Villa La Diouana

Rooms

There are three bedrooms in the Villa and a fourth in the Penthouse above with sweeping sea views. Then there's the Garden Suite steps from the front door, and the cosy Palm Suite overlooking the garden.

Of the three bedrooms in the villa, the master bedroom steals the show with views of the lagoon and an enormous tadlakt bathtub. The other two double rooms look out to the garden, one with a second mezzanine bed reached via a steep ladder: perfect for kids. Décor is simple and subdued, dominated by white walls and linens, then lifted by traditional textiles, Moroccan artwork and photography.

The Penthouse is the crown perched atop the main house; with a kingsize bed and vast bathtub looking out over the lagoon. It's accessed up a flight of tadelakt stairs at the end of the hall within the villa, and has a private terrace perfect for a quiet morning coffee.

The Garden Suite is an independent annex just 30 metres from the house, with its own sitting area and roof terrace. There is plenty of wardrobe space, as in all of the bedrooms, and the same attractive use of natural-coloured tadelakt in its shower room.

The Palm Suite is a self-contained apartment above the wellness studio, with a separate entrance, kingsize bed, bath, tadelakt floors and a terrace overlooking the garden.

The villa must be booked as standard, but you can choose any combo of rooms to add on to suit your party.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Central heating
• Cots available
• DVD player
• Fireplace
• Safe box
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

Fatima can prepare a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bread, yoghurt and jams; squeezing oranges and making potfuls of freshly ground coffee to greet you in the morning. You can enjoy your feast in the garden overlooking the sea, on the terrace shaded by trees, or in the cosy dining area inside.

Fabulous three-course lunches or dinners are also available on request. Let Abdillah know if you’d like them to shop for you or head down to the lagoon-side fish market, choose from the best of the catch, then have Fatima prepare you an amazing tagine. Her other specialities include harira, couscous and pastilla as well as meat and seafood. They can also prepare special meals for children. And there's a small selection of Moroccan wines and beer available at the house.

And be sure to let Abdillah organise a boat trip to the headland on the far side of the lagoon with an included lunch of oysters, sea urchins and grilled fish, all straight from the sea. We did just that and had one of the most memorable meals of our Moroccan trip.

There are a couple of excellent seafood restaurants in Oualidia, both in town and down by the waterside.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Dinner by arrangement
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• In-house cook
• Kids' meals
• Lunch by arrangement
• Oven
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Oualidia has one main street with shops, fruit markets and cafes
  
• Visit the colourful Saturday market, teeming with farmers and donkeys from outlying villages bartering over pots and pans, sacks of flour and beans, vats of olives and bowls of spices
  
• Follow a narrow path down through the eucalyptus forest to a sheltered, sandy beach which is ideal for kids learning to swim and great for flying kites; follow the beach up to grottos and caves, climb the hills in spring and find them covered in wild flowers
  
• Surfing, wind-surfing and other water sports are available in the summer months. The shallow lagoon and rollers of the Atlantic make Oualidia a great place to learn
  
• Watch birds (best in spring and autumn) from La Diouana’s terrace or from a boat on the lagoon. This is one of Morocco’s top ornithological destinations - expect oyster catchers, curlews, dunlins, and flamingos (in early summer) to pass by
  
• Walk north along the beach past the oyster beds, via an extraordinary Marabout’s tomb, to the salt flats or walk south for miles and miles along a deserted stretch of beach
  
• Back at the villa, allow yourself to be pampered with a massage at the onsite wellness studio
  
• Take a day trip south to visit the ceramic workshops at Safi and stop at Cap Bedouzza on the way back for its windswept promontory with a curious light-house and miles of sandy beach
  
• Or head an hour north to El Jadida and visit the crumbling ramparts, churches and rambling souk of its old cité portuguaise
  
• Outside El Jadida is the Royal Golf Sofitel, one of the best golf courses in Morocco
  
• Another few kilometres takes you to Azemmour, an old Portuguese colony with an ancient medina seldom visited by tourists

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Badminton
• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Fishing
• Golf
• Hiking
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Windsurfing

Best Time to go

Our Top Tips

Location

La Diouana is outside the charming village of Oualidia, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, equidistant between Casablanca and Essaouira. It's 180km from the nearest airport, but the beauty and isolation of the area make it well worth the drive.

By Air:
Casablanca Mohammed V (180km). Marrakech Menara (200km). Essaouira (180km). All airports served by several airlines. Click on the link below for a list.
The owners recommend flying to Marrakech and then hiring a car or taking a taxi to Oualidia. They can arrange transfers from Marrakech, Casablanca or Essaouira.

By Car
Hiring a car will give you additional flexibility for day trips - see our car rental recommendations. It's a 3-hour drive from Marrakech; 2.5 from Casablanca.

Abdillah, the house guardian, will meet you when you arrive and hand over keys. He lives two minutes away and will cheerfully help with any questions or problems.

Detailed directions will be sent to you once you book through i-escape.

More on getting to Morocco and getting around.