Dar Al Bahar

Slotted into the ramparts along rue de Touahen, Dar Al Bahar occupies a converted riad against Essaouira's sea wall, minutes on foot from the fishing port and the Skala battlements — a quiet base for travellers who want the medina without the noise of Avenue de l'Istiqlal.

Rooms keep thick stone walls and small windows original to the building, which hold the Atlantic damp out and the heat down through summer afternoons. A rooftop terrace faces the harbor and the gulls working the boats at dusk.

Souk stalls and grilled-fish shacks line the port road three minutes away.