10 days all inclusive at the Riu Tikida Palmarie (4 star+) in Marrakech, Morocco. For members who enjoy somewhere else, and because a few people said they were looking forward to a review - here is a brief assessment - also comparing to Turkey. Personal but honest:
Weather: Hot (Up to 42C) but more air movement than Fethiye, less oppressive. Last 3 days, heavy rain for 1-2 hours in afternoon. Much disappointment around pool, the rest of us enjoyed the pool (and now empty pool bar).
Hotel: All inclusive is not everyone's choice, mine too - but the kids loved it and cliche as it may be, if my kids enjoy their holiday, we enjoy our holiday. They loved it. Big room, pool huge, food almost entirely all day long. Breakfast included just about everything, pork is not an option here for religious reasons (unlike Turkey where Tesco Bacon signs line the prom, bacon is turkey, sausages are chicken, but actually very good!). Two 'speciality' restaurants, Moroccan (good) and Italian (not bad).
AI headaches: Sunbeds - no problem. If you want to be literally at the pool, you need to be up early. If you don't do up early, plenty of sunbeds available 5-15 metres back from the pool perimeter. Tables in restaurants: No problem trying to find one, ever. Waiters greet you at the door and escort you to a table.
Staff: In-cred-i-ble. Every single one, cleaner, gardener, receptionist, waiter, barman, animation team, man who operates barrier at entrance - 100% smiles, 100% happy, 100% chatty, and totally focused on whether we had a good holiday. It's a nice touch now and again to be shown to a table, then told "relax sir, I'll get your coffee" or "go back to your sunbed and I'll bring your drinks over". Never once a suggestion that a tip would be nice (although of course they are subtlety but gratefully received). Not once did anyone in the hotel have a Moroccan price for an apartment, or want to sell their uncle's villa to us. They just wanted to make sure we had a great holiday.
Drinks: Certainly much better selection than the likes of Letoonia or Majesty Tuana - and very good. Whisky good, white rum good, beer (served from Red Bull sized cans) always fresh and lively, really nice AI red and white wine, cocktail list (and kids cocktail list, went down well that
) - oh, and lovely coffee (most important).
Entertainment: As people who know me will be aware, I hate hotel entertainment. But they were quite good, all the kids including mine thought they were brilliant. If people miming (badly) to other people's tracks, and games where whoever collects the most shoes from the audience wins are your sort of things, this is for you.
Marrakech: My God, it was exactly what I thought it would be but still a shock to see. Every aroma/smell in the World, from amazing to overpoweringly awful, in one square mile. "Guides" target you from the moment you get off the bus and will not leave you be. Two such people were attacking each other physically and violently because they had both decided to target us at the same moment. As they did, another one came to explain that they were unofficial guides, and he would be looking after us. We told him to (go away) and my God, he would not give up. We walked and ignored him for ages, and he would not leave us alone. This was incredibly annoying, but more importantly very disturbing and upsetting for the girls.
Everything you saw in the Arabian Knights is here - the walled city, the snake charmers ("friend, friend, take photo, take photo" ) - men with monkeys on chains that they are desperate to get onto your shoulder, and the moment they achieve that, you owe them money - restaurant hawkers who work to an amazing plan - they want you to take a glossy leaflet for their restaurant, then when you give in and do, they take that as some sort of verbal contract that you agreed to eat there and they lead you to it. Now is the time to escape. Cavfan (Maria) mentioned in another topic that having been to Sharm in Egypt they always found a way to avoid the hassle, but to be honest it is almost impossible to do in Marrakech. You escape one, straight into the arms of another.
Drinks in and around the Medina are very expensive - whisky for example around £8 plus the French-inspired service charge. You can't help thinking that 10 minutes bus journey away from 500 whiskies, each one free.
The Medina: Incredibly colourful, amazingly confusing, all types of tourist tack for sale and no end of people wanting to sell it to you. Compared with other resorts, 10x more expensive. Nothing is free - snap a cobra being charmed, you pay. Amongst the tat a handful of incredible shops selling breathtaking Arabic furniture and art. No photos, they don't even have a website as what they have is unique and photographs spawn copies. Vases, 6000 euros.
Airport: Eerily like Dalaman old terminal. Nowhere near as expensive. Smiley staff. Unlike Dalaman. Very colourful (unlike Dalaman where concrete grey is the look of choice).
In conclusion: This place feels like the backdrop of films from James Bond movies to Disney Aladdin cartoons. Hard to cope with in 42 degrees. But the hotel is incredible value for money and the key to everything is the staff. All of them.
I always said that if you want AI, you need to go to the Caribbean as they know how to do it better than anyone. I'd add the Riu Tikida Palmeraie to that, and at around £400 each cheaper and 6 hours closer, it's a winner.
I hope that was of interest to a few fellow sun seekers here on CBF
