Section I · The Ranked Twelve
From best to twelfth.
Sorted by what each pocket does well at its price point. The number-one pick is the one we would book first given a free pick from all twelve.
No. I
The beachfront villa south of the medina, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: the bay south of the ramparts. Peak rate: $16,000 to $30,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, pool maintenance, garden, guardian. Usually not: driver.
Why it ranks here: the stretch of bay running south from the old town toward Diabat holds the prime beachfront houses, walking distance to the ramparts and the harbor yet on the open sand, with pools, walled gardens, and the longest ocean views. It clears the rest because no other pocket pairs the beach, the proximity to the medina, and the villa quality at this scale.
What we would change: the bay is windy by nature, which is the point for the surfers and a surprise for those who pictured still afternoons by the pool. Take a house with a sheltered courtyard and a heated pool, and plan the wind as part of the booking.
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No. II
The Ghazoua countryside estate, six-bedroom.
Typical: 6 BR, sleeps 12. Pocket: Ghazoua, the argan country inland. Peak rate: $14,000 to $28,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, gardener, guardian, pool. Usually not: the beach on foot.
Why it ranks here: Ghazoua is the rural belt 10 to 15 minutes inland, argan and olive groves dotted with walled estates that hold the most land, the largest pools, and the deepest privacy on the coast, several with stables and tennis. A six-bedroom here is the pick for a group that wants room, quiet, and a country setting over the beach at the door.
What we would change: the estates are inland, so the beach and the town are a 10 to 15-minute drive and a car or driver is needed. Book it for the space and the calm, with the coast a short run away.
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No. III
The medina riad, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: inside the ramparts, the old town. Peak rate: $12,000 to $24,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, rooftop terrace. Usually not: a pool, a car at the door, a garden.
Why it ranks here: a restored riad within the UNESCO medina puts you among the souks, the galleries, the harbor, and the ramparts on foot, with a courtyard and a rooftop over the blue-and-white roofs, the pick for a group that wants the town life rather than the beach. A five-bedroom riad here is the pick for the old-town setting and the rooftops.
What we would change: cars cannot enter the medina, so you park outside and arrive on foot or by porter, and most riads have a plunge pool or none. Book it for the medina life, accepting the walk-in arrival and the small or absent pool.
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No. IV
The Diabat villa across the oued, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: Diabat, south across the river. Peak rate: $12,000 to $24,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, pool, garden. Usually not: the medina on foot.
Why it ranks here: Diabat is the hill village south across the Oued Ksob, by the Ranch de Diabat stables and the Golf de Mogador, looking back at the dunes and the ruined fort that drew Jimi Hendrix here in 1969, the pocket for a group that wants the golf, the riding, and the wide beach. A five-bedroom here is the pick for the sporting side of the coast.
What we would change: Diabat sits across the river from town, so the medina is a 10-minute drive around the estuary rather than a walk. Book it for the golf, the horses, and the dunes, with the old town a short drive north.
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No. V
The Golf de Mogador resort villa, four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Pocket: the Mogador golf domain, south of town. Peak rate: $12,000 to $22,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool, golf access, security. Usually not: a sea view from the door, the medina on foot.
Why it ranks here: the Golf de Mogador domain holds villas on a gated estate around a Gary Player-designed course in the coastal pines, with pools, security, and the beach a short drive, the pick for golfers and for a group that wants a managed resort setting. A four-bedroom here is the pick for the course on the doorstep.
What we would change: the resort villas sit among the fairways rather than on the sand, so the sea is a few minutes away and the setting is parkland rather than medina. Book it for the golf and the security, with the beach and the town a short drive.
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No. VI
The Sidi Kaouki coast villa, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: Sidi Kaouki, the wild coast south. Peak rate: $11,000 to $22,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, pool, guardian. Usually not: town life, restaurants on foot.
Why it ranks here: Sidi Kaouki is the windswept surf beach about 25 minutes south of Essaouira, a long wild strand backed by dunes and a few villas, the pocket with the strongest wind and the emptiest sand, the pick for a group that wants the surf and the solitude. A five-bedroom here is the pick for the wild southern coast.
What we would change: Sidi Kaouki is remote and windy, with little beyond the beach and a handful of cafes, so it is a base for surfers and walkers rather than diners. Book it for the wind, the waves, and the emptiness, with the town a 25-minute drive.
