Casablanca was made world renowned when the Hollywood movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart had their debut last 1942. In essence, Casablanca is really the Capital of Morocco. Stepping unto the cobbled streets of Casablanca, a Briton will appreciate the way of life and immediately feel at home because Casablanca looks more like a southern European city than a Moroccan hub.

During the French era, Tangiers was the major Moroccan seaport, but after they left, Casablanca seems to rise from anonymity and into becoming Maghreb's busiest harbor, even more hectic than the city to which Casablanca was modeled from, Marseilles.

Accommodation

Last minute reservations are not an option when it comes to finding a place to stay in Casablanca. Expect every single luxury hotel or decent lodging to be fully booked.

Beaches

No British Holiday hotspot is ever complete without a day at the beach, and Casablanca is never lacking for beaches. Although presumably colder than the beaches of the Mediterranean, the beach bars with saltwater pools and great people more than make up for it. Grottes d'Hercules is one great example.

Next there's Dakhla, this beach, however, is more popular for the photography aficionado.  This is because the coast is a little to unsanitary for bathing. The shore is littered with colorful boats and the scenery is breathtaking. If you love people then the Plage Quemada, Al Hoceima beach is the right place to go to. Other beaches like Asfiha, Alhoceima is not suitable for swimming, what it gives is beautiful scenery and a view of the Spanish Island, situated about a hundred meters off shore. El Jadida and Larache both have pleasant beaches that are great for swimming. The most popular beach is Lalla Fatma; regrettably its current is quite strong so it’s not secure for swimming.  Then again, the travelers seem to love the tranquility, and sunbathing in this beach.

No discussion of any country is complete without mentioning its culinary wonders. Morocco is inundated by scores of restaurants that will fit any vacationer's budget. Casablanca's cuisine is seafood centered and is popular for its take-away food stalls and eateries. Stella, an ice cream store is a must see in the area.  They have a minimum of 30 ice cream flavors to choose from, and you can even try any flavor you want.

Investing in Casablanca

If you're one of those Brits, who's looking into the money spinning market that is real estate; then look no further.  If you love Morocco, then Casablanca is the place for you. It is spice and romance with a southern European Flair, in stunning morocco.

The city of Casablanca recently unveiled the "Casablanca Business Park 2020 Plan". This strategy was formulated to address the problems of the Casablanca property sector, and to make it more lucrative for British and European financiers, as well as multinational corporations. The government believes that the real estate business tied together with tourism is one way of attracting huge investments that will improve Casablanca's economy, and create 660,000 employment opportunities for the citizens of Casablanca. These investments need to be accommodated; therefore 7,000 hectares have been allocated for the investments to prosper. Zoning is a major part of the proposal. Casablanca's seat of office wishes to avoid past mistakes by making sure that a proper plan is devised, managed, and implemented by a group of professionals who know what their doing.

The motive for Casablanca's sudden interest on attracting international investors is to secure the future of young citizens.  This is by exerting a pull on investors to generate business, consequently causing an influx of job vacancies.

Investments in Casablanca are doing considerably well. In 2006 10 billion dirham worth of investments poured in. This is due to the rise in tourism.  Aside from this, service jobs are looking at a vacancy of about 40,000 permanent positions.

Casablanca's officials are keen on improving the financial climate of Casablanca. That is why they are eager to provide a planned solution to address the problem of competency and human resource management. The government is also slacking there ropes so that it will be amiable for both Casablanca and the financiers.  This is to meet at one pint and work together for their goals. The first need is always land, and it is something that Casablanca focuses on to be able to appeal to investors.

Several infrastructures were financed and built by overseas corporations to cater to the growing demand of homes and properties from British and Europe. These are the fruits of the private and public partnership that is prevalent in Casablanca. Another 5.3 billion dirham is being utilized to construct even more resort communities and homes in Casablanca.

Life in Casablanca

On the outside, Casablanca is a gigantic museum. In truth it is the financial head quarters of Morocco, much like Paternoster Square in London. During the weekend you will see a lot of cosmopolitan businessmen together with the staff of the numerous embassies located nearby, having a nice night out. The city's sizzling nightlife is located in the district of Aïn Diab, another art deco haven much like the city itself. All night buffets with music wafting from D.J. lounges and smoking chicha pipes is the kind of evening you should expect.

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco. It is a metropole that exudes a decadent, languid and romantic lifestyle. For the residents of Casablanca, their city is just as noisy, and traffic jammed as anywhere in the world. Perhaps, they've become immune to the classical buildings around them and yet they are the very first people to admit that they would not live anywhere else but historic Casablanca.

Living in Casablanca might not be an easy transition for the reason of disparity in culture, but it's really well worth taking a vacation in. This actually makes the city a romantic's heaven. Your Apprehension on the culture difference will disappear when you see that Casablanca is not much different from London, all ancient architecture outside and utterly modern when viewed from the inside. No city in the world can compare to the mixture of Europe and Morocco.  In fact, this is what Casablanca is all about.