Three minutes from the souks and five minutes from Essaouira’s beach and fishing port is Dar Rondé, a riad townhouse with rounded walls, Berber doorways, vibrantly coloured stone floors and fireplaces set deep in to soaring white walls. Designed by Maria Pergay, the house is spread over three floors with two large en-suite bedrooms, one kingsize, one twin, two secluded terraces and a stylish sauna on the top floor. A flowering garden fills the tiled courtyard circled by glass walls, a library with traditional beldi ceiling and a salon with long sofas and spacious dining area.

Kamar is the manager of the house. She, Fatima or Yusef (femme de ménages) will meet you at Bab Marrakech when you arrive, bring you to the house and show you around. It is important to note that Kamar’s, Fatimas and Yusef’s English is limited they are, however, like many Moroccans, incredibly quick at picking up the gist of conversations.

Either Kamar, Fatima or Yusef will come in every morning to give you breakfast, clean the house and run any errands on your request. They are excellent cooks and will prepare delicious tagines at your request.

Fouad is the ‘man about the house’. He will usually carry your luggage to and from Bab Marrakech, change lightbulbs etc. etc.
 

Dar Rondé, so named because it is the only rounded house in the medina. We bought the house in 2002 when it was just a ground floor with a couple of internal walls, two dark salons and a droopy pot plant in the courtyard. We were assured by our French architect extraordinaire, 72 year old Maria Pergay, constructer of many a palace in Saudi Arabia, that the damp, grey shell had vast but well hidden potential. “Just wait six months and this house will be un petit palais” she said. So we waited six months and another six months and one more six months and Dar Rondé took shape.

A traditional Moroccan home is called either a riad, which means a house with a garden or a dar, a house with a lightwell. Due to both the heat and Moroccans love of privacy, most traditional homes function inside out, in other words, the windows are on the inside of the house with just blank brick walls on the outside. With Dar Rondé we went for a modern take on the riad by having small windows on the outside to maximise the light and a courtyard garden in the middle of the house. We chose white walls, although many Moroccan homes are steeped in zelliges, which are intricately patterned mosaic tiles.

The front door is original Berber. It was purchased at a flea market in Marrakech during a horrendous sand storm. It was buried beneath several nondescript doors in the corner of a tiny stall. The owner was a touch disgruntled when we discovered it and tried diverting our attention to all his other goods, but we knew it was the perfect door for the house even if fitting it meant knocking down and widening the external walls of the entrance hall by half a metre on both sides.

Dar Rondé is in Chabanat on the west side of the medina. The nearest bab or gate to the exterior of the walls is Bab Marrakech, which is where the cab will drop you when you arrive. Chabanat is around 7 minutes from the sea and fishing ports and 5 minutes from the souks. The main tourist zone is around the Kasbah on the east side of the medina about 7 minutes walk from Dar Rondé.
 

Housekeeping
Unless otherwise requested, towels are changed every four days and sheets are changed weekly. If you would like this done more often, please ask Kamar.

Chilly Nights
No matter how lovely the weather during the day, evenings in Essaouira are chilly. You are advised to bring a jumper and some slippers (but leave the pipe at home). This is because the stone floors are cold on the feet especially when padding around at night or making an early morning cup of tea.

Dress Code
While Essaouira is a highly cosmopolitan town, very used to visitors, it is still a mark of respect to dress in trousers or skirts, which extend beneath the knee and T-shirts as opposed to vest tops when walking around the town. The majority of Souiri women dress in the traditional jellaba – long gowns and headscarves. On the beach, it is perfectly acceptable to wear swimming costumes and bikinis.

Souiri People
The local people are incredibly laid back, very used to foreigners and exceptional at deciphering very poor French. Do not be afraid of setting free your Gallic tongue. French is everyone’s second language so no one speaks it perfectly, but everyone is just delighted to communicate.

About the Medina
The medina is a living, working town. It sleeps during siesta time and wakes in the evening for shopping, eating and general melée. Children will play football, racket ball, cards and generally run around on the street outside, often sitting on the doorstep of the house. They are friendly and generally obedient if you ask them to move and always gone by 10.30pm. If you do find them a nuisance at any time, however, please call Kamar who will ask them to shove off.

Being an old town with ageing infrastructure, the medina does have its fair share of problems. Leaky drains, broken streetlights, uneven streets. These will all be improved with time but bear with it nothing happens particularly fast in Morocco.

