Le Jardin Des Dourars, Morocco Hotel

Essaouira, Morocco

Tucked into the hills outside Essaouira, this Moroccan retreat just a three-hour flight from London, feels both intimate and deeply in tune with its surroundings. The independent boutique hotel is set among botanical gardens, where bougainvillea spills over terracotta walls and dragonflies skim the surface of two heated pools – one reserved for adults, the other for families. Rooms, suites and private villas lean into local craftsmanship, with Berber rugs, zellige tiling and carved wooden screens offering a sense of place without looking stage-set. Mornings start with the scent of jasmine and thyme, perhaps followed by a swim or a languid breakfast on the terrace.

Essaouira, with its Atlantic breeze and cinematic medina – Astapor, for Game of Thrones fans – is a short drive away, its ramparts once a haunt for Hendrix and Orson Welles. Or stay put, drifting from a eucalyptus- scented hammam to a sun-dappled lounger, a seafood lunch and back again.

Doubles from £140.

Words by Rod Mackenzie.

This article was taken from the April 2025 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.