Le Jardin des Douars is the traditional Moroccan kasbah stylishly reimagined, sitting high above Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Purpose built, less than two decades ago, to provide 21st century indulgent luxury, Le Jardin des Douars, recalls the architecture of a sun-baked-mud kasbah.
And the name? In Arabic a douar is a small village, sometimes of just one or two houses. On this hill-top, douarais, terracotta houses, are dotted through the verdant gardens. Externally, Le Jardin des Douars pays tribute to the light-terracotta architecture of Morocco’s inland fortifications, whilst the interiors run through Morocco’s stylish design book.
This hotel of 19 rooms, 6 suites and 6 villas provides a tranquil retreat. Tall palms and needle-thin cypresses give shelter from the Atlantic’s trade winds.
In summer, those winds spare Essaouira from Morocco’s boiling temperatures. “We have two seasons,” confides Abdul our guide. “Windy and non-windy.” From September through to April, it is non-windy making Essaouira a 320-days-of-sunshine-a-year destination.
The welcome
A driver is waiting for us, after we have quickly cleared formalities at Essaouira’s tiny airport. Quiet, almost empty rural roads take us to Le Jardin’s lantern-lit drive within 15 minutes. After check-in the receptionist leads us through the gardens to our room.
The room
Named after honoured leaders in Ottoman times, our Pasha room is one of four set in a secluded house in the gardens. In the morning, sun graces the rear garden of sun-loungers, table and chairs. By mid-afternoon the sun warms the front alcove’s sheltered outdoor sofas. Discrete air-conditioning / heating is available if required.
A fireplace with bellows, brush and logs is more ornamental than necessary, taking its place amongst the desert-sand-coloured walls. On two sides tall fortress thin windows, one framed with bougainvillea, infuse light. On a third wall a glass door opens out onto the patio. Sultan-size, the bed is beyond large. Obscured by the bed a desk runs behind, just in case you have to work. No television or radio but will-fi is strong over much of the site’s two acres. Furniture is dark and distressed, simultaneously archaic yet sumptuously fit for a Sultan. A large cabinet houses the coffeemaker, kettle, fridge and minibar. For larger groups, Le Jardin has six villas with private pools, some hosting up to 14 people. Housekeepers provide…
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