Southend to Morocco Unveiled: A Traveler’s Honest Take on Culture, Cuisine, and Coastlines

November 18, 2025

Friends of mine recently booked a one-week holiday to Marrakech through my travel agency, Destiny Travel. During the booking process, I asked how they’d feel if we crashed in on their holiday for a few nights and I was delighted when they said that they’d love for us to join them. And why am I telling you? Because there is now a direct flight operating from Southend to Marrakech; both small airports with easy, short check-ins making the overall travelling time from your home to your holiday destination relatively short. Indeed, when we flew back, it was less than an hour between landing at Southend, collecting our luggage, walking out to the taxi rank and the short ride back to our house in Leigh-on-Sea.

Marrakech, and all Morocco indeed, is the land of “riads”, these are traditional houses built around a central courtyard [often with a fountain or pool] with rooms that face inward. They would originally have been the houses of the wealthy classes and many now have restyled themselves into guest accommodations, which reward you – the guest - with a unique architectural and cultural experiential stay. Riads range in standard from the most basic to the super sumptuous; our friends stayed at Riad Jona and we booked a last minute cheaper stay at Riad Africa nearby.

We’d been to Marrakech previously whereas our friends had not so I guided them to sightsee the city before we arrived, which they did. Marrakech is famous for its vibrant souks (markets), historic palaces, and the bustling Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, which is why it is often called the "Red City" due to its red clay buildings. It's a sensory-rich destination known for flavourful cuisine, stunning Islamic architecture, and its status as a historic imperial city and UNESCO World Heritage site. Additionally, Marrakech these days is a very “cool” city – with trendy rooftop bars and restaurants akin to Ibiza and Bali that complement the authentic Moroccan dining scene. They enjoyed visiting the 12th century Katoubia Mosque, the Bahia Palace and Jardin Majorelle [Yves St Laurent garden].

Prior to departing on holiday, I arranged daytrip excursions for us to the Atlas Mountains, Casablanca and Essaouira. I am so pleased I did this because we enjoyed these activities more than our time in Marrakech itself.

On the day after our arrival, we were up bright and early for a 07:30am departure on a tour with our private guide to the Atlas Mountains. After a 90 minute drive through the most beautiful desert-like scenery, passing lots of local villages, climbing to the Middle Atlas mountain range, we made our first stop at a Moroccan Berber women’s co-operative, where we saw the ladies extracting argan oil and the products derived from it, before enjoying a typical Berber breakfast of breads, honey, peanut butter washed down with honey tea. We travelled through 5 valleys, including 3 stops and we even had the pleasure of a local Berber guide to take us on a 90 minute walk from one valley to the next, where upon arrival we were treated to a most sumptuous lunch presented to us by a Berber mother and daughter in their home. It was a long day from start to finish but we all agreed it was a most fantastic experience.

On another day, we travelled to Casablanca. 3 hours away by road. Whilst Rabat is the political capital of Morocco, Casablanca is the commercial hub. We saw such sights as the former French governor-general’s residence and Hassan II Mosque, which is the biggest mosque in North Africa and a magnificent sight to behold. We also visited the souk [market] and made a visit to Rick’s Café [recreated from the film “Casablanca”].

On the penultimate day of our trip, we headed to Essaouira—another three-hour drive from Marrakech, but in a completely different direction. With its five-kilometre sweep of golden sand, Essaouira is a true haven for kite surfers, thanks to steady trade winds and calm, shallow waters. Our guide led us through the lively port, where a bustling fish market and a postcard-perfect cluster of blue fishing boats set the scene. The ramparts of the port made famous by the hit TV show Game of Thrones where the scenes of Slaver’s Bay in Astapor where shot. From there, we wandered into the old souk. Its wider lanes, compared with those in Marrakech, made for a more relaxed stroll, and the atmosphere felt straight out of the Arabian Nights.

After the return drive to Marrakech, we asked to be dropped in the city’s modern district—an area we hadn’t yet explored and, admittedly, partly in pursuit of our unofficial mission to visit every Zara on the planet. We were pleasantly surprised by how contemporary and sophisticated this part of Marrakech is, complete with elegant, French-style street cafés lining the boulevards.

We saved the best for last: lunch at Marrakech’s premier hotel, La Mamounia, on our last day. La Mamounia is the famous historic hotel, its origins dating back to the French colonial era. Indeed, it was the location of the Marrakech Conference, when Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met privately towards the end of the war to discuss how Europe would be carved up after the Allied victory they correctly foresaw. Palatial in style, shining with the most beautiful marbles, complemented by exemplary silver service and the most stylish patrons, we strolled through the lush gardens and explored all the dining outlets and boutique stores – we felt like royalty ourselves!