Kaouki Hill Cottage · Fireplace, Garden, Breakfast

A small stone house by the gate at Kaouki Hill, above Sidi Kaouki, built with the stone and lime of the region in the traditional Arabic way. Inside there's a double bed with hotel-quality linen, a tadelakt bathroom and a fireplace for cosy evenings. Outside, a terrace under the argan trees has sun loungers and a clay barbecue. Breakfast arrives at your door around nine. The beach is a 20-minute walk and Essaouira is 25 minutes by car. Sleeps 2, with a cot for children up to 3 for €22 a night. The space Kaouki Hill Cottage is a small stone house by the gate, with a fireplace inside for cosy evenings. It's 16 square metres. The terrace sits under the argan trees, and from it you can watch the sun go down over the garden, the valley and the distant ocean. The house We built it in the traditional Arabic way, with the stone, lime and techniques of the region, and it has the look of an old fisherman's cottage. Its thick walls keep you warm and cosy at night. Inside there's a double bed dressed in hotel-quality linen, a kitchenette with a marble counter and two cooking rings, and a spacious tadelakt bathroom. If you're travelling with a child under 3, we can set up a cot for €22 a night. The terrace Just outside the door, a table and chairs stand under the argan trees, with sun loungers and a clay barbecue. The sun rises over the hills in the morning, and in the evening it sets over the valley and the distant ocean. Breakfast Breakfast arrives at your door around nine, in a guffa, the traditional basket. Inside you'll find sourdough and croissants from a bakery in Essaouira, eggs, and msemen with argan-flower honey from our neighbour. With them come amlou made with our own argan oil, local olive oil, fruit in season and coffee roasted in Marrakech. The barbecue basket In the evening we can prepare a barbecue basket for two, with meat from the village butcher that we marinate ourselves. You grill it on the clay barbecue on the terrace. It's 350 MAD for two people, just ask us. Guest access The cottage and its terrace are all yours. You're welcome to explore the rest of Kaouki Hill too, including the shared gardens and the lounge under the pergola. There's free parking on site. Other things to note Minimum stay is two nights, to make sure you really get to enjoy the place. Check-in is from 3 pm and check-out is by 11 am. The last two kilometres are a dirt track. Most cars manage it, but if yours sits low, message us before you set off. The village and the shops are a 45-minute walk, so bring a few things for the kitchen. We live on the hill with our two children, a dog and two cats. A bit about us We're Zineb, who is Moroccan, and Anthony, who is British. We met in Taghazout on New Year's Eve 2013 and soon realised we shared a lot, including careers that fit together: Zineb as an interior designer, Anthony as a designer and builder. We spent years travelling the Moroccan coast looking for the right place to build a small guest lodge, and after several visits to Sidi Kaouki we found this land in Iskoha. Our inspiration comes from Asia, Morocco, Africa, the Mediterranean and American surf culture of the 50s and 60s. We wanted to mix them and create a fusion while staying true to Essaouira's history as a trading port linking Africa with Europe and the Americas. We use natural materials, sourced locally wherever we can, and we build low so that nothing imposes on the land around it. Walls are stitched between the argan trees, the buildings fill the open spaces between them, and low walls of lime and stone follow the contours of the land to form terraces. Zineb has fallen in love with garden design. She taught herself about local and imported plants, and she plants them among the trees that were already here. We make our own compost and grow new plants from cuttings and seed all over the hill. Anthony built all the woodwork and managed the building work. Many ideas were tried out on site rather than on a computer, so Kaouki Hill has grown organically and changed as we built it.