2008 entries from our guest book:
Beautiful weather, charming house, lovely town, excellent stay.
Linda and Alasdair, 16-21 January 2008
We spent five days in this house and at first I didn’t like Morocco because it was really smelly and everyone wore pixie hoods and I found it really scary. But now I’m sort of used to it and today we went surfing on the beach and it was really fun.
Matilda (age 11) – see below
We have had a really interesting time here. Like another family who wrote earlier, we wanted to bring the children to a non-western country to broaden their horizons a bit. We’ve broadened ALL of our horizons in the process. My daughter (Matilda) had a hard time getting used to being here at first but has come round to it. One of the main things we kept pointing out to her was that the people here are so friendly and are basically all working really hard – and if that includes a bit of hustling sometimes, then that’s life! Fati-Fleur took us to the hammam, which was a really special experience that I would highly recommend. Today we had a fantastic time on the beach, hiring surfboards from Ocean Vagabond and then eating there on their wide sofas. Off to Marrakech for a couple of days tomorrow. I think coming here first will have been very good preparation!
Clare, Pete, Christy and Matilda Greenwood, 15-20 February 2008
Far better than a riad where you’ve got no privacy at all. We loved being able to close ourselves away but still peep out through the shutters and see life going on from a distance.
Marianne and Johnny, March 2008
What a place. The people were so chilled, it’s so refreshing to see people out on the street at all hours interacting with each other. So unlike England. The cockerel woke us up a couple of times in the middle of the night and made us think twice about our idea of keeping chickens back home in Brighton! Thanks for a lovely holiday.
Usama and Khadija, end of April 2008
If I could find one word to sum up Essaouira it would be to say that it is ALIVE! As we explored the many windy streets of the medina, we found the locals friendly, hard-working and basically open, going about their business. At the moment there is a strong community spirit and mutual respect for each other. I was touched to watch the women greeting each other and chatting on the streets, sharing the day’s news; the men also gather together chatting and the children play happily on the street (most of the time!) Dar 91 gave us the opportunity to live amongst the locals.
Turnock Family, 26 May 2008
What a fantastic holiday. We did lots of things including cooking – our favourite bit was going to the old man who mixes up spices next to the mint vendors on the right side as you leave the market, ask him for 1 or 10 dirhams of whatever mix you want like fish or viande- he’s good fun and gives good prices! Fati-Fleur is an angel and we thoroughly enjoyed her company and we think we have convinced her to try harder with her English, but she’ll need a lot more pushing that’s for sure!
Kelly and Arash, June 2008
We’re glad we came to Morocco and Essaouira in particular, for the cultural experience. But if I’m honest I don’t think we’ll be coming back. We were hassled a lot by people in Marrakech and in that respect Essaouira was much more relaxed. But there are still lots of kids begging, the streets are filthy, and picking our way over open sewers is not our idea of a holiday. The government should do something about this if it wants tourists to visit.
Ian and Sandra Coleman, 4-8 July 2008
Blue skies everyday, cheap and fresh fruit and veg by the bucketload, and we managed to read four books in the space of a week. Came back to England with our batteries fully charged.
Bal and Mahima, August 2008
Excellent, quirky, very authentic location, being in the poorer part of town. Fascinated by the bakery up the road and workshops. Beds very comfy. Naima very dedicated. Went for a baking lesson at the women’s cooperative, which was good fun and a little peek into another walk of life. The holiday was good value and also just right for us to expose the kids to something totally different – did the camel riding at Diabat and quads which was the kids’ highlight.
Valerie, Alan and kids, October 2008
Just wanted to say a massive thank you to you both for the use of your lovely house in Essaouira. Myself, Becky and Alice had a brilliant time and we all loved what you have done with the house and wiled away our evenings there very happily. Naima was fantastic too -really lovely and very unintrusive. Essaouira was a great place to relax between leaving Marrakesh and heading off on a tour of the Atlas mountains. We particularly enjoyed the great sunsets, wonderful fish and generally wandering about.
Louise Campbell, Becky and Alice, November 2008
