Riad Zouina

Forty steps from the Skala ramparts, Riad Zouina occupies a restored merchant house on Rue Moulay Ismail in Essaouira's medina, its courtyard open to the sky and lined with zellige tile laid by local craftsmen decades ago. The address suits couples and slow travellers over families, given the narrow stairwells and lack of elevator.

Rooms open onto the courtyard rather than the street, so traffic noise from the souks stays outside. Breakfast is taken on the roof terrace, facing the fishing port and the Atlantic beyond the ramparts.

The fish market and Bab Doukkala gate are both under ten minutes on foot.