Mr & MRS Smith le Jardin des Douars

There is so much to love and admire about this garden oasis set in the scrubland around Essaouira. The drive is beset with flowers draped down the sides of beige walls the rooms have been authentically decorated and the facilities are excellent. We loved our 5 days there. We first visited the Jardin de Douar in 2009 having bumped across a partly unfinished main road from Marrakech in a car that was more dents than car. We arrived at lunchtime and were greeted like old friends, fed lunch and generally loved for the few days we were there. At that time the accommodation was confined to the main house only, there was one pool. Fast forward to 2024. It’s huge with new villas built for larger groups, two pools, two dining areas mainly because the number of children at dinner means that many adults would prefer the quiet of the separate dining room. So it is with the second swimming pool reserved for adults only. But if you can’t get a table in the adults dining room then you could be faced with feral children in the main room and the cacophony of noise that accompanies them. In summary then intimacy has been replaced by commercialism. Dinner a la carte or fixed price is good but not outstanding. Tagines are a stable part of the offering but we had better in Essaouira. The staff are really not as attentive as they used to be. We were totally ignored for 20 minutes one evening in the restaurant. I spoke to a waiter to ask why, it wasn’t like they were super busy, more like they hadn’t decided who would wait our table. Breakfast lacks some diversity. This is a super critical review of a really really good hotel. Just a bit of management review and it could be one of the worlds great hotels.

People book this place a year ahead and having spent a few wonderful days here I can see why. Possibly our favourite family hotel EVER. The rooms were wonderful - such beautiful furnishings, art and objects. Such attention to detail. Spacious bathrooms with lots of interesting potions and scrubs, roof terraces with greet views and your own fireplace restocked each day and ready to light. Large beds, quiet air con and great water pressure. The hotel is set in mature gardens and feels like you’re on a huge estate even though it’s actually not that large a footprint. Two large pools - one child friendly - sumptuous breakfasts, great Wifi, a cinema and a lovely large terrace for apero hour pre dinner drinking and catching up. Oh and the food in the evening was superb. They have a good value three-course menu every day and a decent a la carte selection and you can pick and mix from either. And The hammam was pretty special - and the treatments were excellent though prices seemed a little steep. The only minor issue for us was the habit of some people to ‘reserve’ sun loungers by the pool long before they actually Bother to turn up. As if the laying of a towel gives you the right to ownership of a particular lounger when in reality it is just selfish. I do wish hotels would try To prevent such behaviour. But otherwise the staff couldn’t be more helpful And the shuttle bus will take you in and out of town (15 mins away) or to other nearby towns or beaches. It was always on time and driven safely. For Surfing try Ion, about 15 mins along the beach from the medina. Good Value good quality boards and suits. Handy bar/restaurant for parents whilst they wait classes to end. Essouira is famously chilled - as is Les Douars. They offer a discount for returning business. We certainly hope to. This could become an annual habit.

Excellent pool, all the staff were great - friendly, professional & fun. Superb gardens & accommodation & delicious food. Perfect for a few days relaxation.

Amazingly beautiful accommodation - genuine Morrocan. Luxurious rooms . Helpful and friendly staff created very calm and relaxing atmosphere . Having adults and children’s pool separate is great , so they can have freedom to do what children do best - have fun and make noise ! Adults have the serenity of the other to themselves .

Stayed here for 10 days with family. Highly recommend for a family trip. No issues with language so unsure why others experiencing this. Staff all super friendly, and relaxed. Great pools, spa, and rooms are really spacious, clean and well appointed. The shuttle cars to the medina etc are great - takes about 10 mins and they’ll drop/pick up on request - super friendly drivers. Restaurant is good - not excellent but very good, lots of options and daily specials. Perhaps on the expensive side. Shame the menu didn’t change once per week (even if they alternated 2 menus this would improve). Breakfasts are good - not excellent - they moved inside in the last week as they got a load of bees etc around the buffet food options. Shame there was no decent fresh fruit - what was offered wasn’t high quality ingredients. The BBQ on Friday wasn’t good - massively overpriced and compared to the medina experience just felt like a poor offering. All in all - I would defo recommend and we had a great time at hotel and in the area - but I think it’s a shame that with a few alterations and more attention from the management team (who don’t appear to venture out of their office) this could be a really excellent hotel.

The place to be !!!! Absolument parfait a tout points de vues !!!! Un délice, un havre de paix…le lieu, l hôtel, le personnel et la gastronomie ! Allez y les yeux fermés , idéal pour recharger ses batteries , prendre son temps , le temps suspendu…

Beautiful on the outside, cold and unwelcoming on the inside. This hotel is French-owned and seems to give preferential treatment to French speakers. As Americans who speak broken French, we were not welcome and felt less than. Large and loud Villa groups eat meals in the same area as couples staying in the hotel. We ate every meal next to a group of 45 people, which was not relaxing or enjoyable. The hotel does not accommodate for any dietary needs. I’m pregnant and had an extremely difficult time finding anything to eat. They advertise discounted transport into town (20 minutes away) but when they were unable to accommodate this, they acted like we were the problem. The massages were not good and spa staff were awkward/rude. Most (not all!) of the wait staff were unaware and forgetful. One staff was on his phone and looking bored while we bused our own dishes multiple times. We had to work to track anyone down to take our orders for breakfast and dinner. I could go on, but we stayed at a number of Moroccan-owned hotels and riads during our two week trip and staff were so kind and welcoming and knew our names and exceeded any expectations. I highly recommend staying somewhere Moroccan-owned - then your money stays with Moroccan people and you won’t leave feeling uncared for and unwelcome.

While the hotel provides a relaxing and charming grounds/pool area, there is clear preferential service/treatment given to the french speaking guests. My wife and I generally felt unwelcome there with too many instances to list. They penny pinch for every cafe and water consumed, terrible massage experience, etc. I’d suggest taking your money to a locally owned hotel that caters equally to all nationalities.

We stayed at Villa Basmah which has beautiful rooms and an amazing pool and garden. We were looked after so well by the lovely staff and had an amazing and relaxing time. The hotel restaurant is nearby and has a beautiful chilled vibe in the evenings. We will be back!