Sidi Kaouki, Morocco: A breath of fresh air on the windy coast - Telegraph

Sidi Kaouki, Morocco: A breath of fresh air on the windy coast - Telegraph: "inety-three miles north of Agadir and 17 miles south of Essaouira, Sidi Kaouki is named after a 19th-century marabout, a wandering holy man or teacher, and his dilapidated shrine by the sea still attracts pilgrims. More recently, the cast and crew of Sex and the City descended on the beach to shoot a scene for the second SATC movie (the beach was doubling as Dubai). But if Sidi Kaouki is known to outsiders at all, it's for its near-perfect conditions – together with Essaouira and nearby Cap Sim – for board and kite surfing (which, by the way, is a clue to the climate here: warm and windy year-round).

But watersports aside, the village also makes a great base for combining the peace and quiet of a traditional Moroccan village with the chic souk-and-café culture of Essaouira, just along the coast. And surprisingly for such a tiny village there is plenty of accommodation, including the luxurious Rebali Riads (five riads with communal pool, hammam, gardens and restaurant), which opened last year and where we were staying. In fact, so lovely is Rebali that we could have happily spent our days sunbathing, reading and being scrubbed down in the hamman. But we were there to see something of Morocco, so after a breakfast of pancakes and honey, we set off for Essaouira.