Dar Beida

A 200-Year-Old Home Brought Back to Life

Imagine a prehistoric pop art cave - part Barbarella, part Sixties love pad and part Flintstones. If you can. If you can't, you're in luck. Someone else has done it for you…

We love it when people think outside the box. This wonderful house in the coastal town of Essaouira is, however, a great example of taking the box and smashing it to smithereens.

A four-bedroom villa at the back of the town's fortified medina near Bab Doukkala, it's perfect for pleasure seekers, located as it is right beside the food quarter and minutes from the beach. Having said that, with a house like this, you may not want to venture out at all. It would be easy to spend an entire week taking selfies in different nooks and crannies.

The designer has taken the 200-year-old sandstone columns and thuya wood ceilings of this traditional Jewish house, and added whitewash with stone and driftwood accents. Sixties furnishings and colored lighting have been added to create a whimsical cave that is at once futuristic and prehistoric. Don't be surprised when you turn a corner and see a wall of skulls or a giant birdcage suspended as a light fitting. The chairs are pretty cool too - one is a vivid African-print armchair, and another is made from animal tusks.  

The house is split into four levels and built around a central courtyard. It accommodates up to eight people, but if you're traveling with that many you may end up fighting over which of the bedrooms you get to sleep in. The first floor has a kitchen/diner with living space and one bedroom with en-suite shower. The second floor has two bedrooms and outdoor space with a large terrace and a beautiful beaded hammock. At the very top is a final bedroom with private terrace - complete with the piece de resistance, a pink polka dot pig.

A Moroccan feast is available on request at extra charge.

Around

Essaouira is southern Morocco's favorite beach town, and is located within a few hours of Marrakech. Unlike the big city, Essaouira is laid-back and timeless with sandy-colored ramparts, whitewashed avenues, French-style piazzas, and a port full of azure blue fishing boats.

The guest house's owner greets each visitor personally and starts their stay with a guided tour of the locality. An information booklet with a restaurant guide, information on Hammams, quad biking, horse riding and other activities is available at the house. 

Location

Essaouira, Morocco. Transfers can be arranged to and from Marrakech, which is approximately two and a half hours drive away. There is a small airport five miles from the town that has regular flights to and from Paris-Orly and Casablanca.