Madada Mogador

Technically, perhaps, it’s a riad, but when it comes to atmosphere, Madada Mogador has a lot more in common with some small European boutique hotels than it does with the traditional Moroccan courtyard house. This is no bad thing. If you want old-world atmosphere, there are plenty of places to find it — but if you want picturesque Essaouira seaside charm mixed with cosmopolitan, contemporary boutique style, then this is the place for you.

There’s no central courtyard, which is definitely a change, but there is a capacious roof deck, with views of Essaouira’s greatest selling point: the coastline and the waters of the Atlantic beyond. Interiors are a mix of classic Moroccan riad and glossy urban lifestyle, with traditional tadelakt-and-tile construction, and pared-down clean minimalist lines.

It’s a nice place to stay, but what’s there to do? Same as anywhere else in Essaouira — there’s the medina, the souks, the sand and the surf — though more than a few Madada guests make do with just lounging about the hotel for the better part of the day and night. Breakfast in-room or on the roof terrace, lunch out on the town, and dinner downstairs in the After Five bistro, perhaps with a cooking workshop thrown in for good measure.