Golf in Marrakech - The great escape

If you’re looking for exotic boltholes in the sun, Marrakech should be high on your wish list. Mark Alexander looks at two Moroccan getaways that offer luxury and seclusion…

It was an unseasonably cold April and I needed pampering. Snow had been forecast and a northerly airflow was wafting shrill breezes from the Artic. I needed warmth and plenty of it. In such circumstances, a quick exit was called for. I wanted a place where the heat of the sun could mingle freely with an exotic culture, far removed from the bracing chill of the UK’s spring air.    The three-and-a-bit-hour flight down to the Red City, otherwise known as Marrakech, was filled with fellow escapees feverishly searching out their own antidote to northern Europe’s dismal start to spring. But this wasn’t your usual ensemble of sun-seekers and merry-makers that might blight other well-trodden escape routes. Instead there was a cultured mix of seasoned travellers, locals and small eager groups, and not one sported a luminous piece of clothing or portable speaker system. If my fellow passengers were anything to go by, Marrakech was going to be intriguing.    The city itself is a dazzling array of people and animals, cars and bikes all heading in different directions, all at the same time. Add to that the occasional donkey cart, hugely overladen with a cargo of freshly cut vegetation, and the constant buzz of a demonic army of mopeds, and the taxi you ordered from the airport really begins to make sense.    This is a place where ‘hustle’ and ‘bustle’ don’t quite cover the penetrating hubbub of a city in constant commute. And with daytime temperatures easily reaching 42⁰C during the summer months, Marrakech can smoulder in a haze of buzz and flurry. While my quest for warmth had driven me to temporarily abandon my beloved Scotland, I would guess that had the same trip been arranged three months later, my comfort would have been severely compromised and my tender skin scorched in that kind of heat.    Springtime was perfect. But for all its wondrous mosques, palaces and gardens and the enticing medina where maze-like alleys of colourful souks (or marketplaces) form part of a medieval walled city dating back to the Berber Empire, Marrakech is really about escapism, and that’s where the Palais Aziza & Spa comes in.

THE GETAWAY. As the automated gates of this oasis closed slowly behind me and I followed the meandering driveway towards the reception of this 29-room boutique hotel, the fuss and commerce of the busy streets melted away and were replaced by the wail of a peacock and the gentle tinkle of a delicate water feature. This is a calm retreat bordered by manicured gardens and tall, shade-providing palm trees.    The Palais Aziza is situated 6km from the city centre in La Palmeraie, which is commonly referred to as the Beverly Hills of Marrakech. This borough of high walls and impressively armed entrances is home to a plethora of private palaces and high-end retreats. Opposite the Palais, for instance, a Saudi prince had his lavish bolthole and down the street, King Mohamed VI of Morocco had a sprawling residence that seemed have no end. This is about as far removed from the heaving streets of the city as you could get.

CLASSIC FEEL. Palais Aziza has a classic feel about it, created by traditional architecture and five acres of lush gardens that transport you to a sanctuary of calm. If you’re accustomed to bland, cramped, non-descript city centre hotels, this will come as a pleasant surprise. After all, the emphasis here is on privacy and recuperation, meaning each room has a unique design with space both inside and out. A room here isn’t simply somewhere to rest your head and store your suitcase – each room is to be enjoyed.    But as much as the accommodation shines, this small, delightful hotel also has the facilities of a much larger property including a 670m² spa, gym and swimming pools (one heated) which offer a cooling and energising respite from the heat. And then there are the restaurants. Maroliano is the main eatery adjacent to the hotel’s bar, lounge and library. This is where you’ll spend your evenings, as I did, perusing the menu for Moroccan or Mediterranean delights. Lemon sole stuffed with langoustine followed by chocolate fondant were my choice selections.    But perhaps even more delightful is the small garden restaurant where, shaded by vines, guests sip rose wine and enjoy delicious light lunches while the sun beats down overhead. “When guests come here, they need service,” says Ahmad Adra, the hotel’s general manager and only non-Moroccan employee (he’s from Lebanon). “I want them to empty their bags and return home with new energy. The hotel only has 29 rooms, so there will be only 60 people here and you never feel crowded. We are making a luxury service not an industrial one.”    A clue to the hotel’s serenity lies somewhere in Adra’s sentiments. The Palais Aziza is a beautiful retreat perfectly set up for couples. It is certainly not a lads’ haven, where you and your best buddies could kick back and chill unless, that is, your posse enjoy spa treatments and relaxing afternoons lying next to empty pools. For a little more shazam and, more importantly, golf, Royal Palm Marrakech should be your next stop.

