalah, our beach front villa in Aourir near Agadir – contact us now for availability and prices.

Filed Under: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Explore Morocco, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco, Shopping in Morocco, Souks, Villas in Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Holidays, Shopping in Morocco, Souks in Morocco, Villas in Morocco

A place you must go – Tifnit Village

November 14, 2011 By admin 2 Comments

Every time we go to Agadir, I am drawn back to Tifnit, a small unspoilt fishing village about 40Km South of Agadir. Why? well its simple – the place is just beautiful and very peaceful.

Earlier this year I was introduced to the village and some of the people who live here – one who stands out is Baba (or Bob) who owns the most tiny restaurant on the far side of the village. If you did not know if was there, you would just walk past, so when you go just ask to be taken to Baba’s and you will be sure of a warm welcome.

This time, I took my wife with me. We had planned to take some friends, but as their trip was so short we just did not have time to go – we ran them around everywhere and with so much to see in Morocco, something had to give.

One thing you have to do is just chill. The beach in front of the restaurant is small and empty and the sea is cool and refreshing. Beach chairs are always available and Bob will look after all your stuff so its safe for all the family.

The food is picked straight off the boats and Bob will sort you out with a fantastic meal – just be open minded as the facilities are basic – but thats all part of the experience. One thing is everything is freshly cooked and just wonderful.

When we were there, a group of French people came to the restaurant looking a bit apprehensive, but after a chat, we re-assured them all was fine – they were soon tucking into octopus, sardines and crab!

As with all Moroccans, everybody is really friendly and want to engage with you – so just go with the flow and chat with them…you never know what will come out of it!

We are planning our next trip to Tifnit in April for Karen’s birthday – a great way to spend a day, fishing, lying on the beach, swimming and eating fabulous food!

For a beach front villa in Agadir, contact Holidays Morocco now for availability and prices.

Filed Under: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Cheap Flights to Morocco, Explore Morocco, Fishing, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco, Morocco Holiday, travel in Morocco, Villas in Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Fishing in Morocco, holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Holidays, Travel Tips, Villas in Morocco

The Market in Aourir

October 30, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

One thing you must do when in Aourir or Agadir is visit the village market. Each week, traders appear in the make shift market place near the beach and set up stall selling everything you can imagine.

From fresh fruit and veg to clothes, pots and pans, food, honey, bric a brac …everything. The market in Aourir starts about 7am in the morning and continues all day, with locals travelling in from all over to buy produce for the week.

You can really nail a bargain or two, the language barrier, whilst difficult to overcome, should not stop you having a go at haggling for your purchase. We speak reasonable French, and some Arabic, but the locals speak Berber mostly – so much hand waving and gesturing goes down well and they always enjoy dealing with you as you are trying!

The market is a mere stones throw away from Villa Ramalah, so we urge all guests to go and experience the market and buy your produce here rather than at the supermarket – its tons cheaper and better quality anyhow.

Tomatoes, courgettes, potatoes, onions and peppers are so cheap – you will pay about 30 pence a kilo. Also, buy your spices here too – Ras el Hanout (a blend of all types of spices ideal for tagines) is 1/3 the price you will find in the souk in Agadir and cumin and turmeric also very cheap too.

It is a bit daunting as the hustle and bustle of this market is unbelievable – as well as the noise – but that’s all a part of it really and a true experience. One interesting incident that happened to me was that I haggled a price for some spices, paid the money over and had a good friendly exchange with the trader, paid him the money and walked off. A few minutes later, he came running down the market shouting at me…I really thought I was in trouble then … only to give me some change and a gift! Amazing – that would not happen in London or Birmingham!

Anyway, its a “must try” experience and one you will enjoy!

For a beach front villa in Agadir Morocco – Contact Holidays Morocco Now!

Filed Under: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco, Morocco Holiday, Shopping in Morocco, Villas in Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Holidays, holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Holidays, Villas in Morocco

Wonderful weather in Agadir

October 7, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

After a short flight from England to Agadir, you will see why so many people are choosing to come to Morocco now rather than other destinations like Spain or France.

