Agadir

Day One: Nov 17, 2024

Arriving in Agadir at 10 p.m., we were joined by my brother-in-law, who had last traveled with us on trips to Bydgoszcz and Berlin. After a smooth and welcoming experience at security, we immediately felt Morocco’s renowned hospitality.

Our first task was to get SIM cards. While initially offered one for £10, we negotiated for two at £5 each. Though the vendor insisted they didn’t offer 5GB SIMs, they kindly obliged in the end. Next, we exchanged some money and withdrew £50 to cover our initial expenses.

Before arriving, we had learned about a ride-hailing app called InDrive and used it to estimate a ride to our apartment, which came to £7. However, upon asking local drivers to match the price, we discovered that the app is actually illegal to use in Morocco! After some classic Moroccan haggling, we secured a ride for 200 MAD (around £16, $20, or €19), down from the original 250 MAD quote. Our driver was friendly, spoke excellent English, and made the journey enjoyable.

When we arrived at our budget Airbnb, we were greeted by a less-than-pleasant surprise: cockroaches. Despite this setback, we set out to a nearby shop to grab water – as tap water isn’t safe to drink in Morocco – and stocked up on basic provisions. For dinner, we explored a local fast food spot and tried a unique French-style taco and some sandwiches, which were a delicious way to wrap up the day.

Back at the apartment, we discovered the air conditioning didn’t work, leaving us to contend with a sweltering 30°C (86°F) night – a stark contrast to the freezing 0°C (32°F) back home. Sleep was challenging, but for just £5 per person per night, we couldn’t complain too much. Plus, the apartment owner was kind and helpful, which made up for the shortcomings.

Despite a rocky start, our first night in Agadir was a memorable experience, filled with the charm and quirks of Moroccan life.

Day Two: Nov 18, 2024

Our second day in Agadir started with a plan to explore the non-tourist parts of the city, which was easy as our apartment was already in a local neighbourhood. Walking through the streets, we immediately felt immersed in the daily rhythm of Agadir, far from the usual tourist hotspots.

As it was Moroccan independence day a lot of places were closed, so we decided to explore the streets and meet the people of Morocco before heading out to the souks and other places that were closed that day.

As such, we took a leisurely 40-minute walk to a local restaurant, where we tried a traditional Moroccan breakfast. This was our first opportunity to truly connect with the locals, and we found them to be incredibly kind and welcoming, eager to share their culture with us. The heat was intense, so we stopped for a refreshing peach juice – and it might just have been the best peach juice we’ve ever had!

Afterward, we took a break at a nearby café, sipping on fresh orange juice while enjoying a peaceful moment in the shade.

Later in the afternoon, we returned to our apartment to rest before heading to a restaurant called Rotisserie Poulet Riad for dinner which is a local spot renowned for its incredible roast chicken. Here, the evening was once again capped off with delicious food and great company.

This day was another reminder of the warmth and beauty of Agadir, where every moment is a chance to connect with both the land and its people.

Day Three: Nov 19, 2024

On our third day we decided to demonstrate the kindness of the Moroccan people and planned to vlog our interactions with locals in everyday life.

We started by heading to a shop to grab some supplies, then taking a walk for some food at a local restaurant, sampling a traditional Moroccan breakfast and a delicious Croque Monsieur. Fueled for the day, we headed to Al Barid Bank, one of the best options for withdrawals in Morocco as it doesn’t add extra charges.

As we wandered, we met many friendly locals who made us feel right at home. Their warmth and kindness were a constant highlight of our day.

Next, we visited the bustling Souk El-Had, Agadir’s famous market. It was an incredible experience full of sights, smells, and sounds that captured the city’s vibrant spirit. We couldn’t resist doing a bit of shopping: I picked up a camel ornament, skillfully haggling the price down to 70 MAD (around £5.50, $7, or €6.50), along with some oud (a traditional aromatic perfume which we first found out about in Oman). Tammy found a lovely purse, and Kyle grabbed some oud as well.

Finding shorts for Kyle turned into an adventure. At the souk, the vendors wanted 150 MAD, but we were only willing to pay 70. When they wouldn’t budge, we kept searching and eventually found a shop near our apartment happy to meet our price.

Later that day, we treated ourselves to a meal from Rotisserie Poulet Riad again, we couldn't get enough of that place! As always, the flavours were amazing and a perfect end to our explorations.

As the evening set in, the skies opened up with a torrential downpour – a rare sight in Morocco. Despite the rain, the cooler breeze was a welcome change from the heat, making it slightly easier to rest without air conditioning. Agadir’s blend of local charm, friendly faces, and delicious food made this day truly memorable!

Day Three: Nov 20, 2024

Having explored Agadir we decided to visit the nearby village of Taghazout having read a recommendation from a few people on YouTube.

We took the bus to the corniche area of Agadir where the bus stop was located and got our first look at the more upscale parts of the city which were beautiful, but equally quite touristic and lacked the same charm as the non-tourist areas we had been staying in.

After waiting at the bus stop for what seemed like hours and no bus arriving we got talking to a few people, we met a guy from India who was traveling around North Africa and the Middle East as a solo traveller and we also met a few Englishman from Oxfordshire called Sam! The guy from India departed on a bus heading to another part of the city and Sam stood waiting with us for this bus as he was also heading to Taghazout. After a while we all realised this bus wouldn't be arriving and so Sam suggested we split the fare on a taxi, we agreed and went 4 ways on a cab.

We got a price of 150MAD (£11.80/€14.25/$14.90) which wasn't the best price but we felt was reasonable for a 30 minute trip too so duly agreed.

As we sat in the cab to our new destination we got to know our new travel buddy and driver and got ourselves to our new destination of Taghazout which you can read more about here.

Day Four: Nov 21, 2024

Having spent the previous day in Taghazout we returned back to Agadir and decided to take a look at some of the eateries our apartment owner had recommended to us, and so we decided to explore traditional Moroccan food!

We started off by taking a 40 minute walk to a restaurant he had recommended, only to find it was being reconstructed! Thankfully there was another restaurant which had similar prices and the same menu items nearby so we went there. We ordered Pastilla, Rfissa, a mixed grill and a chicken and mushroom pizza, they tasted great and were our first experiences with traditional Moroccan food as we had a lot of fast food up until this point so it was nice to depart away from that and have something a little more unique.

After we had finished we headed back to the apartment via bus which was cram packed with people and settled down for the evening having been worn out from all the walking and crammed busses we had spent the day on to get back to Agadir and around the city.