Coworking in Essaouira: the best spaces for digital nomads to work

Follow Explore Essaouira on Instagram

Digital nomads looking for a quiet place to work have plenty of choice when it comes to coworking in Essaouira, with several options available around town, ranging from cosy cafes to purpose-built coworking spaces with overnight options.

The coastal city of Essaouira has become a hotspot for remote workers and digital nomads in Morocco seeking a balance between productivity and relaxation. Whether you need high-speed wifi, collaborative spaces, or just a scenic view of the Atlantic with a decent coffee, Essaouira has a range of coworking spaces to suit your needs.

We have travelled and worked all over Morocco (Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes, Agadir, to name a few) and out of all the cities, we believe that Essaouira is best set up for digital nomads. It’s one of the main reasons why we choose to base ourselves in Essaouira when visiting Morocco long-term.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Should you click to purchase, it is at no additional cost to you, but we receive a small commission.

Although we tend to stay in Airbnbs and do the bulk of our work at the Airbnb, we feel it’s important to get out into the medina to work in a different space for a couple of days per week. And you know what: it’s often when we produce our best work. Maybe it’s something to do with the coffee being better, or maybe it’s about being surrounded by like-minded people in a collaborative space. Plus, the wifi at accommodation can’t always be relied upon.

In fact, one of my favourite Morocco digital nomad days is getting up early to watch the sunrise over the medina, taking a long walk along the beach (Jay tends to do a run to Diabat and back) and then sitting down at one of Essaouira’s coworking spaces to get a good few hours of work done, before popping to a rooftop bar for a late lunch.

Now, before we jump into our recommendations for the best coworking spaces in Essaouira, please be aware that some cafes and accommodations have leapt onto the digital nomad train and claim that they have a coworking space, but it’s not actually a workable coworking space. They have decided to make up a room with tables to say people can work there, but the wifi is patchy, no-one is around, and really, you may as well have stayed in your actual accommodation.

So read on for our personal recommendations of the the best coworking spots in Essaouira, including the best cafes in Essaouira for digital nomads and remote workers to work.

1. Noqta Space

noqtaspace.com
Click here for Google Map location

Noqta Space is the best coworking space in Essaouira, geared towards both local and international digital nomads, with a strong focus on community. In fact, it’s really the only coworking space in Essaouira that’s created just for digital nomads and remote workers. The other spaces listed here are either accommodations offering a coworking space, or cafes that double-up as good places to work (but we always feel that you can’t stay longer than a couple of hours at a café, however many coffee or slices of cakeyou buy). At Noqta Space you can pop in for a hour, stay the entire day, or even stay overnight.

There are three double bedrooms for those that need accommodation, plus an open café-style coworking space, and two quiet work spaces single/shared. Additionally there are two terraces for working outside.

Noqta Space is open 9am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday). Drop in by the hour or book in for an entire day. Please see below for prices at time of writing.

Noqta Space can be found down a quiet alleyway on the Bab Marrakech side of the medina. Look out for the circular sign, walk to the end of the lane and take a left.

2. Mama Lova

mmlva.com
Click here for Google Map location

Mama Lova is a boutique hotel in the heart of the medina that is tapping into the digital nomad market, and we felt the need to include them as they’re doing a pretty good job. It promotes itself as ‘a co-working space and café by day, rooftop bar in the evening and high end hotel at night.’

Remote workers are invited to sit in their cosy patio to work. There are small round tables with comfy sofa and chairs that all feel very modern, but you are situated in a historical hotel riad that has been beautifully restored. It’s probably the prettiest coworking space in Essaouira.

Alternatively, head up to the rooftop to work and enjoy the stunning views. However, there’s little in the way of shade up there in the midday sun and it can be difficult to see your screen. But when you need a breather from work, definitely head up to the rooftop. Those views are sure to get the creative juices flowing again.

Remote workers are requested to book into a 3 hour slot (package 1 or package 2 as detailed below), which includes food:

• Package 1 (DH200) from 9am-12pm – includes Breakfast Mama and unlimited coffee.
• Package 2 (DH300) from 12pm-3pm or 3pm-6pm – includes lunch with a starter, main course, desert, drink and unlimited coffee.

This is a good option if you want combine a meal out with working, but you are limited to 3 hours (unless you pay to stay for an additional 3 hours).

If it is the low season, you are able to work in this space for DH100, which includes unlimited coffee and cake.

3. Hostel La Smala

hostelsmala.com
Click here for Google Map location

Hostel La Smala is one our personal favourite cafes in Essaouira, not only because of the open sunset views over the ramparts and across to the Atlantic, but because of the delicious, freshly made food. This superb rooftop restaurant specialises in light snacks, including burgers and stylish sandwiches, and mocktails. The avocado and poached egg on toast is divine.

