Riad Dar Afram

Twenty-four steps from the ramparts, Riad Dar Afram occupies a restored courtyard house on Sidi Magdoul, a quiet lane inside Essaouira's medina walls. Rooms wrap a central patio beneath a citrus tree, with a rooftop terrace facing the Atlantic wind that made this port famous.

Breakfast is served on the roof when weather allows — msemen and amlou rather than a buffet. The fish souk and main square sit a five-minute walk south, while the working port and its blue skiffs lie just beyond the Porte de la Marine.

Suited to travellers wanting the medina's calm end, away from the main gate's foot traffic.