An Oasis on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast - Welcome to Le Jardin des Douars
– A tropical botanical garden setting with a 25 bedroom and suite hotel
– Luxury villas, heated pools, alfresco dining and hammam and spa
– Club des Douars with padel courts, leisure activities and bar
– Year-round direct flights from the UK
Views of the Atlantic ocean stretching wide and blue are visible as travellers land in Essaouira on Morocco’s coast. Le Jardin des Douars just a 15 minute hop from the airport is an oasis inviting guests to simply slow down and enjoy the generous sunshine available over 320 days a year. Relaxation, dining, beauty and leisure are all thoughtfully crafted for guests at Le Jardin des Douars where everyone is invited to simply unwind. The hotel and luxury villas set in 7.5 acres of botanical gardens, have been designed with everyone in mind, from solo travellers to families and friends travelling together. The goal is to ensure a balance between activity and rest and with this in mind, Le Jardin des Douars launched Club des Douars complimenting the hotel, outdoor heated pools and hammam and spa.
Club des Douars is Essaouira’s first-ever private sports club, offering the perfect balance between sport and wellness in a refined, natural environment. Located just a two-minute stroll from the hotel, the club is home to four state-of-the-art padel courts. A large shaded terrace is home to a bar and weekly small group classes include yoga, pilates and strength training.
Le Jardin des Douars is a year-round destination hotel offering individually designed bedrooms (19), suites (6) and luxury private villas with their own outdoor heated pools (6). Built in the traditional Moroccan style, with curvy adobe-style walls, and situated in the Essaouira hills overlooking the Ksob River, it’s a secluded gem. Everything is designed to make life just that bit easier.
Wake up here and explore a tropical botanical garden, Le Jardin des Douars is located surrounded by lush tropical planting including a kitchen garden. Guests will meet resident tortoises who enjoy napping beneath the palms.
Start the day by taking a dip in the outdoor heated swimming pools, one for adults only and the other for families. The adults only jade swimming pool is surrounded by tropical trees. Both pools have their own bar serving alfresco poolside drinks and snacks throughout the day.
Dining is taken seriously at Le Jardin des Douars with three dining areas including a vibrant open-plan restaurant (where you can order chicken tagine with olives, orange reduction and saffron; or fusion dishes such as seared squid, chimichurri sauce, black rice and grilled lemon); a ‘couples’ dining room for greater privacy; and alfresco dining on the terrace. On Sundays there’s an extensive barbecue lunch (including fresh seafood grilled to order). The estate’s kitchen garden supplies a wide selection of seasonal vegetables and herbs.
Truly unwind in the candle-lit, eucalyptus-scented hammam and spa, another grown-up pleasure, where qualified therapists perform the traditional hammam ritual, and body and face spa treatments using heavenly argan oil. Traditional hammam rituals, argan pulp scrubs, solo or duo massages, and a range of beauty treatments are available. Local argan oil is rich in vitamin E and nourishes the body and mind.
Guests can enjoy privacy and true relaxation in each bedroom and bathroom. Most bedrooms have their own private terrace or in some cases two, while the villas are set in their own grounds, with a maid and gardener. All feature Moroccan and African furnishings – Berber rugs, carved wooden furniture, traditional zelig tiling and sculptures from Morocco and across western Africa; along with wi-fi, hidden mini bars with local and international products, and coffee- and tea-making facilities. Guests will also find cosy locally designed bathrobes and Moroccan slippers.
For luxury living stay in one of the six individually designed villas. Each villa has its own outdoor heated swimming pool located within a landscaped garden. The villas range in size between 200m2 to 500m2 and are home to large lounge areas ideal for relaxing and dining, a full kitchen, three to five bedrooms each with its own private bathrooms and further bathrooms. A personal housekeeper is allocated to each villa and prepares breakfast and at request other meals. There is no better way to truly holiday.
If guests can tear themselves away from Le Jardin des Douars, then a shuttle service offers expeditions to Essaouira’s main beach and its world-famous medina, both 15 minutes from Le Jardin des Douars. The shuttle service is also available for airport transfers.
Essaouira can certainly claim to be undiscovered and crowd-free, compared to other Moroccan destinations including Marrakech.
Ryanair offers year-round twice weekly flights that connect London to this unique port town on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast. Otherwise it’s a two-three hour trip from Marrakech with a taxi or Supratours coach.
Laid-back, soulful, totally authentic, Essaouira is like nowhere else in Morocco. If you want a taste of exotic north Africa within a three-hour flight from the UK, this is the place to be.
B&B priced from around £160 per room, per night or £630 per villa, per night
Notes to editors:
London – Essaouira flights with Ryanair from London Stansted twice-weekly. Le Jardin des Douars organises airport transfers to the hotel which is a 15 minute journey time.
Marrakech airport is 2.5 hours by car from Le Jardin des Douars and is served from several UK airports by six airlines. Airport to hotel transfer services are available for a fee.
