Villa Maroc was Essaouira’s original stylish riad, seen in tens of fashion shoots from the 1990s on, its backdrop all archways, pretty courtyards and mosaic floors. Think cool and the kaftan. Nothing has changed, with the reception rooms and numerous private corners set around the first courtyard and the elegant rooms around the larger second courtyard, where breakfasts are taken under the hanging plants.
Home cooked Moroccan dinners are served in the more elegant rooms at the front, candlelit tables are set up in corners so dining is private and very romantic, while drinks can be taken with your book to the huge roof terrace overlooking the rooftops. The location of the Villa Maroc couldn’t be closer to the action, as it’s just 30 metres from the Place Moulay Hassan.
The villa, originally four 18th Century riads has been restored in arabo-andalusian style and now has 21 rooms and suites. The superior rooms and suites have fireplaces and some have private roof terraces. Other facilities include a hammam and internet access (internet is chargeable). This is an ideal riad for a family as there are three suites which can accommodate up to four people.
It is perhaps not suitable for those with any walking difficulties as it is a network of narrow stone stairways. Cars can drive you to within a 5 minute walk of the riad, from where a man and a cart for luggage escort you to the front door.
Traditional and stylish riad
Essaouira is located on the Atlantic coast, 176km west of Marrakech and 360km south of Casablanca. This beautiful and mystic town is of great historical importance. Formerly Amogdul (meaning well protected in Berber) but better known as Mogador in French, Essaouira is the embodiment of Moroccan history. Its medina is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Essaouira has attracted numerous artists from around the globe. Orson Welles filmed Othello here and Jimmy Hendrix stayed while the city was hippy central. Today, Essaouira hosts annual music festivals. Essaouira is built on a peninsula that is swept by the Trade Winds, which gives it a temperate climate through the year. Locals profess to wear the same clothes throughout the year as the sea breeze keeps the summer heat at bay, yet 3km inland it’s a different story. Strong winds characterise January and February, but kite surfers and wind surfers are here year round, revelling in the broad, shallow sandy bay. The city draws its character from two things: the cannon-topped ramparts and the tightly packed streets within. The former are a sign of the city’s rich trading history when goods from Europe travelled south to be exchanged with the riches from Africa coming north. Essaouira has always been cosmopolitan, but the traders of the past have been replaced by visitors of all nationalities, most of whom are very happy to accept the town’s laid back atmosphere and shop in the cloistered markets or just sit in the squares and watch the world go by. One of the best times of the day is the morning when the fishermen bring in their catch and take it to the fish stalls just outside the harbour by Place Moulay Hassan (the seafront square). The fish is obviously fabulously fresh, but if you want a wider choice there are two excellent sea food restaurants in the harbour, La Cocquillage and Sam’s. There are restaurants and bars throughout the medina to suit all budgets from the excellent Taros and El Mar, to reassuringly clean and well run local cafes. There are numerous excursions possible from Essaouira, including vists to the pottery capital of Safi, the Argan valley where the impossibly enriching oil derives from, quad biking, camel riding, sailing, windsurfing and walking – all of which can be arranged before you arrive or while you are there. Golfers are well catered for at the Mogador Golf Club. Designed by Gary Player, it opened in Autumn 2009. The course juts out into the Bay of Mogador and features wide beautifully groomed fairways and seriously challenging bunkers. Read more?
Morocco is a country of immense and diverse physical beauty, with some of the most inspiring areas of pristine wilderness in Africa. It's also superb value and just a few short hours flight from the UK. From the snow-capped peaks of the High Atlas to its wave-strafed Atlantic coastline and on south to the billowing, seemingly endless sand dunes that run away into the Sahara Desert. For a country so close to Europe it’s exhilarating to find such an intact culture and epic North African landscape with real contrast to anything European at almost every turn. Leave Marrakesh and head south and in less than an hour you’re climbing into the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. This is magnificent trekking country where you can thread your way among small Berber villages, supported by mule trains, either on foot or on horseback, supported with a light tented camp. Read more?
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Vanessa's 16 years in travel has seen her knowledge develop from sub-Saharan Africa into North Africa, Central and Southern America and the Galapagos. Consequently, she’s a veritable encyclopaedia of travel information and exceptionally cool, calm and collected in the face of the greatest planning demands.
At Natural High, we've had long experience putting together trips in Africa that really work. Whether it's intimate bushcamps in out of the way places, or a private lodge in one of Africa's top-billing wildlife areas, light mobile camping or remote island escapes, we know there is a lot to choose from. We're absolutely confident that we can recommend the right places for you.
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