Shops
Essaouira is filled with shops selling lanterns, wicker, jewellery, mirrors, doors, polished thuya wood, iron works, art, shoes, jellabas. You can try bartering for things. The guidebooks say start by knocking down the price by 50% I tend to find we normally settle at around 25%. The majority of little food stores sell butter, yoghurt, water (most recommended water is Sidi Ali or Ciel – 5 dirhams each), hard boiled eggs – these tend to be the ones in a plastic tray on the counter. Uncooked eggs tend to still be in the egg box, coffee, tea, crisps, tinned tuna etc.

Watersports
It is possible to use the swimming pool at the Sofitel for 150 dirham per day. While you are there you might fancy popping in to the world famous Thalassotherapy centre for a quick massage in algae or some such delight. Most therapies cost in the region of £30.

Essaouira is world renowned for its windsurfing. Magic Fun half way down the beach offer weekly courses for 1800 dirham (approx £120) or lessons by the hour for 150 dirhams (approx £10). They also offer kitesurfing lessons, which require a maximum of four people per class. Ten hours of lessons cost 2200 dirham (approx £180).
It is possible to email before you arrive to: magicfunafrika@hotmail.com

Café’s
Any one of the many cafes lining Place Moulay Hassan will serve mint tea plus if you find yourself in a shop for more than a few minutes you can expect to be offered a glass. It is very delicious but very sweet. If you like milky coffee, ask for a nos-nos, which means half milk, half coffee. Freshly squeezed orange juice is also prolific as is milky hot chocolate. Just outside Bab Doukkala, turn left down the little artisanal street, there is a pebbledash café at the end overlooking the sea. All along the beach there are little cafes serving drinks. Most stop serving lunch at 3pm but drinks are available all day.

Bars
Taros, just off Place Moulay Hassan – Taros has a great roof terrace where you get lovely views over the harbour and the medina. The staff speak exceptionally good English.

The Mogador Club at the Sofitel is quite a swish place to have a drink. There’s piano music and comfy sofas.

Alcohol
It is possible to drink alcohol in most restaurants, but there is no shop in the medina that sells it. The nearest off license is just outside the medina through Bab Doukkala on the high street in the new medina.

Hammam
Hammam Mounia, Rue Oum Rabii
This hammam is frequented by westerners and locals, which means it is a bit less daunting than the more traditional hammams. The most important thing to remember is to keep your knickers on. It is open for women only all day and men only after 6pm. The price of a simple hammam, which includes just a steam and clean is 10 dirham. Treatments cost up to 100 dirham. The best thing about this hammam is the massage and exfoliation, both done using argan oil, which is unique to southern Morocco. Remember to take with you a beach towel, soap, shampoo and spare underwear.


 

There are two terraces and one courtyard. The top terrace has views over the medina. Breakfast is included in the price and also meals can be cooked on request at an additional payment made locally.

The house comprises 2 bedrooms in total; 1 double, 1 twin and 1 cots, 2 of the bedrooms with en-suite facilities. . This gives room for up to 4 people. Bed linen and towels are provided for your use.

The house has 2 bathrooms and 3 WCs for your party's use. The house has a sauna.

The house has television dvd.

There is room for 4 in the living room and 4 in the dining room. To prepare food you will find a cooker, an oven, a microwave, a fridge, a freezer, a kettle. The owner has also provided cutlery, crockery, glassware, cooking utensils.

This is a non-smoking house

Pets are not welcome 

Not suitable for wheelchairs 

The location of the house means you will hear some noise, though not excessive. It has a patio area, interesting views.

The house is right beside ...nothing specified.

Close to the house you will find a beach, swimming, wind surfing, fishing, cycling, horse riding, tennis, historic sites, shopping areas, a restaurant, a food shop.

Within easy reach of the house you will find ...nothing specified.

Camel riding, kite surfing, 4x4 off roading, trekking

historic sites, lively fishing port, quad biking, artisanal shopping, hammam

The house is....

10 min from Essaouira airport.
150 min from Marrakech.
150 min from Agadir.

mark says: "very well laid out property, clean and comfortable excellent"

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Last minute discount!! 20% discount if booking start date is less than 5 days away.
Long stay discount!! 20% discount if booking length is more than 2 weeks.