The once-sleepy fishing village Taghazout is now Morocco’s trendiest seaside city

“What are you so afraid of?” Akrou Ayoub, my surf teacher who goes by “Ay,” asks as I battle my way through another set of small waves off the coast of Tamraght Beach in Taghazout, Morocco. I’m not a surfer, but I grew up in a small surf town in Southern California, so I somehow feel right at home in Taghazout.

“Surfing at 40 is much harder than it was when I was 14,” I tell Ay.

A three-hour drive from Marrakesh, this once sleepy Berber fishing village has long been a boon for backpackers, surfers, and sun-seekers thanks to its laid back, bohemian spirit. In the 1960s, Taghazout attracted the attention of musicians from Jimi Hendrix to the Rolling Stones, who fled the cold winter and found inspiration along Taghazout’s caramel-colored sand and sun-drenched shores. 

“Taghazout has always been a cherished destination,” says Francis Desjardins, normal supervisor of Fairmont Taghazout Bay. 

Today, this sunny stretch of Morocco’s western Atlantic shoreline has seen important growth due to an formidable nationwide tourism mission at Taghazout Bay that goals to be the nation’s preeminent sustainable seaside resort vacation spot. Fairmont Taghazout Bay opened in 2021 and was quickly adopted by the all-inclusive Hotel Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout and Hilton Taghazout Bay Beach Resort & Spa in 2022.

“When we first opened, Taghazout was nonetheless below the radar—a beloved surf city principally recognized to backpackers and free spirits,” says Desjardins. “Since then, we’ve seen a remarkable but mindful transformation with boutique shops, yoga studios, art galleries, and upscale dining … yet the soul of the village remains intact.”

Today, Taghazout is now not the sleepy surf spot it as soon as was. Now, guests will discover a bustling vegan cafe tradition and charming beachfront tea and tagine spots, to a bevy of recent eco-friendly resorts and regionally beloved surf shacks and guesthouses.

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Where to surf

Taghazout has lengthy been thought of the capital of browsing and yoga tradition in Morocco due to the epic surf breaks that line Taghazout’s glittering shoreline. Surfing is an absolute requisite right here, and it’s appropriate for surfers of all talent units, from Anchor Point Bay to Devils Rock and Banana Beach.

While many resorts supply surf classes and leases for a charge, the small waves and gentle-yet-consistent units on Banana’s Beach and Panoramas Beach is a superb place to start out for freshmen.

More superior surfers ought to try the epic right-hand level break at Anchor Point and Boilers. There are additionally various devoted surf colleges, like Surf Berbere.

Where to eat

Carve out a while for a leisurely stroll by way of the maze-like alleyways of Taghazout, the place surf outlets, guesthouses, and boutiques abound. Once you’ve labored up an urge for food, head to World of Waves Restaurant (WoW) for smoothies, Moroccan-style tapas, and seafood tagine. After lunch, or if you happen to’re simply searching for a calming place to publish up and watch the surf, cruise over to The Wedge to take pleasure in a mint tea in probably the most scenic spots on the town.

Local scorching spot Red Clay Cafe gives plant-based vegan pastries, in addition to breakfast and lunch bowls. Teapot Cafe, one other native favourite, can’t be beat on the subject of breakfast tacos and brunch.

Where to buy

From handcrafted ceramics to Berber rugs and baskets, there’s no scarcity of wares to be present in and across the village of Taghazout. Set on a hilltop overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, The Targant Museum (Musée de l’Arganier) is the world’s first museum devoted to the magical argan tree. The museum is just not solely the perfect spot to buy argan oil and prickly pear oil, which Moroccans take into account ‘botox in a bottle’ at a fraction of the associated fee, however it’s a good way to help a cooperative of girls within the area. The museum additionally gives a beautiful Argan Museum Restaurant and Moroccan Cooking Class.

Nearby, Bab Taghazout is an artisan market that sells an array of handicrafts, pottery, and carpets.

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Bliss out at a hammam 

Visiting the hammam is a lifestyle in Morocco, from conventional massages and rituals at Tamraght Spa House to spending a day indulging within the steam room, sauna, and magnesium pool at Fairmont Spa. For a really out of the world expertise, e book the “Traditional Berber Ceremonial Hammam” expertise; it’s a purifying bathing ritual utilizing the purest indigenous merchandise and vegetation from throughout the area.

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Discover a hidden oasis 

Heading inland towards the Atlas Mountains, the drive to Paradise Valley is a windy, 40-minute journey from Taghazout that’s not for the faint of coronary heart. When you get there, limestone cliffs, palm tree-filled gorges, and emerald coloured rock swimming pools make this pure off-the-beaten path oasis well worth the trek it takes to get there.

The space is nice for mountaineering, swimming, horseback using, and soaking within the pure great thing about the desert. You’ll wish to pack loads of water and durable strolling sneakers. Your lodge concierge can e book you a tour, which regularly features a conventional Berber lunch with an area household at an area farm.

Where to remain

Nestled alongside 45 acres of sun-dappled shoreline, Fairmont Taghazout Bay is the primary luxurious resort to open in Taghazout and gives the whole lot from five-star Italian and Japanese positive eating at Paper Moon and Morimoto to an 18-hole golf course and golf membership. Don’t skip a surf lesson adopted by a go to to the lodge’s luxurious 15,000 square-foot wellness spa.

Taghazout is brimming with surf hostels and surf college resorts, and within the coronary heart of the village, Munga Guesthouse gives 15 Berber-inspired mini suites, common suites, and “magnums.” This regionally beloved lodge additionally gives each day dawn and sundown yoga classes, in addition to Favela, a rooftop restaurant that serves Moroccan-meets-Mediterranean impressed delicacies.

For the surfers on the market, Taghazout Villa is one half fashionable beachfront boutique lodge and one other half yoga and surf camp. It is nice for teams and solo vacationers trying to sharpen their expertise in one of many trendiest spots on the town.