Le Jardin des Douars

If you’re making the effort to travel to the Maghreb, you may as well get out of town and head for the hills, checking into one of the grand old palaces now functioning as hotels. Something like Le Jardin des Douars. Located outside the coastal city of Essaouira, it’s a ksar — a castle, North African–style, consisting of a cluster of traditional earthen buildings surrounded by a high wall — repurposed as a boutique hotel.

Inside the walls is a peaceful oasis. Garden paths, lined with exotic flowers and shaded with palm, olive, and bougainvillea trees, meander between sun-drenched terraces and quiet villas, from hammam to swimming pool. There are two pools, in fact, and two restaurants: one of each is family-friendly, the other for adults only. It’s a smart distinction, especially given that relaxation — however you define it — is the hotel’s primary objective.

Everywhere you look, the natural greenery and smooth tadelakt are embellished with colorful Moroccan artwork and crafts, from traditional tile work to Berber rugs. Rustic wooden doors open into guest rooms and suites. While each is individually decorated, and amenities vary, standard features include floors lined in bejmat (terracotta tile), linens by Balzatex — a boutique brand based in Casablanca — and sumptuous walk-in showers stocked with locally sourced argan-oil bath products. One thing they don’t have: televisions or telephones, unless you make special arrangements for them.

This is a retreat from your day-to-day reality, after all. It’s a place to linger over a picture-perfect Moroccan breakfast spread on the sunny terrace, or to lounge in the hammam, to sip mint tea or cocktails by the infinity pool, out of earshot of the under-twelve set, if you so desire. The same is true of dinner: both restaurants specialize in French-influenced Moroccan cuisine made with local produce, but the romantic (and kid-free) La Table des Douars is preferable for a candlelit dinner for two. Should you tire of the slow pace, the charming port city of Essaouria, with its bustling medina, is just a short drive or taxi ride away.