Riad Bab Essaouira

Lined with cedarwood beams and hand-tiled zellige, Riad Bab Essaouira occupies a restored townhouse on Derb Abd Errahmane Edakhil, deep in the medina's tangle of alleys a five-minute walk from Place Moulay Hassan. Its courtyard runs open to the sky, catching the Atlantic trade wind that gives Essaouira its name.

Rooms stack around this central well rather than facing outward, so windows open onto the riad itself, not the street. A rooftop terrace clears the ramparts for sea views at sunset.

The medina's fishing port and ramparts lie within ten minutes on foot, suiting travellers who prefer walking to driving.