The house

The street gives nothing away, the garden does the rest.

Built in the 1860s, Mimi Calpe was the retreat of an influential Tangier family from the Marshan quarter — and the setting for brilliant gatherings of the European and Moroccan elite. Behind its unassuming façade on the rue de la Plage, at the entrance to the Tangier medina, the villa tells itself from one threshold to the next: the salons, the hammam, the terraces — and the garden, arguably one of the loveliest in the city.

Rue de la Plage
Between the port & the Grand Socco
At the medina's entrance

the 1860s villa — rue de la plage

The façade of Mimi Calpe on the rue de la Plage — wrought-iron balconies, a bow window and a carriage door beneath the greenery

fig. — the façade

The garden & the pool

A century-old garden stepping down
in terraces to the pool.

A pebbled path in Mimi Calpe's garden beneath the foliage, between agapanthus and yellow walls

the garden — a hundred years of foliage

The large pool stretched through the garden's greenery, the Bay of Tangier as a backdrop

fig. 01 — the garden

Arguably one of the loveliest private gardens in Tangier: a hundred years of palms, banana trees and citrus, pebbled paths winding beneath the foliage, fountains and quiet corners to settle with a book. The city is a few steps away — you no longer hear it.

Below, the large swimming pool stretches between the hedges, facing the Bay of Tangier. You walk down in the morning for a few lengths, come back through the hottest hours — and the afternoon slips by unnoticed.

a century-old garden — palms, banana trees & citrus: 100 a century-old garden — palms, banana trees & citrus
the large pool, facing the bay: ✦ the large pool, facing the bay

The salons

Salons that have kept the taste of the receptions of old.

Patterned cement-tile floors, white sofas, black dressers laden with silverware, a grand piano, art on every wall: the reception rooms have crossed the century without standing still. You settle in to read, write or take coffee — and when the east wind blows, the armchairs draw closer to the fire.

The house was the setting for brilliant gatherings —
something of them still hangs in the air.

fig. 02 — the salons

The main salon of Mimi Calpe — white sofa, patterned cement tiles and a black dresser laden with silverware — The main salon

The salon's music corner — the grand piano, the black stove and the guitar beneath the artworks

Hammam & well-being

The water first, the steam after.

Here, well-being begins in the garden: a few lengths in the large pool, a deckchair among the lavender, time slowing down. Then you step into the half-light of the traditional hammam.

Deckchairs at the edge of Mimi Calpe's pool, among the lavender and the garden's greenery — The pool, nestled in the garden

Mimi Calpe's massage room — treatment table, candles and light filtered through the curtain — The massage room, by candlelight

The house's traditional hammam — its dark vault, three lit niches and stone bench

The hammam, beneath the vault

The hammam, beneath the vault, by candlelight.

Heat, steam, a black-soap scrub: in the half-light of the traditional hammam, three lit niches keep watch over the stone bench. Next door, the massage room waits behind its curtain — massages and treatments are booked with the house, same day or ahead.

Massages & treatments, on request

The terraces & the view

Terraces like balconies over the bay and the strait.

The garden climbs in shaded terraces scattered with lounge corners — white banquettes, low tables, a glass of mint tea facing the sea. From the top of the house, Tangier unfolds: the medina, the port, the bay — and beyond the Strait of Gibraltar, the other continent.

the terraces — the bay for a horizon

The panorama from Mimi Calpe — the Tangier medina, the port and the bay all the way to the strait — Tangier, from the house

A terrace lounge corner — white cushions beneath the palm, the sea beyond

fig. 03 — the view

The shaded terraces

Tree shade for the hottest hours

The lounge corners

White banquettes & mint tea

III

The view

The bay, the port & the Strait of Gibraltar

Discover the rooms & suites

Whether you come for Tangier’s light, for a book in the shade of the garden or simply to do nothing at all — Mimi Calpe is your anchor between the port and the Grand Socco. The passing guest is received as a friend: that is the Chez Sophie spirit.

The Chez Sophie spirit

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