We arrived about 6:30pm and as you walked off the plane, the heat just hits you. This time of the year, there is a lovely breeze blowing which take the edge off the heat, but it’s still 28 degrees at this time of night.

Some would say it’s too hot, but the nights are cooler making sleep easy, but the sun during the day if fantastic, ensuring the cold weather of England is left far behind.

You do, of course, need to take sun precautions, a good factor 30 cream and a hat are essential – getting sun burnt is just not a good idea. The African sun is hot and very direct so will burn you unless you take care.

Yesterday, we spent the day in Essaourira, a small but beautiful city on the coast, famed for its fishing and blue decor, and enjoyed a relaxed lunch in the sun, topping up the tan.

So get rid of the winter blues, jump on a plane and go to Morocco for a guaranteed sun tan

Filed Under: Beach Front Villas, Explore Morocco, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, beach holidays, Morocco

Villa Ramalah – interior refurbishment completed

August 4, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

We always want Villa Ramalah to be that home from home for our guests, so each year we re-decorate and change the villa.

This year we wanted to make it even more authentic Moroccan design, so we asked our good friends Laurence and Michel to come up with some ideas to change the look and feel – adding that extra special touch. They are always so good at this, we leave them to just do it. The results are fantastic and we are so pleased.

Basically, Moroccan villas are typically tiled, so we decided to follow suit.

We wanted a feature wall in the lounge area to reflect local decor – each region does it differently, so we wanted to capture the flavour of Agadir. The bedrooms were not quite so important to be decorative, but we wanted cool and clean so this also matched perfectly.

The pictures are amazing, so we cannot wait to see it all in October when we are off on a tour with some other friends from Hollycow Surf Camps – Marek and crew – to do some exploring – will keep you posted on new venues and places to go once we have been there.

Enjoy the pictures – and don’t forget to contact us for that special beach front villa holiday you always promise yourself in Agadir, Morocco!

Filed Under: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Adventure, Morocco, Morocco Holiday, Surfer holidays, Villas in Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Moroccan Holidays, Villas in Morocco

Agadir Beachfront renovations completed

June 19, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

When I was last in Agadir, they were doing an amazing amount of work on the sea front, most had been complete especially the restaurant areas, but the shop fronts were still needing some work.

On arrival this week, they certainly have been very busy and all the roads were. Now completed, the pavement were finished and most of the shops had been renovated. Some have closed, but are being replaced with a large sea view gym, new shops, a couple of restaurants and a new nightclub.

The beach is still just beautiful, with plenty of space and activities always going on, and it is very clean and safe for the kids etc. I personally do not like this sort of beach, and in Aourir we do have some very quite and secluded beaches – away from crowds and people where we can swim and body board in peace – hence our decision not to buy in Agadir but in a smaller village 10 km up the road. Close enough to be in the thick of it, but far enough away as not to have the crowds – the best of both worlds for guests at Villa Ramalah.

I am always shocked at just how quickly things happen, the amount of new buildings going up around the town is incredible, most are offices and shops, but as you move more away from the city, lots of flats and houses are springing up everywhere.

Also, they have completely re-laid a 10km stretch of the N1 from Agadir to Aourir, put in central reservations, planted 100′s of palm trees and bushes and put in two new roundabouts… All in under 6 months! Now here is crazy tip for UK road constructors – why not work with all the service providers to get ducts and pipes in BEFORE you lay a new service – this is exactly what has been done on this stretch of road so it will not have to be dug up again..simples!

Filed Under: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco Holiday, travel in Morocco, Villas in Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Holidays, Surfing holidays

Argan Oil – Where does it come from?

June 19, 2011 By GrahamChapple 1 Comment

Argan Fruit on the tree

You may have heard of Argan Oil but do you know anything about it, where it comes from and what it even looks like? I guess, probably not, unless you are into beauty therapies or have been to Agadir in Morocco.

The Argan tree is very specific to the south of Morocco, and abounds in Agadir and the surrounding local area. It is very selective in its choice of soil and many projects have been undertaken to introduce these trees elsewhere and failed due to this very fussy tree.

It is totally wild and cannot be cultivated, some things in this world should just remain wild really, and this is one of them. The bushes are very unassuming, and unless you knew what it was, you would think it was probably another olive tree or similar type bush.

