After two hours of top-to-toe pampering at Targante Imourane hammam (£36), I step out into February sunshine and head to the beach.
I take a refreshing dip in the Atlantic, then order a £1.20 shakshuka (poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce) on the seafront terrace of Le Mirage restaurant.
Here I watch fishermen cast their lines and surfers catch waves on Devil’s Rock beach. Behind me, camels plod along broad, golden sands. This is Tamraght, Morocco, an Amazigh (Indigenous people of North Africa) fishing village three miles south of the better-known holiday resort and surf town of Taghazout.
Despite being neither “chill”, nor a surfer, I booked a stay at ChillSurfer hostel on the strength of its reviews. It’s run by surf instructor and former gold medal BMX champion Jawad Toumi, who grew up in the Atlas Mountains.
My private room is decorated with handicrafts, and mornings begin with a communal breakfast banquet around a covered table on one of two rooftop terraces.
Guests share shakshuka served in a giant tagine, mushroom omelette, bread, olives, honey and amlou, the local, runny peanut butter. I meet people aged from their early twenties to mid-fifties, from Germany, Denmark, Argentina and the UK. As we ask each other to pass the amlou and share our plans for the day. New friendships are formed. On two evenings, I go out for dinner with the group.
ChillSurfer’s resident yoga teacher, Ruth Susman, is from Cornwall. Until recently, she says, most guests were surfers from Germany and the Netherlands. They were here for swells between four and 15 feet.
But lately, she’s seen more UK bookings, including from families visiting in the school holidays. Ruth puts this down to word getting out that there’s a calmer alternative to Taghazout, just along the coast.
Aside from the beach, there’s plenty for families to do here, including sandboarding, camel rides and shopping at Souk El Had in Agadir, which is among North Africa’s largest souks.
I hail a taxi (£5) to the hilltop Taghazout Skatepark, joining the hundreds who gather every evening to watch skateboarders performing tricks against fluorescent sunsets. With hip-hop playing, crowds cheering and Mr Vintish selling his wares, the atmosphere is like a festival.
Afterwards, I scramble down the steep goat path to central Taghazout. There, I’m met by music, neon lights, beeping horns and growling mopeds. In the labyrinth of alleys near the beach, the air’s full of smoke from street food stalls.
Eating out is cheap in both Tamraght and Taghazout. At Casa Hukana, Tamraght, beautifully presented, tasty tapas dishes are £2.80 each. At Anwal, Taghazout, a colourful couscous main is £4, with meat options from around £5.50.
I love the buzz of Taghazout, but I’m grateful to return to Tamraght, joining my new friends and ChillSurfer’s resident kittens under the stars around the rooftop firepit. There are five mosques in this traditional village and alcohol isn’t available – apart from at the confusingly named White Beach Resort Taghazout, a somewhat incongruous five-star all-inclusive on the promenade.
But construction is rife, and with the vast, empty land on the beachfront seeming ripe for more all-inclusive complexes, it feels like this is a place in flux. For now, as sober travel grows in popularity, some travellers tell me Tamraght’s lack of alcohol is part of the draw, while others simply appreciate a tranquil retreat after a hard day’s surfing.
People asked me if I’d be safe travelling to Tamraght by myself, but it’s worlds away from the hustle of Marrakech. Here, children play football in the streets and welcoming residents go about their day alongside retired, van-life couples, young surfers, digital nomads and solo travellers like me.
Many tourists in the region visit Paradise Valley, an oasis in the High Atlas Mountains – but its popularity has taken its toll.
“Twelve or 13 years ago, it was paradise,” says Jawad, “but now, there’s lots of litter.”
For £32, Jawad takes me and three of my fellow guests deeper into the mountains on an unforgettable day out to the unspoilt “Secret Valley”. He leads us past tall date palms, blossoming almond trees and waterfalls to a shack perched on pale rocks overlooking an aquamarine pool.
While he and our driver, Mohamed, cook a delicious tagine on the fire, we jump in. The water’s bracingly cold, but basking on the warm rocks sipping mint tea, we’re soon dry and happy. Later, Ruth’s restorative sunset yoga class and ChillSurfer’s dinner bring the day to a fittingly blissful close. I’m still not a surfer, but I’m well and truly chilled.
Tuesday’s bustling market seems more popular with local people than tourists. I stock up on bright spices and affordable ceramics to take back to chilly Manchester. It’s only been four days, but as I wander down the hill, passing dogs lazing in the shade of photogenic doorways and masses of bougainvillea, I feel strangely (and wonderfully) like I’ve been here for months.
There’s so much I didn’t have time to do, like horse-riding with Amazir Cheval and jewellery-making workshops at Brookolie – but I love it here so much I know I’ll be back. Maybe next time I’ll even give surfing a go.
Getting thereEasyJet has direct flights to Agadir from Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Gatwick, Luton and Manchester. Ryanair has direct flights to Agadir from Manchester, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Stansted.
Staying therePrivate doubles (with shared bathroom) at ChillSurfer from £32 B&B, beds in dorms from £17 B&B, book direct or via HostelWorld. Home-cooked dinner, subject to demand, approx £7.50. Surf lessons £32 including instruction, 2 hours in the water, wetsuit and board hire and return transport to nearby beaches, depending on conditions. Yoga classes £11.50. All prices based on MAD to GBP conversion rates at the time of writing.
Moroccan Dirham is a closed currency and nearly everywhere in Tamraght accepts cash only. There are bureau de changes and ATMs in the arrivals hall at Agadir, and in Tamraght.
More informationvisitmorocco.com/en
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