Magical Trip in Essaouira

We had the most incredible experience in this beautiful home near Essaouira. The house itself is stunning, with comfy beds, spectacular views, all the amenities we needed, and a great location—just about half an hour from the town center. But what really made our stay unforgettable were Hisham and Fatiha. From the moment we arrived, they took such great care of us. Fatiha cooked delicious traditional Moroccan food every day and always made sure we had warm tea ready—especially lovely in the cool, windy weather. Hisham was always there to help us get around, whether it was taking us to see the sunrise at 6 a.m. or to watch the sunset by the beach. They both made us feel so welcome, and we really connected with them. One day Hisham even took us octopus and crab fishing (his favorite hobby!), and another night they organized a magical dinner for us by the beach under the moonlight, with homemade tagine, a fire, and tea. We had the perfect balance of privacy and care—they were always around when we needed something, and also gave us our space when we wanted to just relax. We truly felt at home. For us, they were just perfect—kind, respectful, and always attentive. This was such a warm and special experience, and a big part of that was thanks to Hisham and Fatiha. We’re so grateful to them for making our trip extra memorable.”

Not for Everyone

Hi - let's start with the positive. The house is gorgeous (kitchen excepted) with stunning views over the Atlantic. The pool and outside seating areas are lovely and everything is spotless with gorgeous gardens. Very nice bed linens (beds are very firm). The house is located 30 minutes from Essaouria so a car is absolutely necessary. The house is secured by gates which are opened by the house manager Rachid. There is one restaurant nearby at a hotel which was very good but note they do not serve alcohol. Now the not for everyone part. There are 2 fulltime staff who live on-site. This is not clear in the listing. Rachid lives in the guardhouse behind the main house. He is lovely with OK French but not much English at all. He seems to manage Fatima who works and lives in the house. She sleeps in the laundry room off the kitchen and so is in the house living with you. Communication with Fatima is difficult but she seems very sweet but also stands around which makes it a bit uncomfortable when you don't know what to do with her and she is essentially living with you. She cooked for us one night and when asked what we wanted (local food) we should have been more specific as there were no vegetables or couscous. Preparing your own food in the kitchen is difficult as there is no oven and utensils etc are limited. Plus Fatima is standing there - likely wanted to be useful?. I think this all could have been managed better with communication from the owners which was very minimal. They didn't answer my second email of questions while we were there. The house comes with zero supplies - only toilet paper after we asked. No hand soap, shampoo etc. We did have it stocked with snacks and some groceries which was very very helpful and then reimbursed the staff. We tipped each staff member 20 Euro per day we were there. They seemed grateful.”