RIADRIADHOTELHOTELLOCALSEAFOODRiad Le Mazagao €€
Offline map Google map ( 0523 35 01 37; 6 Derb el-Hajjar; www.lemazagao.com; d Dh550-825; ) The rooms are set around the courtyard and on the roof terrace of this welcoming,
atmospheric 19th-century guesthouse located in the medina. The large rooms are decorated in
a warm Moroccan style with lots of tiling and local textiles, and feel very homey. Half board is
obligatory if you stay more than a week. The communal bathrooms are spotless.
La Villa €€€
( 0523 34 44 23, 0661 41 86 81; www.la-villa-david.com; 4 Ave Moulay Abdelhafid; r/ste
Dh1100/1540; ) This is a charming contemporary-style hotel in an old villa, built using
local materials and vegetation, just outside the old city and run by two Frenchmen. The rooms
are set around a white courtyard. Stylish neon lights lead you upstairs, and rooms have plasma
screens, wi-fi and tadelakt (lime plaster) bathrooms and floors. The effect is very Zen rather
than high tech. There is a little bar on the roof by the pool and the top terrace has a solarium
with spectacular views over the old city. La Villa has the best restaurant in town serving
inventive French-Moroccan cuisine (dinner Dh350).
Hôtel de Bordeaux €
Offline map Google map ( 0523 37 39 21; 47 Rue Moulay Ahmed Tahiri; s/d Dh80/130, with
bathroom Dh150/180) The best of the cheapies, this friendly, good-value hotel in a traditional
house in the medina has comfortable but compact rooms around a covered courtyard. Only the
rooms on the 1st floor have en-suite bathrooms. Rooms get cheaper the higher up you go.
You’ll have to use the communal shower downstairs for hot showers. The hotel is well
signposted from Rue ben Tachfine.
Hôtel Royal €
( 0523 34 11 00; 108 Ave Mohammed V; s/d Dh125/140, with bathroom Dh198/245) This
large hotel has big, bright rooms with cheap furnishings and retro-fitted showers separated
from your bed by a sheet of glass panelling. Quality and comfort varies, so check first. The
public areas have colourful tiling and a lovely courtyard that becomes a lively bar at night.
Eating
El-Jadida has a handful of reasonable restaurants and a thriving cafe culture.
Restaurante La Portugaise €
(Rue Mohammed Ahchemi Bahbai; mains from Dh40; lunch & dinner) Just inside the walls
of the old city, this characterful little place with red-checked tablecloths and a friendly welcome
serves up a decent menu of good-value fish, chicken and tajine dishes.
Restaurant du Port €€
( 0523 34 25 79; Port du Jadida; mains Dh80; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat, lunch Sun) Head
upstairs for excellent views over the port and ramparts from one of El-Jadida’s best