Riad Salmiya Dune

Twenty-four steps in from Rue Siljilmassa, Riad Salmiya Dune occupies a restored merchant house in the Borj quarter, its rooms wrapped around a central courtyard fig tree that keeps the ground floor shaded through Essaouira's afternoon wind.

Rooftop terraces face the ramparts rather than the harbour, better suited to sunset than sunrise. Breakfast is set by the courtyard fountain, weather permitting.

The medina's Skala fortifications are a six-minute walk, and the fish market sits ten minutes south — a quiet base away from the port's gull noise, suited to travellers preferring the old town's back streets over its main souk avenue.