I don't know what to say as speechless does not cover it. As soon as we arrived at the Riad my first word was WOW and wow it is. Within minutes of arriving the GM - Francois was personally greeting us. I have never sat and watched such a pro active General Manager he was brilliant and so were his team of staff - they really are a team! You may have read my hubbies write up already as I arrived in plaster and on crutches as the night before I broke my ankle in Marrakesh and our local guide had rung them and they were waiting to greet us with a wheelchair. Two of them picked me up and carried me up the stairs at the entrance like they were training for The World's Strongest Man and they helped us constantly for the 4 days we were there. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble. Lifts or doors opened as you approached. Cushions fluffed before you sat. Not a speck of dust anywhere - spotless! Breakfast was totally super every day with one of the biggest buffets I have ever seen with a good range of food and even locally sourced fresh salmon which complimented my scrambled eggs perfectly! Everywhere you turned there was something else to photograph. The roof terrace was amazing to and the food up there along with the service was great. We had 2 meals in the main restaurant which I think were expensive (£70+) for each meal for both of us with wine but what we had was darn good food. They started setting up the lights ready for the New Year's Eve bash which was when we left to come home and boy oh boy do I wish we could have stayed despite my wish to come home since my accident. I will be going back to do Essaouria on 2 feet as I missed so much. I will remember L'heure Bleue for 2 reasons and in this order - Francois and his staff 1st and the sheer beauty of the Riad 2nd. Those famous words - I'll be back! BIG thanks to Mamadou and Librasse, but every single member of staff was brilliant, a credit to Francois.

A huge thank you to Francois and his excellent team for a fantastic stay. My wife and I were booked in for four nights. My wife had broken her ankle in Marrakesh the day before we arrived and the room we were to be in only had a bath, seeing that this would be impossible to navigate whilst in plaster we were very graciously given a suite with a walk in shower. The room was fantastic, complete with a fire place which on one evening was very useful, a man with a stack of logs popped up within minutes of asking and a roaring fire was on the go. The room was very quiet for three days then the room above was occupied and the noise from above travelled through the ceiling. The public areas of the Riad are fantastic, with superb internal views from every angle. The roof terrace and pool are a great bonus although the pool was a little too cool for my liking, but hey it was December. Breakfast was really very good, with more than enough variety to satisfy even the choosiest of people. The food on the roof terrace was superb as was the bar menu. Dining in the main restaurant was a bit pricey but nice, not quite Claridges but nice all the same. The big draw to the Riad though are the staff, they really are keen to impress and impress they do, even supplying us with a wheelchair so that my wife could get around. Special thanks to (sorry if they are misspelled ) Mamadou and Librasse , but all the staff were brilliant. We will be returning so my wife can see Essaouira on foot and I can get a break from pushing a wheelchair, once again thank you very much.

We loved our 2 night stay here, and would love to return for a longer stay next time.
Staff were really helpful, interiors were well-designed, and we liked the attention to detail and service in the rooms.
We enjoyed relaxing on the roof terrace and watching the sunsets from here.
The breakfasts we had were amazing! We've had to do a lot of surfing since to burn those off!
We stayed here on a Mr and Mrs Smith deal, so for us, the hotel was excellent value as well.

First -- what happened to the rule that motor bikes were not allowed in the old town??? We have visited Essaouira several times over the years and we really appreciated the pedestrian-only medina, so different from the motor-bike crazy alleys of Marrakech. This time there were bikes everywhere, beeping at pedestrians to get out of the way, blowing nasty fumes at customers in the cafes of the main square, and creating a noisy ruckus tearing up and down the medina at night. Everybody we spoke to is fed up with the bikes. One restaurant (Il Mare) had five of them revving outside its entrance and a whole tour group took one look and decided to eat somewhere else. Our waiter at a cafe in the main square cursed every time a bike went by and told us it gets worse every week. A carpet shop owner was in despair about it. What on earth are the authorities in Essaouira thinking???

Anyway, the hotel. On past visits we usually stayed at the old Sofitel, but as this is no longer a Sofitel we decided to try Heure Bleue, and we are glad we did. The hotel has a calm atmosphere of discreet quality -- for example, there is no big sign outside the hotel proclaiming its name or even that it's a hotel. Inside, the public areas feel more like a rather old fashioned club, especially the spacious, wood panelled lounge and bar area. Even the reception desk isn't what you might expect, instead there is wooden screen and staff pop out from behind it to attend your needs. And very attentive they are too. The service was excellent and the staff very responsive to any question or request.

The hotel is situated just inside the walls of the medina, a short walk from the main square, the beach, and the port. It is organized in the traditional Moroccan style, around an open courtyard. The rooms are a bit compact, but are comfortable and very well equipped with quality bathrooms and fixtures. There is a lovely planted roof terrace with excellent views over the town and the sea. The breakfasts were quite sumptuous. We did not eat in the hotel for other meals, as Essaouira has so many interesting restaurants now. All in all this was a very calm and comfortable stay at one of the very few first class hotels in Essaouira. Compared with other hotels it is definitely rather pricey though.