Oualidia

Oualidia sits on a crescent-shaped lagoon on the Atlantic coast, 175 kilometres south of Casablanca. The lagoon is sheltered from the open ocean by a sandbar, creating calm turquoise water in a landscape otherwise dominated by powerful surf.

The oyster farms are the reason most people come. Oyster Park No. 7 — the original French-established farm — sits on the edge of the lagoon and serves oysters by the dozen, directly from the beds, with lemon and Tabasco. The quality is excellent. The price is modest.

King Hassan II built a summer palace on the hillside above the lagoon. The town is small and quiet outside of summer weekends. The beach inside the lagoon is safe for swimming. The beach outside, facing the open Atlantic, is not.

Between Oualidia and El Jadida, the coast road passes through farmland and salt flats. It is one of the quieter stretches of the Moroccan Atlantic.