{"id":17194,"date":"2014-06-27T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-27T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=17194"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:38:57","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:38:57","slug":"discovering-secret-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/discovering-secret-morocco\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovering secret Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a world where everything has been photographed, shared, and Google-mapped, Morocco has held onto its beauty and mystique like a Golden Age starlet. Enamored by its desert landscape, ancient-meets-modern culture, and exotic hotels, on a recent visit I set out to discover the North African nation outside of its darling destinations of Marrakech<\/a> and Fes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dakhla<\/strong><\/p>\n

Against the setting sun, my flight to\u00a0Dakhla<\/a> from Casablanca<\/a>\u2014Morocco\u2019s largest travel gateway\u2014began its descent. From the air, I expected to spot glowing dunes at dusk, but it was the ocean that caught my eye. Hundreds of fishing boats were headed out to sea, leaving misty-white wakes in their path. With this, I quickly was schooled in Dakhla 101: Fishing rules the sprawling town of 80,000 inhabitants. (Note to self: Add a fish feast to my itinerary.)<\/p>\n

In Dakhla, I mingled surf and turf with ultimate abandon, starting with an off-road trek in search of lagoons created when the Sahara meets the sea. Luckily, the tide was out, so I got a full picture of the tidal pool’s Vatican-sized footprint as my feet squished and sank (slightly) into the desert-come-ocean floor.<\/p>\n

Back on solid ground, my guide, Mohamed, ushered us toward a lonely cliff where we wandered down to an open-air restaurant at the edge of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Viewfinder Tip: Hire a guide to help you acquaint yourself with surroundings in Morocco. Heritage Tours<\/a> is one outfit to consider.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our meal gave new meaning to the concept of fresh. Sitting in a blue rattan chair surveying the ocean like a lifeguard, I watched the restaurant’s rubber boot-clad servers as they plucked and shucked oysters from the sea. The finished product arrived in the half-shell, soaking in a cumin- and lemon-infused olive oil. The emulsion was so good, I dipped (and re-dipped) my bread in the stuff that was left behind in my plate.<\/p>\n

Day two in Dakhla turned out swell as I paddle-surfed in the Atlantic in the shadow of 10-story sand dunes. Here, where the sand meets the sea, I hung out at the Ocean Vagabond (with a beachfront sister property<\/a>\u00a0in Essaouira, Morocco), a small hotel dotting the\u00a0landscape with two dozen minimalist bungalows, a surf shop, a communal eating area, and an outdoor bar serving drinks with names like \u201ckite loop\u201d and \u201cbikini.\u201d Overcome by the locale’s exotic-factor and bucket-list “cred,” I started to plan a long-stay trip to return and surf beside the Sahara.<\/p>\n

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