Dar Alya Essaouira - Maison et table d'hôtes — Hotel in Essaouira

Sophi the French owner certainly went out of her way to make us welcome at her stylish||"Cote Sud style magazine home".. A little more South of France than Maroco but thats why we chose this place but to Sophies credit a very successful mix of both worlds.||||With only three rooms, all very comfortable, the suite is perhaps the nicest with so much space..money has been spent well on the furnishings and the beds which to some are a little on the hard side.||||Dar Alya is a little out of the centre of Essaouira down a long dusty and very bumpy track so it would be advisable to hire a car for your visit, Sophie can arrange this for you and its not expensive so well worth the investment, just for getting into town of an evening or to the sensational beach bar. Le Mouette et les Dromadaires in nearby Sidi Kaoiki.||||This is the countryside so do be prepared for the odd fly or two and smells especially as we discovered the huge hurds of sheep and goats also sleep in the property next door but not an issue and superb to photograph...when we arrived we found the entrance blocked by a horse..just amazing.||||We did have a few problems whilst staying for our 5 days at Dar Alya which did rather spoil what should have been a exceptional stay....breakfast, this was a bit of a hit and miss affair with two of our breakfasts being well below what we had expected..or had had the day before. The last day of our stay breakfast was superb after our comments but spoilt by Sophie having a go at us for over reacting and saying our comments had upset other guests... we were also made to feel a little uncomfortable by Sophie super lunch and dinner chef coming over to us later that day to ask what had gone wrong with the breakfast as staff had been talking. ||Perhaps if Sophie had been up at 10.00 am when we had the problem this might have been sorted without question. I was told I had asked for cake, fruit and eggs too abruptly, difficult with the lovely girl in question who did not speak or understand English..and I certainly asked gently and politely if it was possible to have them..a lesson in communication here.||||The facilities at Dar Alya are superb, a great heated pool ( not that you needed it at the 35C sun we had )...not a lot of shade round the pool so it was a little who had the one fixed straw umbrella that offered the most shade. Sophie has a great chef and the two dinners we had.were very nice....one table d'hote and the other a special Tagine meal with us, Sophi and the other guests, it was a fun and superb night under the stars.||No air conditioning or fans to cool the rooms ( would be an asset for the hotter nights ) but great windows to offer that through breezed + the odd pussy cat, that jumped onto my bed one night...that woke me with a start.||A massage room is under way..this should be a great plus..the service is offered now but in your room.||||All in all a great place to stay, it could be more professionally run but do be careful a wrong word to the host and she will share this with the other guests as she did with us concerning other guests. " A French lady...

Dar Alya|| ||||Absolute favorite stay! An oasis next to Essaouira!|||| With a car you arrive in ten minutes from the airport to Dar Alya. We were welcomed by the wonderful Sophie, a great host with lots of contacts and recommendations!|||| Dar Alya is a beautiful quiet house, decorated with lots of taste.|| The pool is comfortably heated and slightly salted which is a perfect combination.|| There are many cozy corners in Dar Alya where you relax and easily find privacy.|||| The Rooms are another level of comfort each of them have a different layout and all very tastefully decorated. They come with a small terrasse outside and ‘the Stella’ has a bigger private outside area. They are all accommodating a heated bathroom floor, slightly salted showers and on top of it all, a chimney where the fire will be build daily for you and all you have to do is light it on for a romantic and cozy night.|| It really ads points on to the experience.|||| Dar Alya offers breakfast and dinner. You can have breakfast outside, by your room or next to the pool. If you want to eat somewhere else Sophie has plenty of recommendations of lovely spots in and outside the Medina.|| We did eat at Dar Alya, personally I am a big fan of the dining room / salon. The cook provided a three course dinner. Variations of Maroccain dishes with fresh products everyday, no need to go out for dinner having this service at the house!|||| We stayed at Dar Alya for one week, having the best time. Sophie recommended us restaurants, excursions and even where to shop! One day we went on a 3 hour quad ride that took us to the dunes of Essaouira and rode along the coast. We had a stop at the cutest little surf cafe where we had tea before heading back. The views were just striking.|| Dar Alya also proposed different massages, I had a very relaxing 1 hour massage in my room! A must try!|||| With all the house brings, the price-quality is absolutely legitimate! (From daily housekeeping, food, pool and the in-room fireplace everything is prepared, Sophie doesn’t miss anything!)|||| The staff is very kind and we felt welcomed at all times. There are two dogs at Dar Alya and three cats, all animals are very well behaved and me, personally not a dog person fell in love with 'Oups' and 'Jade'.|||| I would recommend Dar Alya to anyone who loves good vibes and beautiful surroundings.|| We will definitely be back for...

Dar Alya

Absolute favorite stay! An oasis next to Essaouira!

With a car you arrive in ten minutes from the airport to Dar Alya. We were welcomed by the wonderful Sophie, a great host with lots of contacts and recommendations!

Dar Alya is a beautiful quiet house, decorated with lots of taste. The pool is comfortably heated and slightly salted which is a perfect combination. There are many cozy corners in Dar Alya where you relax and easily find privacy.

The Rooms are another level of comfort each of them have a different layout and all very tastefully decorated. They come with a small terrasse outside and ‘the Stella’ has a bigger private outside area. They are all accommodating a heated bathroom floor, slightly salted showers and on top of it all, a chimney where the fire will be build daily for you and all you have to do is light it on for a romantic and cozy night. It really ads points on to the experience.

Dar Alya offers breakfast and dinner. You can have breakfast outside, by your room or next to the pool. If you want to eat somewhere else Sophie has plenty of recommendations of lovely spots in and outside the Medina. We did eat at Dar Alya, personally I am a big fan of the dining room / salon. The cook provided a three course dinner. Variations of Maroccain dishes with fresh products everyday, no need to go out for dinner having this service at the house!

We stayed at Dar Alya for one week, having the best time. Sophie recommended us restaurants, excursions and even where to shop! One day we went on a 3 hour quad ride that took us to the dunes of Essaouira and rode along the coast. We had a stop at the cutest little surf cafe where we had tea before heading back. The views were just striking. Dar Alya also proposed different massages, I had a very relaxing 1 hour massage in my room! A must try!

With all the house brings, the price-quality is absolutely legitimate! (Daily housekeeping, food, pool, and the in-room fireplace!)

The staff is very kind and we felt welcomed at all times. There are two dogs at Dar Alya and three cats, all animals are very well behaved and me, personally not a dog person fell in love with 'Oups' and 'Jade'.

I would recommend Dar Alya to anyone who loves good vibes and beautiful surroundings. We will definitely be back for...