PALAIS L'HEURE BLEUE

The pathway leading to this blue gem was strewn with litter and beggars and I was coming off the heels of a very rollercoaster long drive. So I was skeptical. But once inside the doors, we were greeted with a beautiful courtyard, and respite from a long trip. The beds were quite small; service very friendly and bend over backwards helpful. A little annoyed to hear the billiards in the wee hours of the morning but it was temporary. Our driver to and from Essouira and tour guide were reliable and delightful and helped us navigate the best of this ancient town. And best part is we were a stone's throw to the bustling medina and beach.

Exceptional service! Everyone was not only incredibly caring and helpful, but went the extra mile every day in every small gesture to pamper us and make sure we had the best possible experience. Amazing roof terrace and internal courtyard. The roof terrace is even nicer and bigger than it appears in the photos, and it was the best spot to relax and enjoy the sunshine in great comfort. The courtyard is an incredible oasis of peace from the noise and chaos of the medina, gorgeous and soothing.

This is probably one of the nicer hotels in Essouira but didn't compare to our other hotels during the trip (Palais Faraj in Fes and La Maison Arabe in Marrakech) despite a generally similar price. The location is good, just inside the Medina walls and a short walk through the Medina to the wharf and beach. The staff was great, and able to help us with whatever we needed. However, our room was small and all the rooms face the courtyard, which can be noisy at times. The hotel does have a pool but Essouira is very windy (famous for kiteboarding and windsurfing) so it was too cold to really use the pool when we were there. The do include a breakfast buffet and it was good. The hotel does have a cinema room where you can watch one of their DVDs. It also has a pool and billards room. In general, we loved Essouira as a sleepy beach resort town. Obviously some people are going to use it as a destination for world class kiteboarding but it's a great one or two day stop non kiteboarders. The food was great. We had an amazing grilled seafood lunch right in the Wharf outside the fish market. Everything was caught that morning (shrimp, squid, John Dory, Sardines). Also, there are lots of small food stands scattered throughout the small medina (fried fish, crepes, kebab, etc.). There are also lots of great cafes and we would recommend going to the Taros rooftop bar to watch the sunset (and one of the few places to get drinks in Essouira).

As the positive reviews note, the location of the hotel as well as the architecture are terrific. Drawbacks are that (1) we didn't have a real window in our room. This made the room smell damp from the shower and (2) AC didn't work which means we were hot at night although it was cool outside. (3) Internet is so slow in most rooms that its barely usable. Included breakfast and service were fine overall except attention to detail when cleaning bathrooms. For the amount of money you're paying to stay at this hotel, all the above shouldn't be issues. Since most places in town charge a fraction of this price, probably better to pick elsewhere unless you feel strongly that you want to use the pool or enjoy the architecture.

Loved it - old style riyadh. Great staff and ensure that you book a suite which is not much more than the other standard / deluxe rooms below the suite standard. The suites have both shower and bath and that bit more space. If you can book a room, avoid the taxi rank side - not horrendous at all but attracts a little more noise but that drops to nothing later on. Evening meals aimed at gourmands - so we gave that a miss and went to Caravanne Cafe 5 mins away which was fab - see review. Breakfast very good. We were gutted to leave - loved the place and the town which felt very safe indeed. The hotel is in the town - so literally you walk out and there it is !