Dar Liouba – sky sleeping in Essaouira

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

Traditional Moroccan guest house –  a stay at Dar Liouba in Essaouira

I’d had my eye on Dar Liouba for years. In fact staying here was the main reason I wanted to visit Essaouira, not particularly unusual given that I often choose a destination based on the accommodation. A slightly odd yet entirely satisfying way of doing things! It was the distinctive architecture of Dar Liouba that first caught my eye, and the promise of a stay in Essaouira that blended traditional Moroccan hospitality with a uniquely coastal vibe. I love Morocco, and have always been drawn to the sea, so what could be better than both at once!

Hubbie and I were at the end of an exhilarating yet exhausting two week trip around the country, and Essaouira seemed like the perfect spot to finally stop and relax for a couple of days.

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

The almost hidden entrance to Dar Liouba

Location

Tucked away down a quiet alley in the east of the medina yet just minutes from the souks and main square, Dar Liouba couldn’t have been more perfectly located. It’s really easy to get there to! The best way to reach the guest house is from Bab Marrakech (one of the medina wall entrances). It’s a great place to get dropped off or catch a taxi, and there are plenty of guys with luggage carts (carossas) hanging around ready to help you negotiate your suitcases over the cobbles.

Essaouira, Morocco

On the way to Dar Liouba walking from Bab Marrakech

Nowhere takes very long to get to in Essaouira and it was great being able to pop back to the guest house to freshen up, have a siesta or drop off our shopping part way through the day. Not something that is easy to do in the larger cities like Marrakech.

Dar Liouba

Formerly the house of an Imam (a religious leader of Islam), Dar Liouba is a guest house of unique design. Running through the centre of the building is a three story high, hand-crafted cedar wood pergola. Festooned with geraniums giving a warm splash of colour, the octagonal structure creates a little internal balcony in front of each of the rooms, overlooking the garden patio far below. It’s a fair old hike to the upper floors, and we didn’t envy the staff carrying up suitcases or breakfast trays each day. Must keep everyone very fit though!

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

Looking up the octagonal centre of Dar Liouba, almost like living in a windmill!

The lofty design means that the house is unusually bright and airy for a medina property, and it was a refreshing change from the enclosed riads that we tend to frequent. At the base of the pergola lies the inner courtyard and small internal garden, a miniature haven of tranquility tastefully decorated with quirky ornaments and continuing the colour theme of the climbing geraniums.

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

The quirky and unusual arab-andalus design of the inner patio is the perfect place for a quiet glass of mint tea!

In keeping with the atmosphere of Essaouira, Dar Liouba manages to be relaxing and uplifting at the same time, and we really felt totally relaxed and at home here from the moment we arrived!

Like the sea birds that circle overhead, hoping for a bit of breakfast croissant in the mornings, Dar Liouba soars above Essaouira, with 360° panoramic views across the whitewashed medina roftops. The height means the guest house isn’t overlooked by it’s neighbours and we felt like sultans of the skies!

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

View from the roof terrace at Dar Liouba

The roof terrace is a great spot to relax with a book, eat breakfast or even do a little sun bathing, yet it isn’t known as the ‘windy city’ for nothing. If you want good lungfuls of fresh air and to blow away some cobwebs, this really hits the spot!

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

The lofty roof terrace at Dar Louba

The location meant that at night it was really peaceful and we slept with the windows open, and just the reassuring sounds of seagulls settling for the night to break the otherwise silent darkness. There were no beeping scooters, lads kicking footballs or sports results booming from radios. It was just us and the occasional call to prayer beckoning from beyond our dreams.

The Room

The bedrooms are on three levels, centred around the pergola, and range from small ‘comfort’ rooms to larger ‘deluxe’ rooms higher up in the building. We loved that each was named after a colour, and decorated accordingly and with Moroccan artefacts and local crafts.

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

Our superior double room ‘Ciel’

We stayed in the ‘Ciel’ bedroom – a superior double on the second floor of the guest house and plenty big enough for a few days stay. I loved the blue theme (my favourite colour!), which gave it a proper ‘seaside’ feel, and the ample bed was super comfy, always a bonus!

Houses in Moroccan medinas usually look out onto the central internal patio and have no external windows, yet at Dar Liouba the unusual height of the property means that most bedrooms have views out across the city, and enjoy the flow of cooling breezes not afforded down in the narrow streets below. Pure bliss in the heat of the summer, and the first time we didn’t need air conditioning in 2 weeks! We felt privileged to have a duel aspect view over the medina with our two arab-andalus style windows, and it was rather luxurious to wake up to the morning rays of the sun after spending so long in traditionally dark riads.

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

The ‘Ciel’ room truly did feel like being up in the sky!

Small but prettily tiled, the bathroom was functional with decent shower pressure. The only niggle was the door stop which, being directly in front of the toilet, we kept accidentally stepping on, kinda painful if you’re barefoot!

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

The bathroom in the ‘Ciel’ room

The only niggle with the room (and I guess any room there will be the same) is that walls and ceilings are pretty thin. We were disturbed on several occasions by our neighbours and the guests in the room above who sounded like they were constantly dropping things on the hard floor.

The Food

Hubbie loves his breakfasts, and wasn’t disappointed with the continental spread at Dar Liouba. We had everything from bread, meats and cream cheese to fresh juice, jams and fruit. Certainly didn’t need lunch that day! We ate up on the roof terrace to enjoy the morning sun and have a spot to ourselves – you can also eat down on the patio around a large communal table, which being anti-social travellers isn’t really our thing.

