FANCY a bit of the royal treatment? I know just the, er, palace.
The Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort on Morocco’s north-west coast is regal in both size and design.
With its dreamy arches and soaring ceilings, traditional Zellij tiling, tree-lined atrium and central courtyards, this five-star wonder is truly fit for royalty.
Inside, everything smells of rich orange blossom. You could get lost here. In fact, you want to.
In the early Noughties, the country’s King Mohammed VI wanted the fortified city of El Jadida, a Unesco World Heritage Site, to be emblazoned on the tourist map.
The Mazagan, from the same luxury Kerzner hotel group as Dubai’s Atlantis, The Palm, has helped him achieve this.
It is drawing an impressive crowd.
Pop princess Paloma Faith stayed here with her family this year and Moroccan golf star Ayoub Lguirati — winner of the first Arab World Professional Championship in 2023 — often plays the resort’s beachfront course designed by one of the sport’s greats, Gary Player.
Oh, and now I was there.
The 500-room Mazagan is so grand that it is home to one of North Africa’s largest casinos — and one evening, my friends and I joined the guests trying their luck on its 37 gaming tables, 80 roulettes wheels and 370 slot machines.
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Good news for risk-takers is that the casino stays open 23 hours a day, so this hotel almost never sleeps.
But as amateurs, we didn’t fancy losing a king’s ransom on Blackjack, so moved on to the 1940s-themed Studio 42 lounge bar next door which is swathed in royal-green velvet drapes.
It has live music at weekends and serves glam cocktails including a homemade rosé liquor and gin concoction for £10, or local beer from £5.50, so is a sure bet for a nightcap or two.
When it came time to hit the hay, my ocean-view room was similar in its grandeur to the rest of the hotel, with traditional metal hanging lanterns, dark-wood furniture, and a bed that could fit a family of four.
Thankfully, 80 per cent of the rooms are connecting, so parents do not have to share with little ’uns.
Even with the balconette doors to my room closed, I could hear the inviting roar of the Atlantic Ocean.
It is safe to swim here — there’s a lifeguard during the day — but you can also rent paddle and bodyboards, or make the most of the swell with surf lessons.
Even in late September, temperatures in El Jadida can reach 30C.
Animal-lovers will enjoy a trip to the Mazagan’s farm, which has goats, cows and chickens. Its beachfront stables are immaculately maintained and the horses and ponies have shiny, glowing coats.
Riding on the beach has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, so on an unusually grey afternoon I climbed on to a palomino-coloured mare called Rosa and headed for the shore.
She trotted along Haouzia Beach, steadily swerving the incoming tide, as I sat back — nay, upright — to enjoy the view. The next day, for something more fast-paced, our group zoomed along the sand — thankfully flat — on quad bikes.
The Mazagan also has laser games, go-karting, paintballing, a 22ft climbing wall, archery, a gym, and pickleball and tennis courts. There are daytime clubs for both kids and teens, too.
But a holiday in Morocco calls for a spot of haggling in the medina — and just the place for that is Casablanca which is the country’s largest, most cosmopolitan city, just an hour’s drive from the hotel.
Built in the early 19th century by the French, the New Medina is smaller and less chaotic than its walled older counterpart but just as authentic.
We find everything from artisan teapots and pottery, leather bags and hand-woven Berber rugs, to stalls piled high with native olives for a fraction of what we would pay at home.
Casablanca also has a striking mix of religious buildings, owing to its colonial history.
Many of these, such as the monumental Hassan II Mosque on the city’s promenade, offer guided tours.
Arabesque carvings
The Hassan II Mosque is a gem — with the world’s second-tallest minaret at 689ft and an elaborately decorated prayer room which can fit 20,000 worshippers.
As is customary if entering a mosque, we removed our shoes.
Our guide then recounted tales of its craftmanship as we quietly admired the stonework, arabesque carvings, Murano glass chandeliers, and titanium doors weighing several tonnes.
For many Brits, though, Casablanca will conjure memories of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman’s 1942 film — although the wartime classic was actually filmed in Hollywood.
Disappointed to discover Rick’s Cafe from the film did not exist, an American woman opened a replica bar, with grand piano and Moroccan hanging lanterns, in the Old Medina in 2004.
“Of all the gins joints in all the towns”, to quote from the film, this one was well worth walking into for a boozy pit-stop on the way back to the Mazagan.
But, of course, there’s nothing wrong with spending a week simply lazing beside the resort’s lagoon-style pool, having treatments in its award-winning spa and eating and drinking like royalty in its 13 restaurants and bars.
The Market Place evening buffet offers an abundance of local and international dishes, from salads to saffron slow-cooked lamb, shawarma and a wok station.
Or the hotel’s jewel in the crown, the dimly lit Bushra restaurant, serves up Middle Eastern dishes and a live band to its impressively receptive diners.
Sat under gigantic brass chandeliers and dramatic drapes, even the grannies sang and clapped cheerily between mouthfuls of hummus with beef fillet, grilled jumbo shrimps and the most tender slow-cooked lamb.
Just like the flavours, the service is five-star — waiter Wafae deserves mention.
But I had my favourite-ever starter in Sel de Mer.
The nautically-themed seafood restaurant has an extraordinary signature dish of blue lobster salad with fennel remoulade and mustard jus. At £26, it is not cheap, but lobster never is.
I could get used to living like a queen.
GO: MOROCCO
GETTING THERE: Royal Air Maroc offers daily direct flights from Heathrow to Casablanca with fares from £250, including 23kg luggage.
See royalairmaroc.com.
STAYING THERE: Seven nights’ B&B at Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort for two adults and two children under 12 is from £1,130 in total or £282.50pp.
A package deal including flights for two adults is from £879pp including flights with Royal Air Maroc on November 17.
See loveholidays.com.
OUT & ABOUT: Le Cavalier horseriding £42pp or £30pp for a family of four per hour.
Quad-bike rental is £35pp for 30 minutes, surf lessons are £24pp per hour.
Paddle and body- board rental is from from £12pp.