Lotus O Marine by Jeroen Bergmans

The discreet entrance to boutique hotel Lotus O Marine is tucked away down a dusty alleyway off one of Essaouira’s main streets. But like its sister boutique hotels Lotus Perle, Lotus Ambre and Lotus Privelege in Marrakech, the interior of this glamorous riad is a world away from the medieval bustle outside.

Inside, it is jewellery-box beautiful and has been kitted out to cater to the rock stars that descend on this sleepy port town for Essaouira’s famous annual music festival.

The facilities

Although Lotus O Marine takes its name from Essaouira’s maritime setting, the boutique hotel’s interiors are inspired by the Gatsby-style glamour of the Thirties. Full-scale portraits of Wallace Simpson with King Edward, maharajahs and top-hatted toffs adorn the living room–cum-library. Leopard-skin carpets and studded black velvet doors continue the theme of Empire-style opulence and the doorway leading to the bedrooms is surrounded by black-and-white prints of polo players (and, inexplicably, Johnny Wilkinson).

An enormous glass-beaded chandelier that glows with coloured lights takes up the central stairwell which leads ultimately to the boutique hotel’s bijou roof-terrace complete with cocktail bar and breathtaking views over Essaouira’s rooftops to the Atlantic Ocean.

The boutique hotel's restaurant Samarkand serves Moroccan dishes designed to appeal to the refined Western palette. Velvet drapes, a cocktail menu, mood lighting and DJs makes it one of the most fashionably louche nightspots in town.

The rooms

Like the other Lotus-branded boutique hotels, Lotus O Marine has only five rooms. Warhol-style screen-prints of divas including Onassis and Callas continue the glamorous, retro theme, whilst state-of-the-art plasma-screen TVs and B&O sound systems will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding visiting rock star.