Le guide complet du luxe à Essaouira — séjours en riad privé, plages balayées par le vent, vieux port aux barques bleues, routes de l'argan et musique Gnaoua.
Essaouira: The Wind City
Essaouira — known in antiquity as Mogador — is Morocco's most beguiling coastal city. Its UNESCO-listed medina of blue-and-white walls, its ramparts beaten by Atlantic swells, its harbour crowded with blue fishing boats, and its permanent sea breeze (the Alizé trade wind) make it unlike anywhere else in the country.
Essaouira is also the antidote to Marrakech. Where the Pink City is chaotic and dense, Essaouira is unhurried and serene. Artists, musicians and writers have made it their home for decades.
Getting There
- Private chauffeur from Marrakech: 2h 45 min on the coastal road via Chichaoua — the scenic route includes argan tree groves where goats climb the branches to feed. - Helicopter from Marrakech: 35 minutes, dramatic approach over the Atlantic. - Casablanca: 5h by chauffeur along the coast, stopping at El Jadida's Portuguese fortress.
What to Do in Essaouira
The Ramparts at Sunset: The Skala de la Ville — the 18th-century seafront bastion — at the golden hour. Orson Welles filmed Othello here.
The Blue Boat Harbour: 3,000 blue fishing vessels. The smell of fresh-grilled sardines. Haggling for just-landed fish.
Argan Oil Cooperative: A visit to a women's Berber cooperative pressing argan oil the traditional way — hand-cracking the argane nut, grinding on a stone mill. Pure culinary and cosmetic argan, uncut, unpasteurised.
Gnaoua Music: The Gnaoua Festival (June) brings 500,000 visitors. In the off-season, private music sessions with a master lila musician can be arranged in a medina courtyard.
Kite and Wind Surfing: The Alizé wind makes Essaouira one of Europe's top kitesurfing destinations. Private instruction and equipment for all levels.
Where to Stay
Private riads in the medina — whitewashed walls, Atlantic breezes through the windows. Several excellent small properties (6–10 rooms) are managed on exclusive terms. We also have Atlantic-facing villa access 5 km north of the city.