Most of the houses are white in colour, with the outer walls of the ground floor coloured a beautiful blue. The blue goes very well with the clear blue skies that greeted us while we were there. The weather was perfect, at least in terms of lack of precipitation. Temperature wise, it was a bit too warm for my liking: 37°C each day. My poor pale skin does not cope well with such extreme heat and I frequently hid out in our pension during the hottest part of the day. As a side note, I thoroughly recommend Pension Souika as a place to stay – very relaxed and the men who run it are very friendly and helpful!
Typical colours of Chefchaouen
The first day, we just wandered through the maze of streets in the medina, checking out the variety of shops and all their tourist wares. The second day we climbed one of the hills that overlooks the town where a smart new hotel has been built, complete with a spa. The views were spectacular, looking back down at the village and at the mountains. While we were up there, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out the spa. I had my first ever massage and I have to say that I could get used to having more of those on a regular basis! The exchange rate also worked quite well in my favour!
Spice Shop
View over the Rif Mountains from the spa
That evening, on the recommendation of a fellow traveller, we had dinner on the rooftop terrace of the Casa Aladin restaurant. Not only does this provide fabulous views over Chefchaouen’s main square, but if you time it right, you will also witness the sun setting behind the Rif Mountains. That is one sunset I will never forget.
View of Sunset over the Rif Mountains from the rooftop terrace
On the final day, I did a few bits of shopping and also visited Chefchaouen’s Kasbah, or “old town”. It’s a beautiful golden colour with some interesting buildings and a lovely tower to climb for some more wonderful views.
All too soon, we were heading back to Tangier and Tarifa, Spain, our next destination.