ROYAL COMMAND. This sprawling, exuberant resort is one of a new breed of holiday and golfing venues recently opened around the city of Marrakech. They are designed to impress travelling golfers who seek sunshine, golf and luxurious surroundings in equal measure. There are a host of different restaurant options to choose from after your round, as well as lavish villas and suites and an expansive sports centre to enjoy. In many ways, Royal Palm Marrakech is Palais Aziza’s big brother, and his mates. Everything here is on massive scale.    But, of course, it would have to be. With the snowy peaks of the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop, Royal Palm Marrakech was always destined to have scale. For instance, the Cabell-Robinson-designed course exceeds the ubiquitous 7,000-yard mark when played off the back tees and the main pool spans 2,000m². The spa, sports centre and kids’ club might as well be resort entities in their own right, with each sporting the kind of facilities and physical presence of a boutique residence – the 3,500m² spa with its 18 treatment rooms is simply vast.    The resort is spread over 231 hectares and was once a working olive grove. In fact, Royal Palm Marrakech continues to produce its own olive oil, which has a deliciously nutty overtone and is used liberally in all three restaurants. Outside, the 18-hole golf course ambles its way through the former grove with space aplenty. And yet despite its size, the layout is well maintained with colourful flowerbeds surrounding the tees to catch the eye.    If your golf is like mine, you will appreciate the wide open spaces off the tee, which the resort’s director of golf, Michel Besanceney, says reflects a more friendly approach to golf. “The course has been built to please clients, not to please 0.01 per cent of the very best players. I want to smile at the end of my 18 holes and for the golfers to make more pars than usual. Tranquillo.”    And he should know. Besanceney is a former tour player and was the project manager during the construction phase of the golf course, which eventually opened in 2013. He explains that prior to work commencing, the site was a featureless plain onto which 1,500 palm trees were introduced and 1,000,000m³ of earth moved. Today, it’s hard to believe so much has gone into such a natural-looking site, but it has.

INTRIGUING GREENS. Perhaps most intriguing of all are the greens. If the fairways are welcoming, the putting surfaces have the potential to cancel out any advantage with numerous possible pin positions that could cause concern. These include properly devilish Sunday placements which, I get the feeling, aren’t used that often.    “During the construction process, we wanted to make sure we had plenty of pin positions and flat landing areas, but Cabell, like most architects, wanted to kick some ass at the opening pro-am. He wanted to give the pros something to remember. I suggested we put on the handbrake. We did and we succeeded because most of the people still enjoy playing the course.”    There are greens out there with big slopes, but the majority adopt a subtle approach. This is a course to be savoured, along with the sunshine, but it certainly won’t be the toughest course you’ll ever play. Saying that, it has its moments – the par three 7th with a peninsula green is a tester, while the dogleg right at 13 demands an accurate tee shot and a well-judged second to make the dancefloor in regulation. The downhill one-shotter at 17 poses even more questions with water to the right and bunkers to the left and by the time you reach the last, you’ll be ready to enjoy the resort’s ample facilities.    Royal Palm Marrakech is a visually pleasing resort, and since it is part of the Beachcomber group, it carries off it duties with poise and dignity. The service is impeccable and the accommodation fabulously designed with contemporary Moroccan styling. Don’t let the size of the place put you off. Like the Palais Aziza, this is a place in which to lose yourself for a few days. If Marrakech is all about escapism, then these resorts are the magical land hiding at the end of the rainbow.