INews
Rob Hastings
Press Image via
peter@boutiquedasilva.com
Riad means garden. At least, it does in the original sense of the Arabic word. In general terminology, you probably know it as a traditional Moroccan home built around a courtyard – one of those beautiful zelige-tiled spaces filled with sunlight and the soft tinkle of water in a fountain, adorned by pot plants.
The fact Morocco’s houses came to be known by the word for garden probably encapsulates the importance of keeping the natural world central to life here. It’s fair to say: if an Englishman’s house is his castle, a Moroccan’s home is his oasis.
No matter what your nationality, anyone would surely feel at home at Le Jardin des Douars. This boutique hotel, a 15-minute drive from the port town of Essaouria, doesn’t surround a garden; here it’s the trees and flowers and bushes that do the surrounding. They envelop the self-contained lodgings, as do the sounds of the countryside: the rustle of leaves in the breeze, the singsong of swallows and wagatils swooping between the palm trees, and the occasional croak of a frog.
First impressions
Arrival might seem unprepossessing, especially at night; our cab turns off the main road and begins making its way around, and sometimes unavoidably over, some of the biggest potholes you’ve ever seen. After a minute or so we start wondering where we’re heading in the darkness on this bumpy route to who knows where. But then we see the lanterns illuminating the lane to the romantic hideaway.
With a warm welcome, we’re led on a pathway through the garden to our cosy abode. The door opens to a living room that’s rustic in the very best sense of the word: whitewashed walls decorated by Berber handbags, a carved wooden table sitting on a rug, a log fireplace.
One of the bedrooms at Le Jardin des Douars
Enjoying the grounds
With morning light comes the revelation of just how beautiful the garden is, high on the southern bank of the Ksob river. Paths lead between cacti, argan trees and vibrant purple blooms along with more than 100 different types of plants. The terraced grounds laid out in 2004 by Jean Secondi, a landscape designer who transformed it from a stony patch of land before opening the hotel, which is now run by a husband-and-wife team.
Before a breakfast of msemmen crepe, creamy French toast and scrambled eggs – I couldn’t make my mind up so I confess I had it all, with no regrets – I go for a swim in one of the two pools. Thankfully one is reserved for families where children can splash away and shout with glee as much as they like. This means I’m left in peace as I step down into the teal-tiled pool reserved for adults, happily wading into the warmest waters to ever host my breaststroke.
The family pool at Le Jardin des Douars (Photo: Rob Hastings)
Is the local area worth visiting?
Time for a taxi into town. We find Essaouira, the small port town that serves to provide Marrakech tourists with a day’s welcome break from the big city, has a similarly laid-back tone to our hotel. The backstreets of small shops and stalls have plenty of jewellery, spices and decorative plates, but not nearly as many overbearing salesmen desperate for your dirhams as Marrakech.
True, there’s not an awful lot of sights to visit, but it certainly makes for a relaxing day wandering through the medina and taking in the coastal views from the small citadel, watching waves crash against the sea wall.
Essaouira, Morocco (Photo: Rob Hastings)
Chill out time
Once you’ve spent an afternoon Essaouira, you need not leave the confines of Le Jardindes Douars. It’s perfectly feasible to spend your whole day, or several of them, simply relaxing.
You can even sample a traditional hammam session – Morocco’s equivalent to a Turkish bath – here at the spa. Ok, it’s perhaps not quite as traditional as getting bollock naked in a room full of strangers at an authentic public hammam, and the mythical black soap fails to appear. But I’m certainly far more comfortable having buckets of water thrown over me in the darkness here than I would be anywhere else.
Luckily we choose a Sunday to remain in the grounds for lunch, meaning we can enjoy the most extensive barbecue I’ve ever seen – with enough options of salads and sides for even vegetarians to feel spoilt for choice.
The Sunday barbecue at Le Jardin des Douars (Photo: Rob Hastings)
Good choice for foodies?
Food is also a reason to stay in the evening. With three dining rooms as well as patio tables, dinner feels different each night, and not purely because I alternate between the succulent lamb shank and the delectable beef wellington.
It really is hard to find any kind of fault with Le Jardins des Douars, and is perfect for a honeymoon or weekend retreat. The roadway that leads down to it may be broken and in need of repair, but once inside the tranquility means you’ll feel a long way from the metaphorical beaten track.
B&B at Le Jardin des Douars, Essaouira, Morocco, from £125 per room per night
