Twenty minutes from the sea, in the dry hills outside Essaouira, surrounded by forests of argan trees, you’ll find Le Jardin des Douars. This boutiquey Moroccan hotel bills itself as a ‘ksar d’hôtes’, roughly translating as ‘guest fort’ – and within these walls it really does feel like a one-of-a-kind retreat. The main hotel is a tall two storeys, with towers and domes made of terracotta-coloured mud and straw looming over the hillside gardens. Its bedrooms are clustered around two courtyards that fill with chattering birds at dusk; the dining rooms and kitchen are at one end, with a sprawling terrace outside for lunch. More rooms lie in outbuildings scattered around the gardens, alongside six villas (with their own pools) sleeping as many as 14 apiece. But it’s the gardens that get top billing; towering palms and cacti; jagged aloes; tumbling bougainvillea in purple, white and orange; oleander and lantana; blue plumbago and pink trumpet vine. Spend an hour or so trying everything on the breakfast buffet, and book in to the on-site hammam to be rubbed and scrubbed with black soap, argan oil and verbena in an atmospheric, red-marble chamber of treatments. Break for lunch, served on the terrace; the spectacular Sunday barbecue buffet is worth planning your entire stay around. Then borrow a big straw hat and veg out by one of the two pools (one for families, one adults-only, both with beach-style bars), where the only disturbance is the staff bringing round a tray of free cake and mint tea at 4pm. Eventually it’s time for sundowners and dinner, with more than enough options (both Moroccan and European) for everyone to try something different each night.
Time Out tip: Book the shuttle to Essaouira in advance, to make sure you get the timings you want – it leaves every hour and only has 7 seats. It sadly isn’t free, but a return trip by private taxi will set you back at least twice as much.
