On the Beach

This week I have been visiting Agadir with some friends. Agadir has long been famous as a beach resort with almost guaranteed sunshine all year round, but it has been quietly undergoing a renaissance into a chic tourist resort for adults seeking luxury and indulgence.

Agadir has ancient roots, existing as a fishing port until occupied and fortified by the Portuguese at the beginning of the 16^th century (the name Agadir is Berber for Walled Town). It is still a major fishing port – the largest sardine port in the world – and the fish market and restaurants around it are an important part of the tourist experience.

Agadir was the site of a catastrophe when, on 29^th February 1960, a 15 second earthquake destroyed almost all of the existing town , killed around 15,000 people and left 50,000 homeless. Until recent years you could still see the evidence of this in the self built shacks that became almost permanent homes to many survivors. The other evidence is the almost total lack of old, traditional style building and the presence of modern (well 60’s) architecture. Streets are wide and built with the car (and the tourist) in mind, and there are hotels galore.

Despite the inauspicious start and the initial feeling that you are not in fact in Morocco but in the south of Spain, Agadir can grow on you. It is still Morocco and the Moroccan people are as welcoming here as they are anywhere. The Tourist Police – patrolling the beach on lovely Berber Arab stallions or the promenade on Segways – make sure that there is not too much in the way of hassle and there are even men employed to pick up litter!

The beach is tremendous, over 10 km of golden sand, but add to this an elegant promenade planted with palm trees and edged in marble, daily sunshine and a good range of restaurants and you will start to understand the attraction. Once the newly upgraded road from Marrakech is complete I can see myself making trips south to the beach on a regular basis.

It is hard to imagine two cities in the same country as different from each other as Agadir and Marrakech are - but as the French say “Vive la difference!”