This is a hostel first (indeed, we reckon it’s one of the best hostels in Essaouira), but it’s also a fantastic café to work in Essaouira. The shady rooftop area is a popular place to work and there’s also a central workstation on the main accommodation level, with high tables and plentiful plug sockets. The all-important wifi is pretty good here too.

4. L’Atelier-Café Boutique

lateliercafeboutique.com
Click here for location

L’Atelier is another one of our favourite Essaouira cafés, although it is much more than a place to sit down and sip coffee. Here they also sell home décor, including rugs, cushions, blanks, as well as crockery and funky handcrafts (items are priced on the upper end of the scale). There’s a beautifully calming vibe here and there’s no pressure to buy, whether you’re browsing the shop or sweets menu (we recommend sampling one of the giant chocolate cookies).

However, it’s also a good place to open the laptop and catch up on emails or work, so Morocco digital nomads take note. There’s lots of space, so it should be easy to find a quiet corner.

Essential items for visiting Essaouira coworking spaces

First of all, make sure you have the right plug for Morocco.

As with all of Morocco, the plug with two round pins is common. This includes plug type C (the plug with two round pins) and plug type E (the plug with two round pins and a hole for the socket’s male earthing pin). You can find both plug type C and E in Morocco. Type F plugs are identical to type C plugs, so these can also be used.

In summary, it’s the plug with two round pins that you need.

If your device or chargers don’t have the right plug type (which goes mostly for us Brits), you will need an adaptor. A travel adaptor is also handy to charge multiple devices from the one plug via USB chargers.

This travel adaptor adapts to all plug types and comes with 3 USB slots.

Sale

LENCENT UK to EU Euro Europe Plug Adapter with 3 USB Ports,…

• European Travel Plug Adaptor- Converts UK 3-pin socket Type-G Into a Standard Schuko European 2-pin…
• 4-in-1 Travel Adapter – 1 AC plug (European Schuko with 2 pins) + 3 USB ports allowing simultaneous…
• Certificated Safe – the Lencent power adapter is CE, ROHS, ICE certified. Made of flame retardant…
• Compact design and reliable fit – Thanks to its size of 7.2 * 5 * 6 cm, this travel adapter is…
• What You Get- 1*UK to Europe power adapter with 3 USB ports, welcome guide, lifetime warranty and…

£9.99

Buy on Amazon

We also recommend using a VPN for travel to protect your data; a VPN changes your IP address and obscures your virtual location, keeping your sensitive data safe. Also, not all countries manage access to the internet in the same way. The VPN can make it look like you’re in the UK, so you can bypass censorship and enjoy your favourite TV shows from home (Netflix, BBC iPlayer etc). We use NordVPN and have had no problems whatsoever.

Oh, and don’t forget the laptop 😉.

Final thoughts on coworking in Essaouira

If you want to get a big chunk of work done in a dedicated coworking space around like-minded individuals (i.e. not around tourists chatting loudly about their travel plans over beers, but rather people also trying to work), then Noqta Space is your best bet.

I’m yet to visit Noqta Space and not be able to get a table, but with the rise in digital nomads in Morocco, it wouldn’t surprise me if this place started to get busy. So if it is full or a bit too busy for you, have a back-up plan at one of the cafes listed above that welcome digital nomads (Mama Lova is likely to be the quietest).

Just make sure you buy food and drink when you visit an Essaouira café to work. Please don’t be one of those digital nomads who sit hunched over the laptop nursing a glass of water for three hours. These are local businesses who appreciate (and rely on) your custom.

Plus, do note that some cafes in Essaouira actively request that people do not use them for work. Manadala Society, another one of our recommended Essaouira cafes, is one such café.

Although finally, I want to mention that if you really do want to find a quiet place to work in Essaouira, your accommodation is likely to your best option. Hotels don’t always have the best wifi as it’s shared around the guests. In our experience, Airbnbs provide the best wifi, especially those outside of the medina. In fact, the best wifi we’ve ever experienced in Essaouira was at an Airbnb in Diabat (although aside from the wifi we wouldn’t actually recommend the Airbnb as it was very unkept and dirty).

Essaouira is a wonderful destination to combine work and play and I hope our research on Essaouira coworking spaces helps you out. If you do come across any new spaces that you’d like to recommend, then please email us to include it in this guide.

If you have found this website useful for planning your Essaouira adventures, you can show your support by buying Jenny a coffee. Thanks so much!