Home-cooked evening meals at €17 per person are also available with prior notice, and can be taken downstairs on the patio or up on the terrace.

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

Best meal of the day, breakfast at Dar Liouba doesn’t disappoint!

The Staff

We have always found Morocco to be such a genuinely welcoming country, and our experience at Dar Liouba was no different. Friendly French owner Patricia treated us almost like family, and we felt privileged to be staying in her beautiful home. She was full of recommendations about what to see and do in her adopted city, and it’s easy to see why she has fallen in love with the place. All the house staff were truly lovely, in particular Latifa who went out of her way to ensure we were always comfortable during our stay.

Whilst hubbie and I sat guzzling our refreshing mint tea in the lounge, Latifa somehow managed to lug our ridiculously heavy cases up the steep stairs. We didn’t know whether to feel guilty or impressed, as they were nearly as big as her! Then she spent a long time patiently showing us different walking routes on the map, and how to navigate the medina using the old stone gates. Certainly very reassuring if you are a first time visitor to Morocco, and you’ll definitely feel confident about venturing into the streets after a few minutes with her!

Dar Liouba, Essaouira, Morocco

Continuing the orange theme in the lounge

The Verdict

We absolutely loved our stay at Dar Liouba, and after years of having it on my hit list, I can safely say it lived up to all expectations! If you’re looking for a chilled out, tastefully decorated guest house with bags of charm, sea breezes and caring staff, then this is the place! I’m sure we’ll return to Essaouira and although we rarely stay in the same place twice, I truly think Dar Liouba has made it onto my list of exceptions!

Colourful medina alleys in Essaouira, Morocco

Vibrant splashes of colour around every corner in the medina of Essaouira

Tips

  • Rooms cost between €49 for a comfort double to €69 for a deluxe double. This includes breakfast.
  • The comfort doubles on the first floor have internal rather than external windows.
  • The stairs may be a problem for those who are less mobile.
  • If you use a carossa (luggage cart chap) a tip of Dh2 will be sufficient. Make sure he knows exactly where the guest house is before setting off, so he doesn’t try to convince you to stay somewhere ‘better’ that just happens to belong to his brother-in-law!

Thanks to Patricia and her team for our complimentary stay at Dar Liouba. All words, images and opinions as always, are my own.

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Stay at Dar Liouba, formerly the house of an Imam in Essaouira

24 Comments

  • Essaouira Location says:

    Dar Liouba is a nice place, Jean Jacques et Patricia are nice people!

  • Lara Dunning says:

    This place is beautiful and I love the pergola tower, and the views from the top. If I head back to Morocco I’m putting a stay here on my list.

  • Alexis says:

    This place looks beautiful and so relaxing! We are definitely planning an extended trip to Morocco in the next couple of years, and I’ll have to add this lovely place to my file!

  • Anne Klien ( MeAnne) says:

    I’ve been dreaming Morocco for awhile now and this post scratches my wanderlust more. … that hotel looks so chic and good place to stay I love the colourful interior

  • Prianka says:

    I can’t even spell/say the name but this looks like such a beautiful place – I love how colourful the market is and the hotel’s rooftop terrace looks _awesome_. How did you set up staying in the hotel – this is my new goal as a fellow travel blogger ^^

  • Karen says:

    What a gorgeous building – beautiful photographs. I haven’t been to Morocco – but I think I might need to add it! Isn’t it lovely to achieve something you’ve wanted to do for so long!

  • Marie says:

    I loooove the design of the building! If I go to Marocco one day, then I’ll check this place out! 🙂

  • Francesca says:

    Love the design of the building and the decor of your room and the inner patio. The rooftop looks quite enjoyable, too. I’ll totally stay at Dar Liouba if I ever get to Morocco!

  • TravelGretl says:

    Looks amazing! Now it’s on my list too 😀

  • Dannielle Lily says:

    That first image had me so intrigued! Looks amazing. I haven’t been to Morocco yet and the colours in these pictures have made me want to go even more 🙂

  • Nic says:

    Wow, you always stay in such unique and characterful places you really have a great ability to find them! Looks like it really added to the whole experience of the trip!

    • Heather Cole says:

      For us, accommodation is key to our trips, sometimes we even choose the location based on the places we like to stay 🙂

  • Simone says:

    This is lovely!! I loved the hospitality & riads in Morocco so much! Looks like you had an incredible experience too 🙂
    Simone

  • Milosz Zak says:

    Wow, those colours are just stunning, and those accommodations – well, let’s just say they’re the stuff of what dreams are made of.

  • Bianca says:

    I would stay there for that rooftop alone. It looks so cute and cosy. I seriously need to get over my love-hate with Morocco and pay it a visit.

    • Heather Cole says:

      It’s one of those places that needs visiting more than once to really understand it, after that it’s all uphill, an amazing country!

  • Revati says:

    Wow Wow Wow!! This is by far the most amazing stay experience I’ve seen on a blog in a while! (And I know you guys have been to some pretty cool places, so that’s saying something) Bookmarking this for our trip!

    • Heather Cole says:

      Well as you know we love unique and quirky, and this place was perfect for that! Hope you get to go too!

  • Kirstie says:

    Wow, that has to be one of the most beautiful accommodations I’ve seen! Makes me really eager to get back to Morocco to explore more of it!

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