The sunshine hideaway

In the past few years, Morocco has transformed itself into a modern and exciting sunshine getaway. Catherine Shanahan’s only complaint? Four days simply wasn’t enough.

GETTING excited about a dip in the Atlantic may seem strange but when it’s a warmer corner than we’re used to, we’re allowed be aroused.

I had the good fortune to try it out at a latitude 21 degrees south of our western seaboard at a time of year when the hardiest of swimmers are loathe to take the plunge here.

It was Morocco in November and the contrast couldn’t have been greater. The infernal grey of an Irish November was replaced with radiant sunshine, and the blandness of everyday life by an Africa in glorious technicolour. Although the flight time is relatively short, culturally, Morocco is a world apart and certainly worth a visit.

The Sunway Travel Group can get you from Dublin to Agadir, a city in southwest Morocco, in a flight time that compares favourably with travel to the Canaries.

A fishing port and coastal resort, Agadir backs onto the Atlantic near the foothills of the spectacular Atlas Mountains and has plenty to offer for a winter holiday: temperatures in their 20s; nine kilometres of beach and sunshine 300 days a year.

Some of our party had travelled there previously and were impressed by the changes rung in the interim.

Agadir now boasts a bustling promenade or “corniche” stretching along the seafront where locals and tourists mingle to soak up the sunshine and take in views of the Atlantic.

The city was rebuilt after a major earthquake in 1960 and is fairly modern. It hosts a number of markets, which unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit.

Our accommodation — the Royal Atlas Hotel — ran parallel to the corniche and the vista from our bedroom balconies was stunning. The Atlas boasts a beautiful pool of generous proportions, skirted by a sunbaked breakfast terrace. The bedrooms were of a high standard and dining was a pleasant experience.

Our first meal was in the nearby La Scala restaurant where the menu offered both traditional Moroccan and European dishes. The seafood was delicious.

Sunway rep Laila Akourin proved an able entertainer and we rounded off the evening with a visit to Actors, the hotel nightclub where giant tea-flavoured bongs are a feature should you wish to try smoking.

Before departing Agadir we visited the Argan Phyto House on Rue Imam Malek, a must-do part of any itinerary.

The experience begins with the ceremonial pouring of mint tea, incredibly refreshing, on a sunsoaked roof-top terrace. The treatments are not like anything I’ve experienced in an Irish spa and are not for the faint-hearted.

After the tea, we were each handed a plastic knickers and told to strip before being led to a wet room for a Hamman.

In an atmosphere halfway between a steam room and a sauna, two women got to work on us, scrubbing and rubbing every ounce of flesh before dousing us in Argan Oil, produced from the kernels of the argan tree, endemic to Morocco, and valued for its nutritional, cosmetic and myriad medicinal properties.

A more traditional massage followed before a bus picked us up for Marrakech.

The city is far more traditional in composition than Agadir, comprising both an old fortified city — the medina — and an adjacent modern city with a total population of more than one million. Marrakech is recognised as having the largest traditional market or souk in Morocco and at its heart is one of Africa’s busiest squares, the Djemaa el Fna. This is pure open-air theatre, a spectacular assortment of acrobats, story-tellers, musicians, snake-charmers, spice stalls and charlatans.

At night, it is thronged with food stalls where cooking is ongoing and tourists pack together at trestle tables to sample the goodies.

The souk is also unmissable, not just for what’s on offer at reasonable prices but the chance to step back in time and watch craftsmen practice their art in a far from industrialised environment.

Essaouira was next on the itinerary with lunch first in Marrakech in the Golden Tulip Farah Hotel. Essauoira, a picture-postcard white-washed fishing village, which lived up to its reputation for being windy.

We stayed in the ultra modern, ultra comfortable Atlas Essaouira & Spa Hotel, a stone’s throw from the beach (and Le Seven beach hut a pre-dinner treat) and a short walk from the stunning medina that lies within the ancient city walls.

If it’s relaxation you are after, skip Marrakech and head for Essaouira, a truly serene experience.

Our final night was spent in Marrakech where we availed of another trip to the souk and a visit to a remarkable shop that had shades of an old-fashioned apothecary, where shelves sagged under the weight of spices, teas, oils and ointments offering cures for every conceivable ailment.

We dined that night in Le Palais Des Jbilates, where, had I plenty of money, I would fly my friends for a night of revelry.

Reminiscent of a Moorish palace and with space for a parade of elephants, we were served innumerable traditional dishes, all of them delicious, while a belly dancer gave it welly in the background.

All in all, Morocco is a singularly satisfying package, made all the more enjoyable by the company of the affable Dennis Chiren, the Sunway Travel Group destination manager for Morocco and Tunisia, and Mustapha Keddar, a national guide whose store of knowledge makes him equally a national treasure.

Morocco is a country with much more to offer than a typical European sun holiday destination, where the traditional trumps the artificial with history and culture rich enough to prompt a return visit.

Flights

Sunway operates a weekly charter all year from Dublin. www.sunway.ie or 01 2886828.

Where to stay

7 nights in the 4-star Royal Atlas Hotel, Agadir starts from €604.

7 nights in the 4-star Atlas Medina & Spa Hotel, Marrakech starts from €799.

7 nights in the 4-star+ Atlas Essaouira & Spa Hotel starts from €899.

Two centre holidays to Agadir & Marrakech start from €816 and to Agadir & Essaouira from €877.

All prices include flights, transfers, B&B accommodation & all taxes & charges.

The sights

Be sure to visit the coast. Beaches are big and bountiful. Camel rides offer an exotic alternative to donkeys.

Essaouira trumps Agadir, with its stunning medina. Marrakech is an assault on the senses, but in a good way. At its heart is the city square Djemaa el Fna, heaving in the evenings. Don’t miss it.

The shopping

Fantastic souks or markets with something for everyone from hand woven shawls to silverware, spices to handcrafted wooden toys and quality leather goods available at prices not to be sniffed at.