Heure Bleue Palais

Heure Bleue Palais

In the morning at Heure Bleue Palais, coffee arrives with a view of the old city from the window, before a walk out past the ramparts to Essaouira Beach. The hotel sits in the center of Essaouira, a restored riad built around a traditional patio, with just 33 non-smoking rooms spread over three floors. It belongs to Relais & Chateaux, a distinction that separates it from the guesthouses and mid-range hotels lining the medina's narrow streets, and its roof holds something few of them can match: a heated pool with a view over the old city, set apart from the ground-floor outdoor pool and beach access below. There is a hammam-style steam room, a massage service, a solarium and a library for the slow hours between excursions, plus a billiard room and a playroom that keeps children occupied while parents linger on the terrace. Rooms are simple rather than showy, bathrobes and slippers rather than technology, though the Classic Double opens onto its own balcony or patio over the courtyard, and the two suites run double that size. Staff move between Arabic, English and French, and arrange transfers, car rental and excursions from the same desk. This suits a traveller who wants a walkable, historic base with a proper spa and a rooftop worth returning to, rather than a resort compound with a shuttle. It will not suit anyone chasing minimalist design or a fast, anonymous check-in. Couples sharing a double room should carry a marriage certificate, a local requirement the property enforces without exception, and pets are not permitted. By early evening, when the terrace catches the last light over the medina, the appeal becomes obvious rather than argued. A 33-room riad in Essaouira's medina, part of Relais & Chateaux, with a heated rooftop pool over the old city and a hammam-style spa. It rewards a slower stay near the beach, not a quick city break. Couples need a marriage certificate; pets are not allowed.