Emma Wilson went to Morocco for a two-week holiday 18 years ago, and never came back. She now lives there with her son, Kai, on a beach near Essaouira where she runs two companies from home…

Then and now
I first came to Essaouira 18 years ago on a two-week holiday. I was here for three days and immediately met wonderful people and fell in love with the town. Soon I found myself (not planned) buying my first gem of a house, Dar Emma.

Once I’d renovated it I then started to rent it out to guests as I will still back and forth to London for a little while running my flower stall in Knightsbridge. It was great because I really wanted others to be able to enjoy what I enjoyed creating. This was the start of Castles in the Sand, a boutique holiday rental company that I run here in Morocco.

Today I live with my partner Graham, our son Kai, 2 dogs and 4 cats in Sidi Kaouki which is a 20 minute drive to Essaouira. I met Graham over here, he had been living here since the late Sixties. Together we found our second property Dar Beida, a 200-year-old Jewish house, which we then renovated. It was a massive challenge and became a bit of an obsession. With original stone columns and amazing arches it’s like a living museum.

Graham is an artist and has a fantastic eye and together we created a house that has become pretty famous. It’s attracted a lot of press and we often have musicians, photographers and film stars staying. We also let our houses out for photo shoots and they have been featured in many coffee table interior design books. As well as Castles in the Sand I also own a company called Beldi Rugs which is a London-based online store selling vintage Moroccan rugs.

A day in the Life
I wake up at around 7.15 each morning to take my son Kai to be home-schooled in a nearby village. He finishes at 1pm each day so then I take him to lunch before he has an afternoon activity. I horse ride a lot if I get spare time but am generally quite busy with bookings and seeing to clients needs.

They take up a lot of my time but I love meeting new people and showing them Essaouira. They appreciate my time, and I feel satisfied that they have been well looked after and seen a side to Essaouira no other tourists sees. Sometimes they arrive at difficult times but I always can find someone to look after Kai. I have good friends here and Kai is very adaptable.

Our evenings are spent at home with friends and family cooking and either sitting next to a cosy fire in the winter, or on the roof terrace looking out at the sea in the summer. Sunday is normally our day off and we tend to go and spend it at a remote beach.

Bringing up baby
I love the way Kai has been brought up surrounded by nature, he is bilingual, too, and free. He goes off to the neighbours’ houses and generally lives a life of running around and playing, not addicted to any machines. He also knows where everything comes from food-wise, which I love. Nothing here comes out of a packet, if you want chicken for dinner you go and choose a live one and they kill it in front of you. 

Highs and lows
My favourite thing about living here is the fact that this place is so unspoilt, there are these amazing beaches with no-one on them and lots of fantastic places to have BBQs and picnics. There is no competitiveness here and no consumerism, it is a healthy life both for adults and for kids.

The corruption is of course a nightmare, and bureaucracy can be difficult, but the sun shines most days, the people are lovely and the general feeling of this country keeps me on a big high. The only thing I miss about London are the museums and galleries, but we go back every summer so I get my fix. And we may eventually have to go back for Kai’s schooling soon as at 9 years old I feel he may be needing more, although I have not decided on this yet. 

You can find out more about Emma and her houses in Morocco here castlesinthesand.com