GOLF HOLIDAYS IN MARRAKECH
Guide to Marrakech golfbreaks: where to stay, play, see, dine and do.

Golf holidays in Marrakech

The red walls of Marrakech lie inland at the foot of the Atlas mountains where the city enjoys a superb climate during our Winter months: dry and sunny but not too hot - imagine a perfect Spring day.  A climate that is ideal for outdoor pursuits, particularly our favourite - golf.

The city of 1,001 nights is rightly fabled for its unique atmsophere and contrast of cultures all getting along together under the African sun.  There is nowhere in the world quite like Marrakech and we firmly believe that everybody should visit this remarkable city at least once in their lives.  The narrow streets of the Medinah and tortuous alleyways of the souk conceal myriad marvels.  The main square jmaa el fnaa in the shadow of the Khoutoubia mosque is the hub of all this activity, always abuzz with life and characters.  As the sun sets and the evening food vendors emerge filling the square with lights and aromas it becomes a an unforgettable sight. 

Behind the square, amongst the narrow alleys of the Souk you can haggle to your heart's content over wood carvings, spices, tea-pots, slippers, leather goods, Arabian lamps, jewellery and a million and one other hand-crafted items.

Marrakchis are gentle folk, delighted to see so many tourists visiting their ancient town and are keen that you should enjoy their brand of hospitality and entertainment.  Not everybody wants to sell you something  and those that do have a gentle friendly approach that is easy enough to rebuff if unwanted.  Besides the people, who really make Marrakech the welcoming place it is, there are plenty of sights to see both within the ancient Medinah, around the outskirts and further afield too up in the looming Atlas mountains.

Marrakech Golf Clubs

There are now a dozen truly excellent golf courses dotted all around the outskirts of the city under the gaze of the snow-capped Atlas mountains.  They range from the delightfully traditional Royal Marrakech (one of the very first Moroccan Golf Clubs) to some spectacular new courses such as Assoufid (best new course in Africa when it opened), Ourika and Royal Palm.

The first flight of courses were constructed close to the centre of Marrakech: Amelkis is just across the road from Royal Marrakech and the angular Al Maaden close by as well so you can play these courses without having to travel too far from your hotel.  (Along with the recent residential additions of The Montgomerie and The Jacklin courses close to the airport).  One of the finest courses in all of Africa is out past the airport: Assoufid.  We would recommend that everybody plays here if they are in town as it is a truly remarkable design in a peaceful rural setting.

In the early 2000s ambitious plans were laid to develop a 'Golf City' south of Marrakech with numerous developments of golf courses, houses, hotels, shopping centres et cetera. These stalled slightly in 2009 with the world's financial problems, but now a significant chunk of these dreams have been realised and there are some fabulous courses to the south of Marrakech dreamed up by some of the world's best architects: Samanah, Ourika and Palm Golf are very impressive golf courses and all well worth venturing out of town to play (or perhaps stay locally at the luxurious Palm Golf resort?).

Out in the desert, the first oasis is just 15 minutes northeast of Marrakech: La Palmeraie. Here you will find a luxury hotel (or two) and La Palmeraie golf course. Easily reached from Marrakech for a round or a good spot to stay if you prefer a resort-based golf holiday, yet still within easy reach of all the fun and games of the walled city.

Marrakech hotels

The hotels we have selected around Marrakech are very westernised in terms of facilities and would stand up well to comparison with luxury hotels in most areas of Europe.  Morocco maintains very close ties with France and many of the big French hotel brands (Lucien Barrière and Sofitel for instance) have sumptuous flagship hotels in Marrakech catering to the discerning European golfer.

This has had the knock-on effect of raising the bar for local hotel operators who have more than risen to the challenge! All around the city and countryside you will find wonderful hotels that will cosset you in fully-westernised comfort yet always with little Moroccan twists here-and-there.

From these havens of luxury you can choose to dip-in or dip-out of the Moroccan lifestyle as much or as little as you like: some golfers never leave the poolside bar others have to be dragged form the jmaa-el-fnaa back to bed! There is plenty for everyone.

