The Dar Beida Residence

essaouira, morocco
4 bedroom - 2 bath
(2 reviews)
Travel dates:
£257 per night (GBP)
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Property perks

  • Concierge
    A concierge service is available for this property
  • Baby rental
    equipment partner
    We work with a carefully-chosen baby equipment rental partner in this location
  • Kid & Coe
    select
    Kid & Coe Select properties have been visited by our team and checked for their suitability for family travelers
  • Itinerary
    We provide a family-focused itinerary for properties in this destination
  • Professional
    partner
    This property is professionally managed by a trusted partner

Perks for the Parents

This tranquil, cool and super-styled designer pad in Essaouria’s medina has everything from a hanging wicker chair to a chic whitewashed roof terrace, sleeps up to 8 and is just minutes from the town’s sandy beach on foot. There is plenty of room to get a few moments peace or chill out with family on the spacious roof terrace. The rooms are all light and airy providing a cool environment to escape the heat and desert sun. The owners offer a complimentary arrival package, with tea, coffee, water, milk, sugar and a fruit basket, plus a free pair of babouches (Moroccan slippers) to use in the house and to take home. Complimentary locally-made Argan soap provided, along with guest towels and beach towels.

Why Kids Love it

The property has plenty of space to hang out as a family or for older kids to get their own space. One of the guest bedrooms on second floor has stairs up to the bed and seating area below, perfect for teenagers. There is also a huge collection of books, CDs and board games. Dar Beida is just down a short street from the market, and is 5 minutes to the fortress and restaurants so is perfect for little legs that tire quickly. Kids will also love the camel riding, digging sandcastles on the beach and playing in beach playgrounds. Children under 4 stay for free.

Things to Know

Minimum stay: 7 nights. The house is cleaned daily. The house is an old Jewish house with 200-year-old stone columns and arches that have been carefully excavated. Note that it is vertical in layout with a lot of stone stairs - not ideal for young toddlers. On arrival, the host gives a personal tour of the medina and will point out shops, restaurants and hammams. An information pack with a restaurant guide, information on hammams, horseback riding, quad biking and other activities is provided. A home cooked Moroccan feast can be provided anytime during your stay (upon request, charges apply - approx. £10 per head). The price listed is based on 4 people staying at the property. Please contact the host for correct pricing for groups of more than 4, as well as further information on day trips and other excursions that will make your stay truly memorable.

About the Location

This house is at the back of Essaouira’s fortified medina near Bab Doukkala with the food quarter on your doorstep. It is 10 minutes’ walk to the town’s long sandy beach. It’s in the buzzing heart of the town with plenty of color. Marrakesh airport is a 2.5 hour drive away, while Essaouira airport is around 25 minutes away. Car hire is not recommended and the host can recommend a great taxi company who will drive anywhere in Morocco. Essaouira medina is car-free and the town can be explored on foot. There are 2 play parks on the beach and a beach bar with a small kids play area at the far end of the beach.

Accommodation Details

This 4-bedroom villa at the back of the medina has a library and chill-out room with fireplace on the ground level, leading to a first floor with an open-plan kitchen-diner, living space with stereo and moulded bedroom and shower room. On the second floor there are 2 double bedrooms with fireplaces plus a shared bathroom and terrace with sunshade area, hammock and seating. The third floor has a double bedroom with a private terrace, sink and seating area.

Style Notes

Add a dash of swinging 60s to a modern aesthetic, and a swag bag full of souvenirs from the most exotic corners of the world and you’ve got Dar Beida - a traditional house with a wall of skulls, a hanging rattan chair and exotic knick-knacks. Those whitewashed walls plus the bright furniture plus the perfect blue sky make the terrace a true standout - no filter needed.

  • Air Conditioning
  • Baby Bath
  • Baby Monitor
  • Babysitter / Nanny
  • Backyard / Garden
  • Balcony
  • Bathtub
  • Bed Rails
  • Bicycles
  • Cabinet Locks
  • Changing Table
  • Chef / Catering
  • Children's Dinnerware
  • Corner Guards
  • DVD Library
  • DVD Player
  • Dishwasher
  • Elevator
  • Fireplace Guards
  • Game Console
  • High Chair
  • Housekeeper
  • Outlet Plugs
  • Parking
  • Pet-friendly
  • Pool
  • Pool Gate
  • Stair Gates
  • Television
  • Toys / Children's Books
  • Washer / Dryer
  • Wifi
  • Window Guards
SLEEPS 8
4 full / double
sleeps 1
1 travel crib
Emma W.
Member since April 21, 2015
Hi, I'm Emma Wilson, an avid interiors style curator, owner of Castles in the Sand, a boutique holiday house rental company in Essaouira and co-owner of Beldi Rugs, a London based online shop featuring a carefully hand sourced collection of antique and collectible rugs. I live in a converted beach house in the small coastal town of Sidi Kaouki in the North West of Morocco with my 8-year old son, Kai, and our four-legged family of cats and dogs! When we're not enjoying the chilled out, hippy pace of life in Essaouira, we like to travel to other rural beach retreats in Goa and Costa Rica. Each summer we decamp back to our hometown of London to catch up with friends and family - and an injection of arts and culture. Essaouira is a really fun, happy and family friendly resort - a little known gem in Northern Africa. My hope is that more families will visit us to discover what this beautiful city has to offer. Relax and unwind in one of our quirky but tranquil homes away from home.

Essaouira, Morocco

Souks and the beach

This laid-back fishing town on the coast of Morocco, 2.5 hours west of Marrakesh, offers a fantastic retreat for all the family. With a vibrant marketplace and pedestrianized medina with narrow winding streets, a wide sandy beach and plenty of opportunities for surfing, there is plenty to keep everyone busy. Ride horses along the beach, eat fish fresh from the sea in a relaxed beach cafe, go camel trekking in the desert and visit souks in the countryside.

2 reviews

Mia H.
Visited in April 2024
Emma's beautiful home was an incredible home base for our explorations of Essaouira! It is really so stylish and comfortable and the art is just gorgeous. We felt like we were in a magazine spread - particularly in our primary suite with a view looking out over the city to the ocean. We never wanted to leave! Emma was also a wonderful host with fabulous recommendations for activities and restaurants. We could not have been more pleased and would highly recommend a visit!!
Michele T.
Visited in April 2017
I have been slow in writing this review because we were so completely overwhelmed by our stay at Dar Beida and I was at a loss for words to adequately describe how utterly wonderful and amazing it was!! The house is fantastic: sensitively restore maintaining it's history but still quirky, full of interesting surprises, and nooks and crannies to explore, comfortable, perfect location, fabulous roof terrace, audio books for the kids... I could go on and on. But what really stood out was the unfaltering service and support we got from Emma, who is - and this in no word of a lie - the best host ever. From organising with the house keeper to deliver a delicious home cooked Moroccan meal on our arrival, to tips on where to go in the souk for the best deals and where to buy your fresh fish in the market, she went well above and beyond to make our stay memorable. Her input included introducing us to an amazing cooking school where the whole family learnt how to make a proper moroccan tagine, to organising an amazing day trip to a waterfall complete with camel rides and berber picnic. Essaouira is a wonderfully laid back fishing port, well worth a visit...and if you are going there, Dar Beida is the place to stay and Emma is the host to have. We loved every minute!!