La Maison Du Vent

The beds were comfortable, the staff were nice, and the place has a pretty, quirky feel. Its location worked well for us, especially with the kite spot at the south end of the beach about a 20-minute walk away. The rooftop terrace needs work, though, and nights were very noisy, with a public water fountain right by the entrance. Breakfast was meant to start at 8:30, but they ran late almost every morning during our week. The coffee was decent but often only warm, there was too much bread and not enough of anything else, and no fresh juice. Our rooms stayed damp and sandy, though maybe that’s common in Essaouira riads.

We were served a lovely traditional tagine by the staff on the roof terrace, and they were helpful with directions to shops and other things. It’s a friendly, quaint little place tucked away. The public wash station right below our room made things a bit noisy, with everything echoing. We’d definitely come back.

The lane leading to the Riad was dark and dirty, and dogs fought and barked at night. The room was dirty too, nothing like the online pictures, so we cancelled our booking, but they still charged us for the first night. When we arrived at Maison du Vent, no one answered the door. We had to call a number before someone finally came to let us in.

The location at the entrance to the Medina was good, but the room and bathroom were dirty. It felt more like a hotel than a Riad, and we didn’t get the Moroccan riad hospitality we expected. I wouldn’t recommend it.