Kasbah d'Eau is a boutique hotel on the beach just outside Essaouira. You stay in 17 air-conditioned rooms and suites with stunning mountain, beach and ocean views and there is a large heated pool, spa and gym as well as a host of beach activities.
There are 8 rooms with partial sea or mountain views, 6 sea-suites with private terraces, and 3 master suites with separate lounge, fireplace and large beach-facing terrace. All the rooms have polished plaster "tadelakt" bathrooms with double basins, walk-in showers and have individually controlled air-conditioning and heating. The sea suites and master suites also have tadelakt carved baths. All rooms can accommodate an extra bed if required.
The centre-piece is the double-height atrium with views of the ocean and access to the terrace which has sun-loungers and the 18m x 5m heated infinity pool. There is a separate bar and restaurant although most meals can be taken in the atrium. To relax out of the sun there is a library/lounge and games room with pool table and a subterranean gym and spa featuring two treatment rooms and a traditional hammam for a deep cleanse. Our sister property, Rebali Riads, is also in the village and has a tennis court that is free for Kasbah d'Eau guests to use.
Kasbah d'Eau is a place to relax and re-charge, but there is plenty to keep you busy and exercised. The beach is the main attraction with surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing for the adrenalin junkies, horseback and camel rides to explore the area, and quadbike tours to get into the dunes and down the coast. It is also a place beloved by runners and walkers - the immediate beach is 1.5 miles (2.5km) in length and then miles more beyond that - even at the busiest times finding calm and solitude is never an issue.
As well as the beach there are around a dozen cafes and restaurants in the village (two with a licence to sell alcohol) but it is not developed and there is a rural feel with camels donkeys and dogs freely wandering around or lying in the sun.
We can arrange for you to visit some of the traditional farms to see the real Morocco and understand about the local traditions of bread making and argan oil production.
Further afield, Essaouira is a 25-minute taxi ride away (around £10/€12 each way) and it is easy to pop in for an afternoon shopping in the medina, or an evening in one of the wonderful restaurants. Essaouira's international airport is 15 minutes away, and Marrakech is 3 hours by taxi (or bus from Essaouira) for connections all over the world.
Even though there is air-conditioning and heating, Kasbah d'Eau has been designed to have minimal impact on the environment. The locally-sourced stones for the walls retain the sun's heat in the winter, but stay cool in the summer, and all the rooms have natural cross-flow ventilation. Hot water is mostly generated with an array of thermal solar panels and there is a matching set of photo-voltaic panels to provide electricity and power the highly efficient heat pumps for the pool and air-conditioning. Water is recycled to keep the gardens flourishing without wasting precious resources.
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