24 hours in Mazagan
Portuguese ramparts, fish from the harbour and sunset over the Atlantic: the perfect day in El Jadida, hour by hour.
El Jadida has two names. The first, Mazagan, comes from the Portuguese who fortified the peninsula in the early 16th century. The second, "the New One", dates from its rebirth in the 19th. In between, an ocean town best explored on foot, unhurried, straight from the hotel door.
08:00 — Coffee facing the swell
Start on the Café Deauville terrace, while the beach still belongs to shore fishermen and joggers. Espresso, warm msemen and eucalyptus honey: the sea is twenty metres away.
10:00 — The Portuguese City
Seven minutes away by car, the Portuguese City has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. Walk the ramparts along the sentry path, from the Angel bastion to Saint Sebastian, then step down into the cistern: a vaulted hall where a single shaft of light is reflected in a thin sheet of water. Orson Welles filmed scenes of his Othello here.
A single shaft of light, a sheet of water, and five centuries reflected.
13:00 — Fish from the harbour
At the harbour, pick your fish at the stall and have it grilled on the spot. Sardines, sea bream, squid: all landed that very morning. For a gentler version, Le Méditerranéen serves the same catch from its wood-fired oven.
The concierge's tips
- Visit the cistern in the morning: the light is more beautiful and the place quieter.
- Keep some change for the harbour and the medina stalls.
- Reception can book a driver to Oualidia or Azemmour.
16:00 — Sidi Bouzid
South of town, Sidi Bouzid beach has the steady waves surfers love. Hourly lessons for beginners, boards for hire on the sand.
19:30 — The sun goes down
Back at the Deauville, the rooftop opens just as the sky turns orange. An orange-blossom cocktail, the horizon due west, and the day ends exactly where it began — facing the Atlantic.