What makes this tree so special is the fruit it produces, or rather the seeds and oil that is produced from them. Getting the oil out is no easy matter and it has to be ground out using a series of grinding stones, oh and by hand as well just to make it harder.

As you drive through the region, you will see these bushes; most are loaded with bright yellow fruit pods. These are totally inedible to humans; however goat seems to love them. You will often see goats in the trees, perching on the thinnest branches to get at the small leaves and the fruit.

Argan Trees along the coast road near Agadir

Harvesting takes place when the fruits change colour from yellow to brown, where various methods are used from picking up the fallen to actually knocking the seeds down and gathering the seeds from the goat faeces, which apparently make the best oil!

Goat in an Argan tree

The husks are cracked and the small seeds inside are extracted. These seeds are then ground by small hand powered specially shaped grinding stones to produce the oil. This process takes ages and is done in phases until the finest pulp is ground, producing the oil.

The oil can be used in cooking, added to salads or mixed with ground almonds and honey for a delicious Moroccan breakfast or snack. It is also heated up and cooked then used in the finest skin care treatments and cosmetics. The oil is said to possess good medical properties and the cosmetics are very good for the skin.

All the work is done by women and as you drive towards Marrakesh on the old road you will see the woman’s cooperative which sells authentically produced Argan oil and Argan products, so this is the place to buy from if you want Argan products.

Whilst very expensive, the products are wonderful and last a very long time, so well worth buying. The edible oils are perfect on salads and added to cous cous for that authentic taste of Morocco. So why not buy some and help support the local economy of the Agadir region.

For you Moroccan beach front holiday, contact Holidays Morocco now for prices and availablilty.

Filed Under: Argan Oil, Beach Front Villas, Explore Morocco, Holidays in Morocco, Moroccan Adventure, Morocco Holiday, Villas in Morocco Tagged With: Agadir, Argan Oil, Beach Front Villas, Moroccan Holidays, Villas in Morocco

Places to visit in Morocco – Imsouane

June 19, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Deserted beach at Tamri

The north road, the N1 from Agadir towards Essaouira, offers some of the most stunning scenery in Morocco. The road closely follows the Atlantic coast for approximately 60km before going up a spectacular mountain pass, offering unsurpassed views from a few vantage points along the way. You are now in true Morocco, away from everything.

This Coastal road snakes it’s way along the coastline, going though villages like Taghazout, famous for it’s surfing community, Paradise Beach with the Altantique Restaurant, always serving the best and freshest seafood and fish available and some great little spots to stop off and watch the sea, fish or swim.

As you pass the lighthouse, the road and terrain changes to more desert like, then you go slightly inland to the small village of Tamri, a fertile valley which grows massive amounts of fruit and vegetables to supply the local population. This also has a fabulous hidden beach entrance which takes you down to a cove where the surf is excellent and you will be pretty much on your own. Just be careful to stick to the hard roads because you will get stuck in the sand and it’s a long walk back to get help.

I have also been told about a bird sanctuary near the village but could not find it, so another reason to come back again!

One place to visit along this road is Imsouane, a small self contained fishing village perched right on the edge of the Atlantic. Literally, this village is the first turning on the left from Agadir but it’s about 90km until you get to it!

The road to the village is basically a single track road, so you must be especially careful along here. As you drive along it, there is one spot you must stop and take in the view. It offers a panoramic view both up and down the coast from a height of about 400mt so don’t go too close to the edge!

As you approach the village, you will see this has been built up towards the rear of he village as this is a popular place for holiday homes, however the closer you get to the village centre, you will see the true village. On the day I visited, one of the famous winds was playing havoc with everything, so unfortunately most of the restaurants were closed, but I am told the seafood is excellent and the locals are very friendly.

Right on the harbor entrance, some houses have been built into the sea wall … This all looks a little too scary to me and I would not want to stay in one of these houses!

It’s well worth the drive to see this place, despite extremely strong winds which often happen in this village, there are some great looking places to eat and spend some time in.

Why not book your beach front villa holiday now – contact Holidays Morocco to check availability of our spacious and comfortable villa which sleeps up to 8 people.