You know that a holiday is going well when if you had to go home on day three you would have already thought that you had a great holiday. That was exactly how I feel and there was still almost another week to go.  Marrakech is wonderful and seeing the main square at night is an absolute must, the sounds, the smells and the colours are an amazing assault on the senses and not to be missed. Add to that the winding alleys in the medina, some beautiful old buildings, the gardens to visit, the riads with lovely courtyards and roof terraces and the souks which would satisfy any shopaholic then I can completely understand why Marrakech is such a popular destination for a long weekend.   But why only go for a long weekend when there is so much more of the country to see? After Marrakech we headed south to the High Atlas for two nights. The drive through the mountains is not for the faint hearted, but as long as you don’t mind heights the view is absolutely stunning. Our stay in the High Atlas included a walk up to a Berber village, my favourite meal of the trip when we got there and a relaxed walk back down afterwards. On the second day there was an optional walk - do find out whether you think that this option is for you, if not you can relax by a lovely pool with a great view of the mountains.   Then onto Taroudant for the best accommodation of the trip at Raid Dar Zitouni. It was reasonably hot when we were in Taroudant (note the art of understatement) so we probably didn’t see as much of it as we could have, but there was still some time to haggle over the price of carpets before returning to the refreshing pool and air conditioning at Dar Zitouni.   So glad that we only drove through Agadir and went on to stay in Essaouira. Now if you think that I liked Marrakech, I loved Essaouira. After the heat of Taroudant getting of the bus in Essaouira to 32 degrees and a beautiful sea breeze I was very very happy. The hotel was just within the walled part of the old city and from the roof terrace there was a wonderful view of the beach.   Essaouira is quite small, so after a brief orientation it is very easy to find your way round the old city. There is plenty to do when you are there including visiting the local hamams, which I would loved to have got to but was “too busy” to fit in a visit. When I say busy I mean pottering round the harbour and the old city, sitting in cafes, having long lunches, shopping, walking on the beautiful long beach, watching the kite surfers, taking loads of photos, enjoying the sunshine etc, tough life but someone had to do it!. For those who do make it to the hamam, do work out what you need to have with you e.g. soap, towels etc, there are rumours of members of our group trying to dry themselves down with something about the size of handkerchief.   Then all too soon it was back to Marrakech for the final evening. If it is your bag (maybe quite literally) then there is time for a final visit to the souks on the last morning, rather than carrying shopping around all week.   The group size of 12 worked very well. The group and our tour leader certainly made it a very memorable and enjoyable holiday.   Would I go back to Morocco? Yes, without doubt I would love to go back. (DKT - 6th August 2010)