Where should I stay in Essaouira?

Essaouira splits neatly into two stays, and which one is right depends on what you are after. The walled medina — compact, whitewashed, blue-shuttered and wonderfully walkable — is where I send most first-timers and couples. Staying in a riad inside the ramparts means you step straight out into the souks, the fishing port, the seafood grills and Place Moulay Hassan, the main square where the town gathers. Unlike Marrakech or Fes, Essaouira's medina is laid out on a simple grid by an 18th-century French engineer, so it is calm and easy to navigate, and the Atlantic light bouncing off the white walls is gorgeous.

Within the medina I like to be near the ramparts (the Skala de la Ville, with its line of old bronze cannons and sea views) or close to Place Moulay Hassan and the port end — that keeps you minutes from the sunset on the walls, the morning fish market, and the best grilled-seafood lunches. The medina riads here tend to be characterful and good value, many with rooftop terraces catching the breeze and the call of the gulls. One honest note: Essaouira is the 'Wind City of Africa', so even in summer it can be breezy and cool compared to inland — pack a layer and do not expect lie-on-the-beach-all-day heat.

The second option is the seafront and the bay. If your priority is a pool, a beach holiday, surfing, kitesurfing or keeping kids happy, the hotels and resorts strung along the long sandy bay — running south toward the village of Diabat — are the better bet. These give you direct beach access, more space, and family facilities, at the cost of being a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk or a short taxi from the medina. The beach itself is vast and dramatic but wind-blown, which is exactly why the surf and kite crowd love it.

My usual recommendation: for a two-to-three night cultural-and-coastal stop, choose a medina riad and walk everywhere; for a longer, slower beach-focused break or a family holiday with a pool, base on the seafront and pop into the medina for evenings and meals. Either way, Essaouira is small and relaxed enough that you are never far from anything — and a sunset drink on a rampart or rooftop with the Atlantic crashing below is the moment that stays with people.