holidays in morocco 2013

PLACES TO STAY IN MOROCCO


WHEN TO GO
If you’re looking for a bit of sun, Morocco is a good bet year-round. In Marrakech, temperatures peak at just under 40°C in July. Either side of summer, days are milder – think 22°C to 28°C. And in winter, temperatures sit in the high teens. In Agadir, sea breezes keep things a bit cooler. July tends to peak at around 27°C, while the mercury sits in the low 20s during the winter. You’ll see a bit more rain from November through to March, but it’s usually just the odd showery day here and there.

View all places to stay 

MARRAKECH

Souks stacked with spices. Mosques with towering minarets. And street scenes starring acrobats and snake-charmers. Marrakech – AKA the Red City – is worlds away from your average Med resort, but that’s all part of the pull. And at less than a four-hour hop from the UK, it’s closer than you think.

• ClubHotel Riu Tikida Palmeraie
• Riu Tikida Garden

AGADIR

When you think Agadir’s got a sunshine record of 300 days a year, it’s not surprising most people home in on the beach here. And, thankfully, this stretch really delivers. It spools the coast for nine kilometres, and the sand is about as soft and powdery as it gets. The beach is well stocked in the watersports department, too. Wind- and kite-surfing are the two big favourites, thanks to trade winds coming off the Atlantic. And just behind the sands you’ve got seafood stalls churning out ocean-fresh sardines.

• ClubHotel Riu Tikida Dunas
• Hotel Riu Tikida Beach
• Caribbean Village Agador

AT A GLANCEClubHotel Riu Tikida Palmeraie
Riu Tikida Garden

Mingle with snake charmers in Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fna
Kick back on Agadir’s long sandy beach
Sign up for a 4x4 desert adventure












Arabic charm
This piece of the North African puzzle is less than four hours from the UK, but it couldn’t be more different. Snake charmers and acrobats fill city squares, camels strut along sandy beaches, and maze-like souks are piled high with lanterns and carpets.

Marrakech
City-wise, Marrakech is the big cheese. In the medina a rabbit-warren of souks surrounds the chaotic heart of the city, Jemaa el-Fna. This centre-of-it-all square is the place to be come sundown. Beyond the medina walls, meanwhile, the High Atlas Mountains are within day-tripping distance.

Agadir
Over on the Atlantic coast you’ve got Agadir. It’s got a 10-kilometre stretch of sand, a crumbling Kasbah and a lively marina to shout about.

Essaouira
Drive two hours north and you’ll hit Essaouira – the former stomping ground of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley. This seaside town has a chilled-out vibe, with an artsy medina and a breezy beach that’s great for windsurfers.




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morocco travel

Morocco’s forgotten mountain range

 

Explore the extraordinary Anti Atlas massif, a dusty landscape just two hours from Agadir, where the indigenous Berber people have preserved their long-established lifestyle.

 

North of the Sahara and east of the Atlantic shore is the least known of Morocco’s great mountain ranges. Meet the people of the Anti Atlas, for whom walking is a way of life.

 

Travel beyond the souqs to learn about this Moroccan city’s architecture, traditions and culture.

The walls that surrounds Morocco’s best-preserved medina hide a maze of narrow streets, 13th-century buildings and busy markets.

 

Experience a meld of North African, Berber, Arab and French culture in a city both ancient and modern.

 

A rundown of recommended cookery schools in the Moroccan city where you can learn to create a Moroccan diffa, or feast, from scratch.

Moroccan Cuisine

Moroccan Cuisine

The foods of Morocco take great advantage of the natural bounty of a country where eating is both a practical and social ritual. The cooks in the kitchens of the four royal cities (Fez, Meknes, Marrakech and Rabat) helped to refine Moroccan cuisine and create 

the basis for what we know as Moroccan cuisine today. The midday meal is the main meal, except during the holy month of Ramadan, and abundant servings are the norm. The meal usually begins with a series of hot and cold salads which are followed by a
tagine, or stew. The heartiest plate, often a lamb or chicken dish, is next, followed by a heaping plate of couscous topped with meats and vegetables. A soothing cup of sweet mint tea is the grace note to this repast. It is not uncommon for Moroccans to eat
using the first three fingers of a hand, and to use bread as a "utensil."
The Moroccans are quick to point out that the best meals are found not in the restaurants but in the homes. In this land of good and abundant food, the emphasis is clearly on preparing your own. It is worth mentioning that women do virtually all of the cooking 

in this very traditional country

Key Ingredients
Moroccan cuisine is rich in spices, only natural when you consider the ages-old spice trade from Arabia to North Africa. Spices here are used to enhance, not mask, the flavor of food. The following spices are among the most commonly used:
Saffron, Cinnamon, Cumin, ground Ginger, Paprika,
Black pepper and Sesame seed  Herbs also play an important role in Moroccan food, chief among them the following:
Parsley, Green coriander, Cilantro  
 The Moroccan table also makes good use of the following ingredients:
Onions, garlic, preserved lemons, couscous, filo dough, eggs, chick-peas, olives, orange flower waters and honey
Moroccan Favorites
You are probably quite likely to find the following items at a Moroccan banquet. If so, consider yourself lucky, for you'll be eating some of the most delicious food around.
Salads
 A fresh, cool salad is often served at the start of a meal. Among the most commonly served are a tomato and green pepper salad, a mixed herb salad, eggplant salad.
Bastela
This traditional savory pastry is made in three layers:
a layer of shredded chicken is topped with eggs which are curdled in a lemony onion sauce and further topped with a dusting of sweetened almonds. The whole is enclosed in filo dough and topped by a layer of cinnamon and sugar.
Couscous
 These are fine semolina grains which are plumped by steaming them over a simmering stew. The grains are then piled on a large platter, with the stew heaped on top.  It is often served with either lamb or chicken and topped with an assortment of vegetables.
Poultry
Some of the tastiest dishes in Moroccan cookery involve chicken, which can be steamed, broiled or fried and is often accompanied with vegetables.
Chicken with lemon and olives is the classic preparation, while a chicken tagine cooked with butter, onions, pepper, saffron, chick-peas, and lemon is also popular. Chickens are also prepared stuffed with raisins, almonds, and honey sauce.
Meat 
Lamb is king on the Moroccan table, especially roasted lamb, which is as tender and flavorful as you will find. It can also be braised, browned, steamed or served on skewers, the latter commonly known as shish kebab. Lamb or beef which has been generously
spiced, placed on a skewer and broiled Also, lamb tagines are prepared with an assortment of vegetables and some even use fruits such as dried plums.
Desserts
Pastries which sre stuffed with almond paste and topped with sugar, while honey cakes are pretzel-shaped pieces of dough which are deep-fried, dipped into a piping-hot pot of honey and then sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Mint tea
Green tea is steeped and then laced with sugar and fresh spearmint. The resulting brew is a minty, sweet, and very tasty.