Mr & MRS Smith le Jardin des Douars

At first, I was a bit hesitant about staying at Jardin Des Douars, as it wasn’t located right next to the town or beach, and the photos online gave it a more generic hotel vibe. However, my concerns were quickly put to rest. The gardens were stunning, the service was outstanding, and the rooms were beautifully designed and comfortable. We stayed in a room for three (a couple with a child), and the layout was perfect, with a small curtain-divided side room for our daughter, giving everyone privacy and space. The two pools were fantastic – one for kids to enjoy without disturbing anyone else, which made it a truly relaxing experience. The hotel also offered a good-sized parking area, which was very convenient since we had rented a car and were able to explore the surrounding area easily. As for the food, it was a delicious mix of Moroccan and Western options, though a few more healthy or lighter choices would have been welcomed. Nevertheless, everything we tried was flavorful and satisfying. Overall, we found the hotel to be good value for money, relaxing, all in all a well-rounded experience and we would love to return in the future.

We stayed a couple days in the enchanting town of Essaouira and one day we drove to Jardin des Douars for a lovely lunch on the terrace. The place is very nice and relaxing. The pool area also looks great. The staff is really friendly and helpful.

A wonderful hotel in a beautiful setting. We stayed for 5 nights in May and had an amazing time. The hotel is a quick taxi ride from Essaouira or the airport but feels like another world. Staff are attentive and very friendly. Omar deserves a special mention who took great care of us and was a big hit with our two year old daughter. Rooms are beautifully arranged and have a traditional, kasbah-like feel to them but with contemporary touches. We stayed in the Babel suite which was beautiful and had a rooftop terrace that we used a lot. If there is one minor grumble, it’s that we were charged for coffee pods which you may feel should be included given level of hotel the room rates - but otherwise room facilities were perfect. The hotel is set within landscaped grounds and is very peaceful. Our daughter loved looking for frogs and tortoises in the pond on our way to dinner each evening. There is an adult only pool and a family pool - but we found both to be equally peaceful. The indoor restaurant / breakfast room is nice but we ate outside every evening. The food is good quality and while the menu is quite limited, they offer specials each night to keep things fresh. The basil smash cocktail was a favourite too! There is also a tranquil spa where my wife and I enjoyed a hammam treatment with black soap and salt scrub! It’s a perfect escape and we made a promise to return as soon as we checked out.

Just back from my third trip to Jardin des Douars just outside Essaouira. This time with my husband, our daughter and her husband and another young couple. We stayed in Villa Jasmin which is one of the 3 newer villas. It can accommodate up to 9 across 3 bedrooms, all with en-suites. There is a good sized living / dining area inside and plenty of room outside around the pool, which has a kids shallow area. Our Housekeeper looked after us really well with a feat for breakfast every day (that is include) She also made us dinner on our first night, perfect for our arrival around 20:30 and we had a BBQ for lunch one day. We ate in the restaurant a couple of evenings, food is excellent and the service attentive. My daughter and her husband enjoyed both a couples Hammam and a couples massage. We made use of the minibus service the hotel provide for our airport pick up / drop off and our trips into Essaouira town. This is a paid for service but good value and very convenient, picking you up from / dropping you back to your villa. We will definitely be back!

One of the best hotels we have ever stayed at - so well thought through, with different pool areas for families and adults (both stunning), a really relaxed atmosphere, the most lovely staff and a beautiful backdrop. It was easy to get into Essouria and the local beaches. Would love to return.

There is so much to love and admire about this garden oasis set in the scrubland around Essaouira. The drive is beset with flowers draped down the sides of beige walls the rooms have been authentically decorated and the facilities are excellent. We loved our 5 days there. We first visited the Jardin de Douar in 2009 having bumped across a partly unfinished main road from Marrakech in a car that was more dents than car. We arrived at lunchtime and were greeted like old friends, fed lunch and generally loved for the few days we were there. At that time the accommodation was confined to the main house only, there was one pool. Fast forward to 2024. It’s huge with new villas built for larger groups, two pools, two dining areas mainly because the number of children at dinner means that many adults would prefer the quiet of the separate dining room. So it is with the second swimming pool reserved for adults only. But if you can’t get a table in the adults dining room then you could be faced with feral children in the main room and the cacophony of noise that accompanies them. In summary then intimacy has been replaced by commercialism. Dinner a la carte or fixed price is good but not outstanding. Tagines are a stable part of the offering but we had better in Essaouira. The staff are really not as attentive as they used to be. We were totally ignored for 20 minutes one evening in the restaurant. I spoke to a waiter to ask why, it wasn’t like they were super busy, more like they hadn’t decided who would wait our table. Breakfast lacks some diversity. This is a super critical review of a really really good hotel. Just a bit of management review and it could be one of the worlds great hotels.