Honeymooning with my bump

Essaouira is also home to the famous castle in the sand of which Jimi Hendrix sings. We decided to walk the mile or so across the beach to get to it and managed up until a point where most people heading in that direction were stripping off and wading through a hundred metre stretch of shallow sea. At this point we were approached by man with camel who offered to take us to the castle for a modest fee. I was apprehensive about camel travel with a bump, but the man produced what he termed a 'certificate to ferry pregnant women by camel'. That is, he scrabbled around in his bag and found a photograph of a lady on a camel whom he claimed was pregnant and had had a lovely time on the camel. Convinced, we boarded Zidane the camel and enjoyed a good hour over by the castle, before the mighty Zidane lugged us back to the city.

After our four days in the Villa Maroc, we decided that we were enjoying Essaouira so much we would stay a bit longer so we moved to another hotel called the Hotel Riad el Medina, which is said to have been Jimi Hendrix's favourite hotel. This hotel is bigger and cheaper than the Villa Maroc, though equally beautiful. We were inevitably given a room on the top floor, (ask for a room on the first floor if you're pregnant - the staire are hard work!), which was small but very lavish, with a deep bath sculpted from concrete. In this hotel we temporarily wimped out on the Moroccan food and were able to have steak and chips. I had picked up a bug somewhere along the line and wasn't sure whether it was a bug or whether I was actually going into labour. The former, fortunately.

In every hotel we stayed in and every restaurant I was very conscious that my having a glass of wine with my food was being most disapproved of. The tuts and glances had the desired effect - I did start to feel quite guilty after a while and abstained.

Our baby was conceived in Egypt (according to the dates) and on the last day of that holiday, an Egyptian border guard told me that I was pregnant. At the time I had taken this as a suggestion that I was not a little overweight and was duly glum on the flight home. Since he was proved right, when we arrived in Essaouira and a market stall holder proclaimed that within me was a boy - I believed that it must be, since my experience was that North African men can accurately predict such things.

Perfect for cravings are the fish grills by Essaouira's harbour. These consist of about twenty covered stalls each with freshly caught fish and shellfish displayed at the front, with benches and tables and large barbecues to the rear. Though disgruntled by my pregnancy guide's insistence that lobster and prawns were off limits, I happily tucked into sea bass and red mullet. This was by far the best food we had all honeymoon and the stall owner even sneaked a bottle of wine under the table. This was also the best vantage point for the spectacular sunset.

We decided to take the bus to Marrakech and were advised by everyone to travel on the more expensive air-conditioned bus as it would be more comfortable for someone in my condition. The journey took four long hours, which we sweated out on the back seat. I wouldn't recommend this bus journey if you are pregnant unless you have a bladder of steel. The one stop was not enough and despite the air conditioning, it was still swelteringly hot - to the extent that someone further down the bus actually vomited, making the air less than sweet.

We spent only two days in Marrakech, in an unimpressive hotel well outside of the medina, recommended to and booked for us by the owners of the Villa Maroc. The temperature soared and I found it difficult to cope with, being denied the sea breeze of Essaouira. On our first night we did have a wonderful time at a restaurant in the Medina called the El Yacout. This is probably the most memorable restaurant experience I have ever had. First, drinks are taken on the roof terrace under a clear and starry sky, followed by a sensational five course set menu at a table strewn with rose petals around a pool at the centre of a courtyard in this ex-palace. The porter, who escorted us to our taxi, informed us that he was a kinesiologist and that he could sense my baby swimming about inside me.

The following day, we decided to check out the souks and to main square - the Jemaa l-Fna. The souks are vast and we trekked through until I could no longer cope with the heat and the bustle. The square was even busier and really too much for me - we returned to the hotel. Marrakech is a sensational city - incredibly beautiful with a crazy and intense vibe to it and I hope I'll go again one day - not pregnant, so that I can get the most out of it.

To catch our flight back home, we had to return to Agadir via another four hour bus trip. Getting a ticket for the bus was traumatic as we had to battle with lots of other people for the last spare tickets at the ticket office. We were eventually successful, but the journey was again stiflingly hot and uncomfortable. The bus also dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and we had to battle for the only taxi there - though being pregnant seemed to give us some sort of priority. The line 'but my wife is pregnant' also helped us at the airport. We had picked up so many lamps and goodies that our hand luggage was somewhat over the limit, but we eventually convinced everyone that my pregnancy warranted such excess baggage. The airport staff were keen, however, that I sign an agreement that they were not liable if I went into labour.

Pregnant or not, Morocco is a fantastic honeymoon destination, and despite the heat, not bad at all for a heavily pregnant lady. Essaouira was perfect - plenty to do, plenty going on, with the opportunity to relax completely as well, but Marrakech proved a bit too much for me. Save that pleasure for unpregnant times.

Addresses
Hotel Transatlantique, Avenue Mohammed V, Agadir - +212 48 84 21 10
Villa Maroc, 10, rue Abdellah Ben Yassine, 44000 Essaouira - ++212 44 44 47 61 47
Hotel Riad el Medina, 9, rue Attarine, 44000 Essaouira - +212 44 47 59 07
El Yacout, 79 Sis Ahmed Soussi, Medina Marrakech (Medina) - +212 04 38 29 29