Villa Maroc is a gem: a little church to the spirit of Morocco. It may only have 3 stars and 24 rooms but word has spread relentlessly over the past few years so that it is now one of the ‘must-stay’ hotels in Morocco. You must book well ahead to get in with the ever-expanding hard core of returning guests who clearly look upon Villa Maroc as their own special home from home. Rooms for Christmas and New Year are booked by the previous February.

So what’s all the fuss about? Well, it’s quietly located - down an alleyway in the old town, seconds from the main square and the souk, minutes from the harbour and the beach. What’s more, breakfast on the roof terrace with its indelible panorama of the waterfront at Essaouira will start each day off for you in a very good mood, unless something’s gone seriously wrong. The entrance to the hotel, through a shy, virtually anonymous door in a wall, initially suggests that it might have done - until you catch first sight of the Villa Maroc’s interior, firmly and uniquely stamped with its own seductive signature.

It doesn’t feel like a hotel at all - more like you’ve got the run of an extraordinary private home which is, after all, how it began in 1990 when two C18th houses were joined together. The result is one glorious rabbit warren of nooks, steps, crannies, fireplaces, lounges and courtyards, shot through with an enormous tree, topped off with pot-strewn terraces. An absolute nightmare for a Swedish architect, but a theatrical set designer’s dream - and the Villa Maroc finishes off the job: whitewashed walls, white linen drapes, cool pastels and old tiles set off a Pandora’s Box of beams, cushions, candlesticks, antique wooden furniture and favoured objets d’art, all displayed with an airy coolness. Like Paris, its spell has been obviously woven, but you’ll still smile with pleasure every time you return to it.

There are no TVs, no telephone, more showers than baths. I’d go for a suite or mini-suite as the doubles are a bit small. The food is good and cheap. Eat where you like in the house (forgotten it’s a hotel again!) and order at midday any special dishes you’d like to try in the evening. Otherwise it’s the 3 course meal of the day - varied and skilful family food, far more authentic than ‘Menu Marocaine Touristique’. Only one other hotel in Morocco made such an impression on me, though for quite different reasons - and that was the deluxe 5 star Hotel Mamounia in Marrakech. I rest my case.

Villa Maroc is perhaps the best known of the riad style hotels in Essaouira, and was certainly the first, yet it is still one of the most popular, and despite its recent extension, booking well ahead is essential. The hotel’s signature Majorelle blue, the white that predominates in the chic rooms and light and airy feeling is a perfect distillation of the seaside town of Essaouira. Striking pieces such as an ornate mirror or antique kaftan provide the focus in each room, and the colours are echoed in cushions and throws. Breakfast is served on the terrace and the terrace rooms with their huge windows are some of the most sought after. The present building is a conversion of several houses dating from the 18th century and Villa Maroc’s most modern rooms have been created in the fourth and latest addition, by the architect half of the Moroccan/Swiss owners. The restaurant is open to non-residents and has a set menu that changes daily.