La casa de Oasis

Wrapped around a central riad courtyard off Rue Moummou essa, La casa de Oasis sits inside Essaouira's walled medina, a five-minute walk from the fishing port and Skala ramparts — a quiet base for travellers wanting the old city on foot rather than a taxi ride.

Rooms open onto the courtyard rather than exterior windows, keeping interiors cool through the coastal wind that defines the town's summer afternoons. Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace, facing the Atlantic and the gulls that circle the port at dawn.

The medina's souks and argan-oil cooperatives lie within a few streets in every direction.