On our first trip to Morocco we had decided staying in riads would be best for us. After our first night in Marrakech where we stayed in a magical tucked away riad which we loved we were hoping our riad in Essauoira would offer the same charm. It did not. We had booked one of the suites and the room itself was ok, however the rest of the riad left a lot to be dsired. It had none of the Moroccan charm and was in need of a facelift. The terrace had to be the worst part, it was small with only a few deck chairs and because the riad is located in the centre of the not so nice part of town basically looks out onto a sea of building rooftops covered in satellite dishes! This you got to by climbing up what felt like a fire escape ladder. I would not recommend this riad. We checked out and stayed at Villa Maroc which is fantastic!

First the good things about this place. It's in a good location in the medina and its eco-friendly policy is commendable. Our room had an outside wall and was a good size but rooms do vary in size and some, particularly on the inside, are quite small. The restaurant is small but excellent and offers simple, well-cooked food using freshly prepared ingredients although this means that service can be on the slow side.

Our one reservation was that the bed was too hard; it was so uncomfortable in fact that one of us was reduced to sleeping on the sofa. If that doesn't bother you, then there is much to recommend a stay here but for us the bed was just too uncomfortable to give an unqualified recommendation.

We stayed for 6 nights in one of the Mini Suites at the price of 772 dirhams per night. A very comfortable bed and spotlessly clean.

The hotel is organic (even the sheets), and the huge solar panels on the roof terrace indicate that all the electricity is generated this way - fantastic!

We were in a quieter part of the medina where we felt very safe.
The staf at Lalla Mira are so friendly and welcoming (although many of them spoke limited English, so some basic French is essential!).

Great buffet style breakfast included in the price of the room was delicious - eggs, coffee, pancakes, bread and jam etc.
Attached to the hotel is a hammam where i had an oil massage, scrub and a sort of body and hair mask.

I loved this place and would certainly visit again!

Lalla Mira is Morocco's first organic hotel - even the sheets on the beds are organic. It is a recently converted riad which has beautiful colours and textures inside and is hidden away down an alley close to one of the gates of the medina a 5 minute walk to the beach or port. All rooms are different and there are 3 categories - we stayed in a large room under the roof which easily fitted two adults in the 4-poster bed and two children on camp beds. From our window we could see the chickens and turkeys on the roof of the next building and hear the sounds of the medina as they wafted up through the windows in the evening. The bathrooms are rather strange though - the walls of ours didn't reach the ceiling, so going to the loo was rather an open-plan experience! Some other rooms had the bathroom under a mezzanine for the beds - if you are tall you might want to let them know when you book. Breakfasts were lovely - full continental for £1.30 a person, and vegetarian and vegan meals were available at very resonable prices. Service is slow, but the waiter entertained the children with his kick-boxing skills which they loved. The hamman is small but lovely and free for hotel guests (compared to £7 a person in another hotel we stayed at).

It's a great location and a very good price - it sits between a cheapo backpacker place, and the more luxurious riads which will make a much bigger dent in your wallet.