5 brilliant things to do in Casablanca

Few places in the world are so evocative of romance as Casablanca, yet turn out to be so disappointing in the flesh. As Morocco's biggest city and commercial hub, it sprawls outwards and rises skywards with little architectural merit baring a few art deco buildings and grand French colonial boulevards. However, there are a handful of pleasures that make it worth a detour if you are exploring the country, or getting off a cruise ship for a day if the port, the second largest in Africa, figures on your itinerary.

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Inspired by the movie Casablanca, which was filmed in 1942 in the Warner Bros studios in Hollywood, owner Kathy Kriger used to be the US commercial attache in the city. She gave up her diplomatic career after 9/11, bought and converted a traditional riad built around a courtyard, and replicated the Bogart, Bacall and pianist Sam's saloon. 'I just thought it was a great shame that the city had not taken any commercial advantage of one of the most famous movies ever made,' Kathy told me. With its arched ceilings, beaded lamps, original tiles and locally sourced antiques, Kathy has created the perfect stop for lunch or dinner. Being 'in colour', the place is even more real than the black and white movie version, although film buffs are welcome to watch the original film, screened in the upstairs lounge.

An attractive pocket of town with a small souk selling arts and crafts and none of the shopkeeper-pestering you get in the more touristy parts of Morocco. Built during the French occupation and known as the 'New Medina', it stands next to the King's Palace (one of several he owns in each of Morocco's main cities), and is a mostly pedestrianised, tranquil neighborhood with an interesting olive market right in its heart. The 'Old Medina' is also new, built in the 19th-century after the original walled medina was destroyed by a tsunami in 1775 following an earthquake epicentred near Lisbon. The disaster coincided with the end of 300 years of Portuguese rule of the place they called 'Casa Branca'.

An enormous seafront edifice, completed in 1993 with room for 25,000 worshippers, plus a further 80,000 in the outdoor courtyard during big religious occasions. With the highest (just under 700 feet) minaret in the world, the mosque took six years and 6000 craftsmen to build, has 50 Venetian glass chandeliers, a retractable roof, underfloor heating and a vast ablutions room where the devout ritually wash at marble fountains prior to praying. It's open to visitors in between prayers.

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Walking the promenade from the Mosque to the lighthouse, watching the Atlantic surf crashing on to the endless beach (and occasionally sending plumes of spray on to unsuspecting strollers), is a favourite local pastime. There are also a number of beach clubs with exotic names such as Tahiti, Acapulco and Tropicana, which each have pools for those who don't want to tackle the Atlantic surf.

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