Decent places to stay in Marrakesh and Essa

Hey ya'll,

We're going to Morocco for a week after New Years for a post-holiday holiday. We're seasoned travelers but are more used to spending weeks/months in a place - not days!

Since we don't have too much time to figure it all out when we land, we're looking for tried-and-true places to stay in Marrakesh and Essaouria. We're on a budget (surprise) but aren't interested scraping the barrel (did plenty of that in S.E. Asia) or hostel life (plenty of that in New Zealand). Looking for pleasant, quiet, quirky guesthouses/B&B types, and as much as I hate to admit it, we've gotten to a point where we're happy to pay for things like heating and a toilet really near by.

Any and all suggestions are welcome, and will take a huge load off so we can focus on exploring as much as possible in the short time we have.

Many thanks!
Emily