Riad Zahra

We stayed here for two nights in the rooftop suite, called "Shams." The suite was beautifully decorated, clean, and had comfortable bedding. The location is excellent, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The on-site restaurant was the best in the area, with delicious breakfasts served by the pool, and street parking was plentiful. A few notes on the rooftop suite: there is a “Grill Zahra” bar area on the roof, which was thankfully closed during our stay. However, if it had been open, we would have been sleeping right next to a busy bar with potentially noisy, intoxicated patrons—definitely something to consider. Additionally, the small outdoor area in front of the suite, labeled as “private,” didn’t quite feel that way. Each night, people gathered there, watching videos, laughing, and creating disturbances, with no phone in the suite to call reception for help. Finally, the lack of air conditioning was a drawback. During our stay, the temperature was manageable, averaging around 22°C, but the suite still got uncomfortably warm during the day, and even the provided fan wasn’t enough to cool it down. It only started to feel more comfortable after 10 p.m. In summary, this hotel offers a great location, friendly staff, and excellent dining, but if you're staying in the rooftop suite, be prepared for potential noise issues and no AC.

We stayed 2 nights at Riad Zhara during our trip to Morocco. Beautiful Riad, with large comfortable rooms and a lovely swimming pool. Breakfast was excellent. Riad is a pleasant 20 min walk along the beach to the Medina. Only regret is we didn't stay longer in Essaouira which is a beautiful small town.

This is truly a wonderful place to stay; whether you're looking to wander and explore Essouira, or just want to relax by the pool. Everything about this Riad is inviting and welcoming. The owners and staff take great pride in ensuring guests are comfortable and have a great experience. A definite recommendation!

I am absolutely amazed with the stay in Riad zahra, it was better than being at home, Edith, Xavier and Jofre are so warm and friendly, the riad is so precious and the food and rooms couldnt be better. We enjoyed so much, i absolutely recommend to everybody who want to be at essaouira to choose Riad Zahra! I will be back very soon if I can! ❤️❤️❤️

My family and i stayed at the superb Riad Zahra for 3 nights recovery after climbing Mount Toubkal. It was a very very relaxing few days! The bedroom was clean and comfortable, the breakfast room was immaculate and the swimming pool was superb (complete with tortoises wandering about!). All staff encountered were polite and friendly. We had a very early check out on the day of departure, so staff very kindly brought a bag of breakfast to our room the night before. A lovely and unexpected gesture! Only slight criticism was a lack of vegetarian food on the menu, meaning that we ate the evening meals elsewhere. However this didn't detract from a great experience at Riad Zahra.

Absolutely loved this place. We have been regular visitors to Essaouira for over 15 years and usually stay closer to the medina. This time we wanted a quiet time to relax and this was the perfect choice for us. So pleased we finally got there after several flight cancellations due to covid over the past couple of years. Xavier and his lovely wife were very friendly and welcoming. The building itself is absolutely beautiful. We had a superior room with two balconies, one overlooking the front of the hotel onto a quiet residential street and the other overlooking the side. The room was very clean, spacious and beautifully decorated. Extremely comfy bed, the best nights sleep I’ve ever had in Morocco. Breakfast was included and could be taken indoors or by the pool. The pool area is lovely with resident tortoises wandering around, plenty of sunny spots to sit with a drink and a good book. Very quiet and relaxing. The ‘camel end’ of the beach was just a couple of minutes away via a side street next to the hotel. It’s about 20 mins walk to the medina along the beach road or you can go via the quiet residential streets or even venture further into the modern Nouvelle Ville behind the hotel. The hotel has its own restaurant and there are also many places to eat nearby so no need to walk into the medina every night although it is a pleasant stroll along the seafront where you can buy a variety of snacks from the street vendors for pennies. Our favourite being the hot chickpeas in a paper cone. Thank you for your hospitality and for the last minute lift to the bus station! Our stay was the peaceful break we had hoped for. Ann & Paul W