To visit Oualidia, on the western edge of Morocco, is to discover one of the most spectacular marine habitats in the world. Mile after mile of windswept coastline give way to a sheltered lagoon which the sea enters through two breaches in the cliffs. At one end of the lagoon a 17th century kasbah and a ruined royal summer palace overlook a wide sandy beach. At the other end, a six-mile long tidal estuary curls away into a series of marshes and wetlands, home to egrets, herons, flamingos and oyster-catchers.

Here you can walk along hillsides carpeted with poppies, asphodels and marigolds. Fish for bream and sea bass off the clifftops while Atlantic rollers crash beneath you. Or swim in the shallow waters of the lagoon and relax over oysters and crab at a water-side restaurant.

Just five minutes from the beach, the Villa La Diouana allows you to enjoy this enchanting environment in total comfort.