The Sun
I THINK I overdid it on the Moroccan wine. I was sure I was in a crowded bar when I ordered my drink, but turned around and everyone had gone.
As the setting sun glowed through the skylight that crowned the atrium of the £300million Mazagan Beach Resort, the clock had just struck 7.30pm.
That’s when Muslims end their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan, with Iftar, the first meal of an evening feast that can go on until 5am.
With live Moroccan music and dance accompanying a huge buffet at the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant, there was a celebratory feel.
The sweet-toothed were catered for too — with all manner of pastries, cakes and puddings native to Morocco.
This was just one of the resort’s 14 high-class dining spots. They also included a Moroccan restaurant (with local wines), French bistro, Berber-tent dining and, my personal favourite, a sensational seafood restaurant.
It offered the catch of the day and delivered Italian food and wine, with a sommelier on hand.
Thankfully, when it is this easy to overdo it, there are all sorts of keep-fit options to wake up to in the 5* hotel’s award-winning spa. That morning I found myself righting the wrongs (tequila shots) of the previous evening with an invigorating yoga class.
And what does every gym-goer need after a workout? A massage, of course.
And boy, was it something special. An hour of top-to-toe pampering eased those overstretched muscles, stressed joints and hungover head.
Like everything, the award-winning spa is big.
There are 19 treatment rooms, including a two-person suite, and a Moroccan Hammam, which is similar to a Turkish bath.
Here, You enjoy a steam room, followed by an exfoliating full-body scrub and massage.
I’m not going to lie, reviewing a hotel like this one is a stress-free job — but that’s because the hotel wants it to be.
The entire concept of this resort is to offer a relaxing, sun-drenched family break as an alternative to the hustle and bustle in the country’s most popular city, Marrakesh.
In fact, the Mazagan represents the King of Morocco’s personal project to turn the north-west coast into a leading tourist destination.
It is an adults’ — and kids’ — playground, with not only a nightclub on site, but also the country’s largest casino and the longest 18-hole golf course in Morocco, designed by golfing great Gary Player.
You won’t be surprised to hear that it is has been created by the firm behind Dubai’s world-famous Atlantis Hotel.
