The fetching Atlantic port of Essaouira lacks the fame and grandeur of more famous Moroccan cities like Casablanca, but that is exactly its draw. Easier to navigate than the vast medieval labyrinth of Fez and far more manageable than hectic Marrakesh, Essaouira (pronounced ess-uh-WEE-ruh) is coastal North Africa at its most quaint and picturesque.