The Wind, the Walls, and the Welcome: Riad Tizwa Opens apartment in Essaouira

There are few places left that manage to smell of both history, sea salt and have much beauty to match. Essaouira, the Moroccan coastal town that once flirted with Jimi Hendrix, pirates, and Portuguese dreamers, is one of them. It’s an elegant town with ramparts, blue boats, and a kind of sand-strewn serenity that feels like it’s been well kept secret for too long. And now, with shameless delight, Riad Tizwa is announcing its newest chapter: a discreet, two-bedroom apartment in the very heart of the old town of this sleepy wee place.

This is not a hotel. It is not a resort. It is a quiet whisper to our loyal guests — the curious, the stylish, the scent-sensitive — who’ve already visited our doors in Marrakech or Fez. this new Essaouira retreat will be available only to you: the initiated. For a limited time, and at a suitably secret rate available only to you.

Essaouira, for the uninitiated, is that rarest of Moroccan miracles: a city on the Atlantic coast that isn’t trying to be something other than what it already is… It has never gone through its phase of becoming the ‘next’ anything. It just is. Cool in summer — a divine 21–23°C even in July and August, thanks to a gentle Atlantic wind that blows the heat away like gossip. Winters too are warm hovering contentedly around 18°C in January warmer in the sunshine, perfect for outside dining while the rest of Europe defrosts radiators and relationships.

Especially if you are a wind surfer, horse rider or beach lover Essaouira is for you and there are direct flights from London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Rabat and more – Essaouira is closer than ever. Ryan Air; Vueling; Transavia; easyJet and Air Arabia Maroc.

Here are five reasons to visit Essaouira:

1. The Light – Essaouira has the kind of light that painters fall in love with and photographers divorce for. It gilds the stone, flatters the skin, and never asks for thanks.
2. The Fish – The morning fish market is what Waitrose imagines it is after four glasses of Chablis. Sardines so fresh they slap back.
3. The Medina – Smaller, softer, less shouty than its siblings in Fez or Marrakech. Here, you don’t navigate — you drift between delicious coffees and crepes
4. The Beach – Endless, open, and gloriously windswept. Good for kite surfers, camel-spotters, and brooding romantics.
5. The Sightseer– Retrace the steps of the filming location for Game of Thrones; Hitchcock’s Othello and the currently filming of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey staring Charlize Theron and Anne Hathaway.

And of course, there’s the elegant “Riad Tizwa” of it all.

The two double bedroom apartment has been designed to breathe. Making a beautiful space, thoughtful, simple and elegant. Enjoy Moroccan touches with a hint of New York city and a strong sense of home – Not the place you live, but the place you wish you did. An elegant Zilige wet room shower room; large kitchen, dining room and separate salon make this the perfect place for 2 couples or visitors who want to spread out a bit.

We hope to see you soon in Essaouira. Same soul, new breeze; and the best of sea air. Be among the first to stay – email us at riadtizwa@gmail.com to request early access and secure an early access special price.