Essaouira Lodge

They upgraded my room. The room and the view from it was incredible. Very large space for just one person :-). It has a kitchen, sitting area, relaxing area to watch TV next to the bed, and a verandah /patio with tables and chairs to enjoy the outdoor forested area. Unfortunately, I arrived a bit late and it was a very windy day in Essaouira that prevented me from enjoying the patio. They had fruits and sweets in the room, as well as coffee if you wanted to make some. Although, for a person who wants cream in his coffee, there was none. The hotel grounds were very nice, with a lot of well-managed landscaping with beautiful plants and flowers. The dining area was especially nice, including the area by the pool for relaxation, that I did not get a chance to use. But here are the reasons for my 3-star rating: - The lighting in the bathroom was terrible, especially in the wash basin area, making it hard to shave. Since there was no outside lighting source, that made it harder. - The drainage in the shower was sluggish, but then I found that to be the norm in many of the hotels in Morocco, causing the water to often overflow outside of the shower area. - But more importantly, when I tried to tell this to the folks at the desk during checkout, they seemed to be the least bit interested in my feedback and even laughed that I would be complaining about lighting in the bathroom. - Now, they had a very elaborate breakfast. However, there were flies all over, every dish. Now, I realize that this is a real problem in Essaouira, since when it is windy the flies tend to come inside, but this was unacceptable. I did not feel like eating most of the things laid out for breakfast due the flies all over them. - The place is off the main road. So, the 5-10 minute drive from the main road to the hotel and back out is relatively bumpy. I am not sure if that did not cause a puncture in my tire that I later had to repair.

This has been my second stay in this beautiful garden. Conveniently distant from town and located in beautifully designed garden. The entire place is an icon of peace and serenity. Yes, you have peacocks visiting you in the morning, cats for lunch and dogs for dinner... And they are friendly. Staff and management could not be more helpful and pleasant to deal with. Private transport to and from town makes it a convenient location for a couples or a family stay. Highly recommended. But, please keep it a secret ;)