Many Moroccan hotels feature big spa facilities and there are hammams too where you can subject yourself to the physical delights of a  deep-clean at the hands  of a Moroccan bathman or lady: quite an experience!

Marrakech - what to eat and drink

Marrakech is a foodies paradise where East meets West and Europe competes with Arabia  with African vying for attention too . in a gastronomic hot-pot. All varieties of  cuisine are available from traditional Moroccan dishes (Couscous, tajine, mechoui etcetera) to European favourites derived from the French ex-pats and Asian dishes too to add a little extra spice.  (At the other end of the scale, you'll even find  an incongrous McDonalds lurking here and there around town).

Morocco's absolute classic is tajine.  Beef, lamb or chicken slow-cooked in an earthenware pot over a charcoal brazier it is an absolute delight.  You will find in on every menu and at thousands of roadside stalls across the country.  The Marrakchi's have their own variation on this theme - tanjia.  This is beef and cooked in a sealed jar for hours embedded in hot coals (classically in the embers of the local hammam) a 'must-eat' when in town!

Within the souk there is plenty of nourishment to be found during the day with street vendors everywhere selling both sweet and savoury specialities (the sesame and honey drizzled pastries go very nicely with coffee or the ubiquitous mint tea). 

And when eventide rolls around , the main square in Marrakech (jmaa el fnaa) plays host to the largest conglomeration of itinerant chefs  you are likely to find anywhere in the world. Here it's very much a case  of what you see is what you eat with dishes cooked right before your eyes.  You can find everything from freshly squeezed orange juice to dates, pistachios and cashews to boiled snails, fried chicken, mutton stew, kebabs... 

So whatever your preference when it comes to dining there is sure to be a place or two to suit you.  As always, along with your tickets we shall send a list of our favourites for you to try - if you wish!?!

Marrakech - what to see and do

The principal sight of Marrakech is hard to miss, the giant Khoutoubia mosque towers over its pretty gardens  within the Medinah walls just in front of  the Jmaa-el-fnaa square with all its teeming life and the narrow alleys of the souk  behind. 

Dotted around the old city are a number of main attractions the Bahia Palace is probably the most impressive of these with its intricate mosaics and lace-like carving around the walls and doorways.  Another palace the Badia (names are very confusing!) lies nearby , however here only the main walls survive to show teh grandeur and majesty of what it must have been like in days of yore.  The origina rulers of Marrakech, the Saadis, are enterred tombed in the richly decorated Saadien Tombs which has some very impressive marble sculpture.

Yves St. Laurent was a huge fan of Morocco spending many Winters in Marrakech. He created his own little haven of peace with a formal garden and Summer house in the North of the city which are very pretty. Larger, more stately gardens are to be found at the Agdal gardens on the east side of town, a popular spot for the locals to stroll between the palms and waterways.

Marrakech - getting there and getting around

Marrakech has developed into a major Winter tourist destination so nowadays it is very easy to get to for your golf holiday with so many flights direct to Marrakech's bright new airport with British Airways, Royal Air Maroc and EasyJet amongst others.  Some of the big package holiday companies offer flights too with Tui also offering flights to Marrakech from the Midlands.  From France, Spain and Portugal there are frequent flights too with AirFrance, Iberia and TAP AirPortugal.

Once on the ground the best way to get around is through our local transfer company.  They are ultra-reliable and will transport you effortlessly from the airport to your hotel and out to the golf courses each day.  Should  you wish to arrange a trip into the Atlas or a sightseeing tour of Marrakech they will be more than happy to help with that too.

For getting around town under your own steam taxis are plentiful and cheap.  Most have meters but some drivers prefer to agree a price before you set off instead.  Locals will pay about 10MAD to get anywhere in town, as a tourist however drivers will try to charge a little more: it's hard to begrudge them an extra few Dirhams - it'll only be a quid or two!

The other mode of transport is the calèche or 'pony and trap' which, for an agreed fee, will take you on a tour or from point-to-point at a horse's pace allowing you time to soak up the ambience of Marrakech.