Hôtel des Îles

A 1948 wing, bungalows and a pool

Hôtel des Îles dates from 1948. The hotel credits it to Antoine Marchisio, whom it describes as the designer of La Mamounia in Marrakech. The original wing has 23 rooms on two floors, all redecorated in 2002. Around the pool, under the araucaria trees, stand 24 bungalows facing the garden and the pool. Then come 3 rooms with a balcony over the medina, 2 duplexes, 6 junior suites, 2 ambassador suites and 2 royal suites, one named after Orson Welles and one facing the sea.

The numbers do not add up: the hotel claims 68 rooms and 12 suites, yet its own breakdown gives 52 rooms and 10 suites, 62 in all. A press release of April 2006, announcing the hotel’s purchase by the Moroccan group Multihôtel National, spoke of 63 rooms and 2 suites, a 4-star rating and a building date of 1947. No star rating is shown in 2026.

The hotel says Orson Welles stayed here while shooting Othello, and one of its two lounges carries his name, the “Foyer Orson Welles”. Othello was the joint winner of the 1952 Grand Prix at Cannes, entered as a Moroccan production, not the Palme d’Or the hotel mentions. The restaurant seats up to 300. There is also an airport shuttle and non-smoking rooms, and reception arranges horse rides, camel rides and quad biking.

Exactly where it is, and how to get there

The hotel stands on boulevard Mohammed V, outside the walls, facing the sea and the port. The building is 110 m from Bab Sbaa, 200 m from place Orson Welles and 270 m as the crow flies from place Moulay Hassan. The sand of Essaouira’s town beach starts about 95 m away.

If you are driving, ask about parking before you book, because nothing is published about it. There is a paid open-air car park 65 m east of the building. In a taxi, give the hotel’s name and boulevard Mohammed V rather than a medina gate.

Who it suits, and what to know before you book

Prices are published in euros only, with no dirham equivalent, and they change with the season. A double or twin room starts at €110 a night between 15 February and 22 April 2026, then €120 on 19 and 20 May. The superior bungalow goes from €120 to €140 on the same dates. The family suite stays at €450 and the presidential suite at €600.

These rates come from archived copies of the website, which was not responding on 25 October 2026. Whether breakfast is included is not stated. The family room with a balcony is €550, more than the family suite, so ask for the day’s price in writing, in dirhams, before you pay.

Our view, drawn from those figures: the address suits anyone who wants a pool without giving up the medina on foot, and a family looking for a suite outside the walls. For a patio house inside the walls, compare it with Villa Maroc in the kasbah. For another hotel on the bay, see Le Médina Essaouira Hotel Thalassa Sea & Spa, and our pick of Essaouira’s hotels for the rest of town.

Before you book, get the day’s rate confirmed, along with three things that are not published: breakfast, parking and check-in time. If the Orson Welles suite is what brings you here, ask for it by name, as its price is not shown.