Saidia Beach

Saidia has about fourteen kilometres of fine pale sand running east from the Moulouya mouth to the Algerian frontier, shelving gently into a calm Mediterranean - by any measure one of the best beaches in Morocco, and the reason it has been called the blue pearl locally for a long time. From the mid-2000s a very large resort development was built along part of it, with a marina, golf courses and hotel complexes, in a project that ran into financial trouble, changed hands, and left sections unfinished for years while attracting sustained criticism for its treatment of the adjacent dune and wetland systems. Parts have since been completed and operate. What that means for a visitor is a beach that is genuinely excellent, with a strip behind it that is partly polished resort and partly a building site depending on where you stand. Summer fills the town; winter empties it entirely.

What you actually see

• Fourteen kilometres of fine sand - shelving gently into a calm Mediterranean.
• A large resort strip - marina, golf and hotels built along part of the beach.
• Unfinished sections - parts of the development stalled for years and still visible.
• A seasonal town - full in July and August, closed for most of the winter.

When to go

June to September. Half a day; longer if staying at the resort.

Honest expectations

The development is uneven and some sections are incomplete or empty. Summer crowds are heavy and prices rise sharply. Out of season almost everything closes. The adjacent wetland has suffered from the construction.

Nearby

The Moulouya estuary is west; Berkane and the Zegzel gorge are inland.