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No. VII
The Ghazoua argan-grove villa, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: the Ghazoua groves, inland. Peak rate: $11,000 to $20,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, gardener, pool. Usually not: the beach on foot.
Why it ranks here: the smaller grove villas around Ghazoua sit on a hectare or two of argan and olive with a pool and a walled garden, less land than the marquee estates but more space and value than the coast, the pick for a group that wants country quiet at a lower number. A five-bedroom here is the value pick for the inland belt.
What we would change: these are working-countryside plots, so the setting is rural rather than scenic and the coast is a 10-minute drive. Book it for the quiet, the garden, and the price, with the beach a short run away.
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No. VIII
The Ounagha vineyard country villa, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: Ounagha, the vineyard belt east. Peak rate: $11,000 to $20,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, pool, garden. Usually not: the beach on foot, town on foot.
Why it ranks here: Ounagha is the inland village about 25 minutes east toward the Val d'Argan vineyard, Morocco's coastal wine estate, a green pocket of argan, vines, and walled houses with the deepest quiet on the coast, the pick for a group that wants the country and the cellar door. A five-bedroom here is the pick for the vineyard country.
What we would change: Ounagha is the furthest inland of the rural pockets, so the beach and the town are a 25-minute drive and a car is essential. Book it for the vines, the green, and the calm, with the coast a longer run than Ghazoua.
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No. IX
The Cap Sim and northern coast villa, four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Pocket: Cap Sim and the dunes south. Peak rate: $10,000 to $18,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, pool, guardian. Usually not: town on foot, restaurants near.
Why it ranks here: the Cap Sim dunes and the wild coast between Diabat and Sidi Kaouki hold scattered villas on the sand and scrub, big beaches and bigger skies, a remote pocket for a group that wants the dunes and the riding country. A four-bedroom here is the value pick for the wild coast near town.
What we would change: the cape is remote and the tracks in are rough, so a four-wheel drive or a transfer is wise and the town is a drive. Book it for the dunes and the space, with the beach at the door and the town 15 minutes off.
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No. X
The Sidi Yassine sheltered-valley villa, four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Pocket: the Sidi Yassine valleys, inland. Peak rate: $10,000 to $18,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, pool, garden. Usually not: a sea view, the beach on foot.
Why it ranks here: the valleys around Sidi Yassine sit a few kilometers inland in a fold that the wind misses, running a few degrees warmer than the coast and still by the pool when the bay is blowing, the pocket for a group that wants the heat and the calm over the surf. A four-bedroom here is the pick for the warmest, stillest air.
What we would change: the valley is inland and rural, so there is no sea view and the beach is a 15-minute drive. Book it for the shelter and the warmth, accepting the country setting and the drive to the sand.
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No. XI
The medina-edge townhouse, four-bedroom.
Typical: 4 BR, sleeps 8. Pocket: just outside the ramparts. Peak rate: $10,000 to $16,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, cook, terrace, parking. Usually not: a pool, a garden, quiet.
Why it ranks here: the streets just outside the ramparts hold townhouses and small dars with the medina on foot and a car at the door, the convenience of the old town without the walk-in arrival, the pick for a group that wants the town close and the parking sorted. A four-bedroom here is the pick for medina access with wheels.
What we would change: the medina edge is busy and built-up, so the houses are close to the street noise and most have a terrace rather than a pool. Book it for the access and the parking, not for a garden or a quiet courtyard.
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No. XII
The inland new-build on the Agadir road, five-bedroom.
Typical: 5 BR, sleeps 10. Pocket: the Agadir road, south inland. Peak rate: $10,000 to $16,000 / week. Usually included: housekeeping, pool, garden, security. Usually not: a sea view, the beach on foot, character.
Why it ranks here: the newer villas along the road south toward Agadir offer contemporary build, big pools, and the lowest rates on the coast, modern space without the medina charm or the beachfront, the contrarian pick for a group that wants a clean new house at a country price. A five-bedroom here is the lowest-number pick for room and a pool.
What we would change: the road-side new-builds trade character and setting for newness and price, with the coast a drive and the surroundings plain. Book it for the space, the pool, and the value, with the town and the beach a 10 to 15-minute drive.
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