The Gate House Studio Sidi Kaouki

Welcome to The Gate House Studio our 16m2 stone holiday cottage that forms part of Kaouki Hill, a boutique Guest Lodge spread out amongst the Argan trees in Sidi Kaouki. We are elevated but sheltered on a hill just a few Kms from Kaouki village and 15 mins walk to the beach/surf with views over the hills and Atlantic Ocean. Spend your evenings under the immense night sky and watch sun rise over the hills and set over the ocean. The Gatehouse Studio is a fusion of traditional construction and modern luxuries. Built using mostly local materials and techniques it has the sentimentality of an old Moorish fishermans cottage, nesting in its surroundings as if it’s been there forever. Once inside the feeling is one of simple and natural living whilst being really comfortable and super cozy. The bed, linen and towels are 5star hotel quality, the kitchen fully equipped and the bathroom spacious and naturally luxurious. So far our guests have told us they sleep incredibly well and wake feeling as though they are in another world. Being a self catering listing there is a fully equipped kitchenette with fridge, sink (hot and cold running water) marble counter and double electric cook top. The cupboards are full of everything you need to eat, cook and prepare your own food. There is also an outdoor BBQ (Moroccan style BBQ meat baskets available please enquire) with table and chairs set under the Argan trees and sun loungers for lazy days and evenings spent at home. We supply a very generous breakfast basket/Guffa (Moroccan for basket) for all our guests full of Local, continental and seasonal treats. Guests have really enjoyed Zineb's creative approach ensuring that there’s something new and different every day. It’s so generous people have snacks left for the rest of the day. We have left tea and coffee and some local sweet treats for you to enjoy on arrival. The kitchen has salt, pepper, various spices and a 20ml bottle of Olive Oil and organic Argan oil to get you started. Extra Argan and Olive oil can be purchased from us as needed. We recommend you stock up on a few items before arrival as the shops and Sidi Kaouki village are a 35 minute walk away. You are free to access any part of the grounds except our own house and workshop area. By What’s Ap We’re almost always available. The Local Area..... We are just 20 minutes from Mogador Airport and you can be less than one hour from plane to door. There are local bus services running to Kaouki or even to the bottom of our road. Taxis are available too and from Essaouira and even a small rental car will make it up our bumpy dirt road. Sidi Kaouki is blessed with some of the finest beaches in Morocco endless broad sand beaches line up one after another for 10 kms between Cap Sim and Les Cascades de Sidi M’Barak. Pass Cap Sim and equally impressive beaches extend beyond the cape all the way to Essaouira. Quad bikes, horses or even Camels are a great way to explore. With great beaches often comes great surfing and from October to April Sidi Kaouki is blessed with some of the best surfing in Africa and Europe with countless spots for all levels within an hours drive or even just a few minutes walk. With La Grotte, La Couronne, La bouteille, Taguenza, Marabout, L’Oued, Imsouane, and with many many beach breaks and less consistent point breaks to choose from its a surfers paradise. It still possible to surf amazing waves alone if you are willing to travel and get up early. Summer brings smaller waves and wind….. lots of it making Kaouki one of the best advanced Kite and windsurfing spots in the Atlantic. Conditions can be challenging with occasional big waves and regular 40 knot winds its not for the faint hearted. Luckily only 30 mins away Essaouira is located in a protected bay making conditions much more suitable for beginners. There are numerous hill walks and bike trails to be discovered by foot, on horseback or for the adrenalin seekers by quad, motorbike or mountain bike. Even taking the car on the long coast road south can be a fantastic experience and if you have a 4x4 there is an off road drive that takes you from The Casacades all the way to Imsouane through farm lands, Oasis’s, remote villages and incredible beaches such as Tafedna. Kaouki and particularly the villages still retain their traditional and natural charm. Local people still lead very traditional lives here and the local lifestyle has remained almost unchanged for centuries. Fishermen can be found selling fresh fish & seafood, wild donkeys and Camels can often be seen around the village. Locals wear traditional clothing whilst browsing the internet on smart phones. You will feel as though your in another world and you are….. Africa. For tours and equipment rentals please contact us so we can recommend the best people in the area for everything from surfing to riding and from cultural experiences to cooking lessons. We advise guests to have a car or bike to get around but we can organise a taxi service on your behalf. There are also local bus services that operate regularly through out the day a ten minute walk away. We can do shopping runs on behalf of customers to the village or Essaouira, please enquire for prices. If we're in or going to town we can often pick you up or drop you off for no extra charge. A bit about us, the project, our inspirations and our journey getting here..... Zineb (Moroccan) and Anthony (British) are a mixed couple who met in Tagazout eight years ago. After meeting on New Years Eve 2013 they soon realised they were more than a just a passing romance. They were interested in many of the same things and had pursued complimentary careers; Zineb as an interior designer and Anthony as a designer builder. They travelled the coast of Morocco for years searching for the right place to pursue their dream of designing, building and running a boutique guest lodge. After several visits to Sidi Kaouki they stumbled upon Iskoha and found a suitable piece of land to start work on. Four years later here we are and Kaouki Hill Hideaways has two units for rent with two cabins ready later this year. Our design inspirations came from Asia, Morocco, Africa, the Mediterranean and even American surf culture of the 50s and 60s. Our project is a fusion of many elements but holding on to Essaouira’s rich history as a trading port connecting Africa to Europe and the Americas. Part of our dream was finding a way of building using as many natural materials as possible, sourcing them locally (where possible) and reducing our environmental footprint. We wanted to keep the visual impact of the project light and low rise so as not to impose our ourselves on the surroundings. Walls are stitched between Argan and buildings are nestled into pockets of free space between the trees. Low retaining walls built from Lime and Stone flow along the contours of the land forming fluid terraces accentuating the different levels. Zineb has found a new love of garden design and has taught herself about local and imported species that she is loving curating between the existing plants and woodland. We make are own compost and are now growing plants from cuttings and seed all over the project. Anthony has constructed all the timber and wooden elements throughout the project and managed all the building works. His ability to understand design and construction have allowed the project to evolve from the ground up. Plans have often followed construction with many ideas being pursued in the build process rather than on the computer. This freedom of design has facilitated an evolution of ideas and layouts as the project has grown. A unique way of building and conceptualising in the modern world.