Essaouira’s Best Kept Secret - Le Jardin des Douars - Winter Sun and more
– Fully refurbished with new outdoor bar for sunset celebrations
– Sandrine and Rudy van Dongen manage this unique property
– 2024 Essaouira dining tips including activities around this coastal town
– Essaouira now with year-round flights to London twice weekly
The 2024 season at Le Jardin des Douars promises to be the best yet. The property has never looked so spectacular following a full refurbishment and the unveiling of a new outdoor sunset bar. The hotel, located inside its own botanical garden offers a pocket of paradise in Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. The botanical gardens continue to flourish and truly stand out around the property with guests invited to explore the gardens at length and interact with the gardeners.
Essaouira is sometimes described as a ‘boho-chic / hippie bohemian’ destination which depends on ones style. But what Essaouira can certainly claim to be is undiscovered, certainly compared to other Moroccan destinations including Marrakech. Ryanair offers year-round twice weekly flights that connect London and this unique port town on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast. Essaouira is like nowhere else in Morocco and remains crowd free and almost exclusive.
Le Jardin des Douars is a destination hotel offering individually designed bedrooms (19), suites (6) and luxury private villas (6). In 2022 Le Jardin des Douars refurbished all bedrooms and unveiled two new luxury villas. The bedrooms and villas all feature locally designed furniture which has been created alongside colourful fabrics and unique pieces of art that best represent the breezy and spacious atmosphere. Rooms also feature furniture sourced from other African countries showcasing the uniqueness of this continent. All bedrooms feature Wi-Fi, hidden mini bars with local and international products and coffee and tea making facilities.
Le Jardin des Douars is also home to two outdoor heated swimming pools, one for families and one for adults only. Dining is taken seriously at Le Jardin des Douars with three individually designed dining areas including a vibrant open plan restaurant, a ‘couples’ dining room and alfresco dining on the terrace. On Sundays guests can enjoy an extensive barbecue lunch. A new outdoor sunset bar was unveiled in 2023 featuring a creative light installation and lounge area for guests to enjoy drinks and light meals throughout the day and of course sunset drinks alfresco as the sun sets and stars appear. The hotel is also home to its own hammam and spa where qualified therapists perform the traditional hammam ritual and various body and face spa treatments using argan oil, produced in this part of Morocco.
What makes this hotel truly unique is its lush botanical gardens. These gardens alone draw guests to explore the vegetation and tropical plants and trees. Those with garden knowledge may spot the various phoenix canariensis or the butia capitata, callistermon linearis or the sabal pamettos. If these are hard to find just ask one of the many gardeners who enjoy spending time with guests as they maintain these gardens. The resident tortoises, frogs and chameleons are sure to also draw attention to hidden parts of the gardens as they roam freely, adding to the charm of this property with views of argan-studded hills.
If guests can draw themselves away from Le Jardin des Douars, located in the Essaouira hills overlooking the Ksob River, then a shuttle service offers beach, dunes, medina, hills and surrounding countryside expeditions. The two most famous shuttle destinations are Essaouira’s main beach and Essaouira’s medina, both around 12 minutes from Le Jardin des Douars.
2024 is already shaping up to be a year with much to attract visitors. The recently relaunched Océan Vagabond offers a front row seat to the beach with a strong all day menu with cocktails and wine. It’s another place to enjoy sunset after a walk on the beach. Two rooftop locations popular with locals and tourists are The Roof Top and Taros Café.
Le Jardin des Douars offers a wonderful backdrop for alfresco lunches allowing for an easy transfer between pool and table. But if guests fancy lunch elsewhere then the hotel recommends Villa Beldi, Océan Vagabond, La Mouette et les Dromadaires or the Mellow Beach House.
For dinner, the medina is home to many restaurants but some that should be booked in advance include Dar Baba, La Table de Madada and Triskala. Fans of brunch should book the Mandala Society.
Essaouira’s walled medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here visitors will discover the most laid-back medina in Morocco, compared to larger towns and cities. Fans of both ‘Game of Thrones’ the television drama and ‘Othello’ the film, may recognise the labyrinth of streets.
With around 320 days of sunshine per year, Essaouira is an ideal year-round outdoor destination. Guests can head to the beach to relax or enjoy surfing and kite surfing. The winds that blow on Essaouira bay provide the ideal atmosphere for beginners.
From Medina to beach and beyond, Essaouira is home to many activities to suit various tastes. For cooking classes in the Medina head to L’Atelier (must be booked in advance). For quad biking book with Palma Quad and for camel and horse riding on the beach book with Equievasion. For surfing and kitesurfing book with the Ion Club and golf fans are warmly welcomed at Golf de Mogador.
Nature may not be the first thing that springs to mind when planning a visit to Essaouira. But, Essaouira is home to the famous Argan trees found across forests just inland from the Atlantic coast. The Argan is a true symbol of the region surrounding Essaouira. Southwest Morocco produces this highly prized oil which is extracted from nuts and these have been used across the world in beauty products and spa treatments. How about finding out about the origins of the Argan tree and exploring the Moroccan countryside? Jardin des Douars can organise guided tours with an expert from Berberlands.
Experts in hospitality, Sandrine and Rudy continue to shape the future of this unique, independent property. Sandrine and Rudy started their career at Club Med followed by many years within the events industry for large European companies. Their professional career with the Châteauform Group has taken them to France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and then they started a new journey in Morocco at Le Jardin des Douars.
The hotel truly has soul and offers a picturesque setting for memorable holidays away from the crowds.
B&B priced from around £160 per room, per night or £580 per villa, per night
Le Jardin des Douars Video: https://youtu.be/psQBdneUxp4
Notes to editors:
Le Jardin des Douars is home to 19 bedrooms, 6 suites and 6 luxury villas each with their own private heated swimming pool and a dedicated personal maid service.
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 airlines including BA, easyJet, Ryanair and Tui Fly. Airport to hotel transfer services are available for a fee and must be booked in advance via the hotel’s reception. Otherwise Supratours offer efficient coach journeys in 3 hours to the heart of Essaouira.
