Dar Leila - perfect family / group home

Dar Leila is a fully restored 19th century riad, located at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage listed medina in Essaouira, Morocco. We purchased it 20 years ago and have loved every minute of the journey and sharing it with guests. The stylish, spacious and light-filled interior is laid out over three floors to accommodate up to ten guests. Abdaul & Aicha, the live-out staff, come in to serve breakfast and clean six mornings a week. Help with local arrangements is part of their service... The space PLEASE NOTE: as with all properties on Airbnb you must enter the correct number of guests as well as dates to obtain the correct price. If you are not sure or your numbers will vary across the stay please contact us and we will advise. GROUND FLOOR The central courtyard with its cooling fountain provides a calm retreat from the heat and bustle of the world outside. The spacious salons allow each guest the space to retreat and relax; utilise the wifi connection or listen to their ipod through the bluetooth speaker. -Grand Salon: Tobacco coloured tadlekt (polished plaster) walls create a cozy space with built in seating for a group at one end; vintage French leather armchairs around the fireplace in the centre; and a library nook at the other end. -Dining Salon: Rich blue tadlekt walls and inviting banquette seating make the dining salon perfect for Moroccan style dining. For the ultimate indulgence Abdaul and Aicha can whip up a fantastic 3 course dinner for only 150Dhs (approx £12 / €15) per person. A smaller European height table next to the open fire offers cosy dining a deux. -The Study: For those times when real life has to intrude during a holiday the study has a large desk area with task lighting allowing vital work to be dispatched as swiftly as possible. The built-in day bed is a great place to relax and watch a movie on your laptop. Alternatively it can be made up as a sumptuous double bed. With the adjacent shower room this cool retreat makes a perfect fifth bedroom. -The Kitchen: Given the number of great restaurants and the option of having dinner cooked for you, the most you may do in the kitchen is mix a cold drink. But should you wish to cook up a storm after visiting the markets you'll find everything you need in here. -Ground-floor Shower room: Fully fitted with a European style wc (very important!), powerful shower and burnished copper sink, the ground floor shower room provides a useful overflow to the bathrooms on the first floor.. FIRST FLOOR Three double bedded rooms and one twin bedroom are all situated off the galleried first floor, along with a shower room and a bathroom with an indulgently large tadelakt bath. Finest Egyptian bed linen and open fires in two of the rooms complete the experience. -The Red Room: An open fire, a wrought iron four poster bed and ample built-in wardrobe space. What more could you want? -The Indian Room: Brightly patterned fabrics give this room it's name. With a large built in wardrobe, double wrought iron bed and a window facing on to the courtyard it's a peaceful haven. -The White Room: Taking its cue from the black and white floor tiles that run throughout the riad, this double bedded room is our personal favourite. Dark woods contrast with the crisp linen and black and white rugs to keep it cool in summer. A working fireplace makes it a romantic retreat in winter. -The Blue Room: Comfortable twin beds, a large wardrobe and plenty of space make this an ideal room for friends - or children. A travel cot can be supplied free of charge if required. -The Bathrooms: The "Hammam" style bathroom has a Tadlekt - Moroccan polished plaster - bath and sink. The bath is plenty big enough for two so light the candles and take a long soak! The shower room has a beautiful tiled shower with a rainwater-style shower head and a burnished copper sink. Both bathroom and shower-room have european wcs and hamman-style towels made from a 50-50 blend of natural cotton & linen. ROOF TERRACE The large sheltered terrace is the final delight of Dar Leila. Covering the whole of the house, high walls surround and protect it from the wind that makes Essaouira so great for watersports and make it an ideal place for secluded sunbathing. Breakfast is usually served up here and large seating areas, sun loungers and shades make it possible to while away a whole day only venturing down for supplies! Guest access All parts of the riad are available for guests to use. Other things to note All prices are for exclusive use of the house and include breakfast every morning except Sundays - Abdaul, the house guardian, and Aicha, the housekeeper, have Sundays off. Breakfast - served around 9:30am on the terrace, weather permitting - will usually be freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh coffee or tea with freshly baked pain au chocolat, croissants and bread. For a bit of variety Aicha will also cook you her wonderful pancakes one morning and eggs another if you would like. After breakfast Aicha washes any dishes, cleans the house, makes the beds and if you have any laundry she will wash and iron it for 75Dhs (7.5 Euro) for a "normal" load - you need to allow up to 48 hours for your laundry to come back as it is all done by hand.