After spending 3 nights in Marrakech it was bliss to arrive Camila our wonderful apartment. We received a wonderful welcome form Latifa and Rachid who were excellant hosts, very helpful and the apartments and Riad were spotless.

Our apartment Camila was great very spacious and the contemporary Moroccan decor was very relaxing, especially the kingsize bed and duck down duvet. It felt very welcoming with books, games and the iPod docking station was well used.

The location was to die for just a few minutes from the fishing Port where you could see the days catch come in and a wonderful beach which seem to stretch on forever. Also being in the Medina was great no cars lots of lovely cafes, restuarants, doing out shopping in the Souk great local fruit and veg and the flat breads, pancakes cakes are a delight very. The big main square , arty shops are great especailly around La Skala , we explored lots of little alley ways and were never disappointed lots of brilliant photo opportunties especially the sunsets and great doors!!!

We like it so much that we have book to go back for 9 days over Christmas and we can't wait to be in Dar Lazuli again and looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of Latifa, Rachid and Racid 2 again.

This was our first stop on a 2 week tour around morocco. We stayed for 3 nights, and wish it could have been longer. The taxi parked up just outside the medina walls, and a "baggagista" (man with cart) wheeled our bags and guided us to Dar Lazuli, just a couple of minutes walk away. Rachid & Latifah were there to give us a very warm welcome. They don't really speak english, but we got by with our basic french, and to be honest, words aren't really needed - smiles, laughs and hand shakes do just as well! There was a booklet of info in the room which was in english and answered all our questions.

Location is spot on - right in the medina, with souks, shops, cafes and restaurants around. 5 min walk to the port, and about 10 mins to the huge sandy (but windy) beach. Essaouira itself is a great place - a proper working fishing port, very picturesque, great places to eat and watch the world go by. A sunset drink on the Taros restaurant roof terrace is well worth the price!

We stayed in Ghibli, on the top floor. Its the smallest room, but i'd specifically asked for it as it opens out onto one of the terraces which catches glorious sunshine. People staying in the other rooms can use it too, but for us it was outside our door rather than up flights of stairs! there are two other terraces above - the one at the top is a little one right on the top of the building where we took our breakfast to eat at the table and chairs and enjoy the view of the medina and sea. The room was extremely cosy and very stylish, with huge curtained bed, kitchenette (hob, sink, plates, cutlery etc, fridge/freezer, coffeepot) and blue tadlekat bathroom (good shower, no bath). John Lewis bedding! There is a fireplace for the winter time, a little sofa and coffee table, and a speaker unit to plug your mp3 player into. All clean and tidy, Latifah cleaned every day and even hung out our handwashing on her washing line to dry!

We loved the self-catering - went out to the markets and bought fresh food to cook moroccan recipes from the recipe book in the room. The night guardian (also called Rachid) found us a proper couscous cooker to use and showed us how it worked. Round the corner to the patisserie to get pastries for breakfast. One night we asked Latifah to cook for us (£15 each for 3 courses) - which she did, in our little kitchen, and left it ready for us to heat up in the evening. It was superb moroccan food -- a selection of moroccan salads, tagine, and a moroccan yoghurt/pomegranete dessert. Yummy.

Our 3 nights there was far too short. Really hope to return one day.

We rented all 4 appartments for a weeks stay and what a treat we had!
We were greeted on the first night by Rashid and Latifa who made us feel instantly welcome with their big smiles and eagerness to help.
Latifa served us with a delicious tagine for our first evening meal, which was most appreciated after a long day of travelling!
The appartments have been lovingly restored and are beautifully decorated and furnished. Super cosy beds, with Egyiptian cotton linen made for a sound nights sleep after walking through the souks looking for a bargain!
Waking up in the morning and stepping into the hot rainfall shower, set us up for a day on the sandy beach which, is only a five minute walk away!
Every little detail has been thought of to make the stay at Dar Lazuli truly magical. From little tea lights, to cookery books to cook up your own feast after buying your own fresh ingredients in the souks, to open fires. Not to mention Latifa and the Rachids, who are such lovely helpful, friendly people. They really helped us and gave great advice on places to eat, visit and explore (go on a camel ride recommended by Rachid no 2, great fun)!
Latifa cleaned the appartments spotless every day.
We will be coming back again and again to this wonderful Riad, set in the old walled medina of Essaouira, in the heart of the magical souks.
To summarise I would say this is a friendly, beautiful Riad and location and around every corner is a new smell, sight and huge smile from the local people. Fantastic!

Just spent a great 2 days in Dar Lazuli. The apartments are all well designed, and the external terraces are excellent. The beds were extraordinarily comfortable. Wish we'd stayed longer - the peace of this place after Marrakech was a welcome respite.

Highlight was the location - very close to the main square, beach and port. Also it was easy to find (unlike riads in Fez and Marrakesh!). I loved the contrast between the typically Moroccan slightly grimy alleyway leading to the entrance and the clean, calm interior.

Beaches were also beautiful and never ending. Either we were lucky with the weather or the stories about the strong wind are a myth, as we had a lovely few days on the beach.