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A place you must go – Tifnit Village

November 14, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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: , , , , , ,

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: , , , , ,

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 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: , , , ,

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: , , , ,

Houses on the beach, well actually in a cave!

June 18, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

Morocco never fails to surprise. When we were in Tifnit, Marek of Hollycow Surf Camps said that he wanted to show me something I would be amazed at, so we left the road and followed dirt track along the coast, about 10km south of Tifnit. I really had no idea where we were going; all I could see was a beautiful sea view from the cliff top road.

We pulled up and stopped at the edge of a pathway leading down to the beach. I thought I was going to be shown a secret fishing place, but as I followed him down the stairs (which had been cut into the rocks), a small village appeared – but one with a major difference!

This village had been built out of the cliff face! Apparently years ago, fishermen used to live in these caves, pretty much all their lives, being passed from father to son.  The King had declared that the caves were the property of the fishermen and not the state, so could be sold. There are some rules which do apply to what can be built, but everybody who has bought a cave wants to keep the natural beauty of the area untouched.

We were invited in to see the bedrooms, living area and kitchen of one of the houses and I have today whilst basic, it was very adequate and comfortable. There is a spring so fresh water is available in or near each cave and the view is spectacular. If you want a new room, you just have to dig it out…how cool is that!

Here are a few pictures of this amazing place, which incidentally does not have a name..so  you can just vanish if you want to! I just have to go back and spend some time here – its amazing.

 

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

You must explore when in Morocco

June 17, 2011 By GrahamChapple 1 Comment

One thing you must do when you come to morocco, that’s explore.

It’s all too easy to stay in the villa, hotel, on the beach or just go to the same places all the time, but you are missing out on a whole load of experiences and sights of true morocco.

On my trip this time, I met up with Marek and Michal of Hollycow surf camps. I have been emailing Marek for about a year now and he rents the villa as a base for his tours and surfing safaris as he prefers Aourir as a base rather than Taghazout which has become too much for the surf tourist.

Marek was due to arrive from Marrakech in the early evening, but some mechanical problems meant he did not arrive until about 3am, hence we did not chat much! However the next day we caught up on loads of things, but one thing we had chatted about before was favorite places to suggest to our clients staying at the villa. Without hesitation, Marek said that we must go to Tifnit, a small un-spoilt fishing village only 50km south of Agadir.

So after a hearty breakfast, off we went. Now it turns out I have driven past this turning many times, but always on the way to somewhere else. Anyway, on this occasion, we drove the 10km from the main N1 to Tan Tan down to Tifnit. As we drove over the crest of the mountain, I was met with an amazing view of this small fishing village. Whilst there was some tourist activity (more like locals really), the rest of the village was very un-spoilt, particularly on the other side of the village away from any car park.

Marek seemed to know everybody as we made our way through the village to a small restaurant right on the beach. It was truly un-spoilt and the welcome was very warm indeed. The owner known as Bob spoke good English which surprised me for such a small village, normally it is just French or Arabic.

We soon attracted quite a crowd, the village Mayor arrived, then a really nice guy, who turned out to be a language lecturer and had spent many years in New York University teaching Arabic and English. Nothing can happen in the village without the Major’s consent so he is a really good guy to keep on your side.

A party soon broke out, as did a bottle of whiskey, and lunch was prepared for us to enjoy, octopus tagine, followed by  spider crab … We never managed the small shark which wagoing to be prepared for us – a local delicacy – as lunch was massive.

All too soon it was time for us to go, but we spent quite a few hours in pleasant conversation, in the midst of some amazing scenery and met some new people and contacts which we would never have discovered.

Incidentally, Ridley Scott is a regular visitor to this area and has made several films in this part of morocco. He always stays in the village when he comes.

Enjoy a few photos and go and visit. They are very welcoming and need the trade so go. Go with Marek at Hollycom or go on your own with Holidays Morocco – either way just go!

 

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

Fruit trees flourish at Villa Ramalah

June 17, 2011 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

When we renovated villa Ramalah, one of the most important things we wanted to achieve is to preserve the existing trees and bushes in the garden. During the building work some of the plants were damaged, but luckily after a few years they are now back to full health. One sign of this is that for the first time, we have bananas on the banana trees. Whilst they are fairly hardy, all conditions must be just right for them to produce fruit, so I was delighted when I saw a huge bunch of immature bananas hanging off the tree.

This region is famous for it’s banana production and they are the lovely small, sweet bananas that everybody loves. Behind the villa, the fields are full of banana trees. The beach out the front of the villa is called banana beach as well, apparently named by Jimmie Hendrix. This was one of his favorite areas and he had a house at the top of the village at some point.

Also, our pomegranate or grenadine tree is in full fruit too. This gorgeous fruit is very popular in morocco. It is full of succulent gel covered seeds which taste amazing. This hushed produced a few fruits last year but has really flourished this year producing many flowers and fruits, which hopefully will be fully formed on our return in October, providing Hassan has not eaten all of them!

One thing there is no shortage of in Aourir is the fantastically fresh fish from this rugged coastline. If, like me, you prefer to catch your own, then fishing is a very popular way of life in Aourir and there is plenty of local advice on how to catch them. I have enjoyed many a great meal after an evenings fishing, all thanks to Hassan and his uncle’s help and encouragement! We had these two for lunch – amazing flavour and a fresh as you can get – perfect!

If fishing is not for you, walk up the village to the daily fish Market and buy whatever you like…don’t forget to haggle though or you will pay over the odds!

For a beach front holiday with a difference, contact us now for a holiday of a lifetime in morocco.

 

Filed Under: Agadir, Beach Front Villas, Fishing, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco Holiday Tagged With: , ,

There are some things you just can’t get away from..

November 30, 2010 By GrahamChapple Leave a Comment

It seems that where ever you go in the World, there are just a few things you cannot escape from.

The same applies to Agadir in Morocco. This fantastic city is filled with Moroccan and North African culture, amazing sights including snake charmers, spices, the Souks – basically everything you would image to be in a lively and exciting country.

Then you drive along the main coastal road in Agadir and come across a drive through MacDonalds and an English Pub!

And guess what, the only people you see in either one are tourists!

With all the other delights on offer in Agadir, beach front restaurants offering everything from fabulous seafood to colourful and tasty tagines and local beers and wines (which are excellent and must be tried), why would anybody go for a MacDonalds (the local offering is the Arabic Burger!) or even worse to an English Pub serving all day breakfasts!

No accounting for tastes, but if that’s your kind of thing then you are really missing out on Morocco!

For a real taste of what Morocco has to offer, why not Contact Us Now and have a stay in the traditional fishing village of Aourir, 10km North of Agadir.

Filed Under: Agadir, Holidays in Morocco, Morocco Holiday, Villas in Morocco

A very funny video about cheap flights

November 23, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

I am not one for these videos really, but a good friend forwarded this to me as he knows how much I love / hate Ireland’s Favourite airline.

The clip is quite long, but the first 2 minutes are very funny and well worth a watch – its for all you travellers out there who have yet to experience flying with low cost airlines.

Anyway, take a look and see what you think – Enjoy!

Filed Under: Cheap Flights to Morocco, Morocco Holiday
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