Illustrative photo of the region — the property's own gallery is on the booking page.

Colonial-era elegance inside the ramparts — billiard room, cinema, and the town's only rooftop pool.

Heure Bleue Palais is Essaouira's grande dame: a courtyard palace at Bab Marrakech whose clubby lounges — billiards, library, a small cinema — feel closer to a colonial-era gentlemen's club than a beach-town hotel. The rooftop holds the town's only pool, with the Atlantic wind kept politely at bay.

Essaouira is a place of simple pleasures — the port, the ramparts, grilled sardines, windsurfing watched from a safe distance — and Heure Bleue is the most comfortable possible base for them. When the evening fog rolls in off the ocean, the fireplaces earn their keep.

Why we chose it

• Essaouira's only rooftop pool, looking over the medina walls
• Billiard room, cinema and clubby colonial-era lounges
• Right at Bab Marrakech, inside the ramparts

Amenities

• Heated rooftop pool
• Hammam and spa treatments
• Billiard room and home cinema
• Wine bar

Getting there

Heure Bleue Palais is in Essaouira, 15–20 minutes from Essaouira Mogador Airport (ESU). From here, Essaouira's highlights are within reach, including Walk the Skala de la Ville ramparts, Skala du Port and the fishing harbour and Watch thuya-wood marquetry being made — see the full Essaouira guide for more on what to see nearby.

Frequently asked questions