My first time in Morocco was perhaps a bit different from the usual experience. It wasn’t Marrakech or Rabat that I discovered, but the Moroccan coast, just below Casablanca. And it was to explore the Mazagan Beach Resort, built between 2008 and 2009 with the blessing of the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, to develop tourism, that I set foot on Moroccan soil for the first time. The African continent is still largely unknown to me, as my only trip to this side of the Mediterranean was to Egypt, over 10 years ago now…
Upon stepping off the plane, it’s the heat and the intensity of the sun that strike you. Even though it was the beginning of November, the weather here is very pleasant. To get to Mazagan, the easiest way is to fly into Casablanca airport, and then take the free shuttle for resort guests, which takes you directly to Mazagan (about a 1 hour 15 minute drive). On the road, Moroccan farmland rolls past my eyes, revealing a very rural side of the country. I would learn later that this part of Morocco, the Doukkala region, is often called the “breadbasket of Morocco” due to its significant agricultural and cereal activity.
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Table of Contents
Practical information
- To get there, you can fly from Orly airport to Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc (3-hour flight).
- The resort is distributed in France by numerous tour operators (Donatello, Directours, Voyage Gallia, Greens du Monde, Tapis Rouge, Mille Lieux, etc.).
- To get information about your trip in advance, don’t hesitate to contact the Moroccan National Tourism Office.
- Currency: the dirham (1 dirham = €0.089).
The hot tip: The Mazagan counter (open from 7 am to midnight) at the airport welcomes you to its private lounge (free Wi-Fi) while you wait for the next shuttle (approximately every hour), which will take you to the resort.
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The Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort Morocco
To put it briefly, Mazagan is a huge tourist complex (250 hectares) located south of Casablanca and along the Atlantic coast of Morocco, with no less than 7 kilometers of beach! The location benefits from a mild, temperate climate all year round, making it a perfect spot for sun-drenched vacations, even in autumn, as I was able to verify.
Inside this seaside oasis, you will find absolutely everything you need: 13 restaurants, a swimming pool, a spa (hammam, massage, hair salon, manicure), a fitness center, a golf course, a night-club, a casino (considered one of the most beautiful in North Africa), numerous outdoor sports activities (surfing, horseback riding, jet-skiing, windsurfing, quad biking), a huge conference center, a performance hall, and more…
Mazagan was also designed to respect the environment, since wastewater treatment was put in place as soon as the site was built, as well as selective waste sorting, and the complex’s development plan provided for the preservation of the local ecosystem. The hotel, which has about 500 rooms, is laid out around a magnificent central swimming pool bordered by date palms, which makes you want to lounge in the shade of the umbrellas for hours on end…
What I missed most when I left was no longer smelling that sweet scent of orange blossom, which is omnipresent in the hotel, but I took the shower gel (orange blossom scented, obviously) that was in my room with me as a souvenir to have a little sensory journey in my tiny Parisian bathroom.
The little extra: having a room with a view of the sea…
Hot tips: many activities are accessible for free to hotel guests.
- A nursery for children of all ages with a baby club (3 months to 4 years), a kids club (4 to 12 years), and a rush club (12 to 18 years) that offer varied activities (indoors and by the seaside).
- Other little perks for families: meals for children under 3 are free, and there is a 50% discount on meals for children aged 4 to 12.
- The hammam and the gym.
- The nightclub, the Alias Club (excluding drinks, of course), but it should be noted that every Thursday night is Lady’s Night, so a drink is offered for ladies.
- Every day, free activities (Nordic walking, ping-pong, soccer, archery, mountain biking, walking, etc.) are offered, and you can find the program in the morning in the form of a newspaper at breakfast.
Prices:
Example price for an 8-day / 7-night stay at the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, for 2 adults and 2 children under 12 sharing the same room, a package including a round-trip flight from Paris to Casablanca, air taxes, round-trip airport-hotel shuttle transfers, accommodation in a Deluxe double room with pool view and breakfast starting from €1,109 per adult and starting from €399 per child under 12 on a half-board basis for the period from September to December 2015.
Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort Morocco 24 000 El Jadida - Morocco
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The restaurants at the Mazagan Resort
Breakfasts take place at the Mediterranean restaurant Olives or at the Market Place in the form of buffets, depending on the days and the time you wish to eat breakfast.
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The Clubhouse of the Mazagan Golf Links
This magnificent place has a sublime terrace with a view of the ocean and the 18-hole golf course signed by Gary Player, a famous South African player. I advise you to take the opportunity to taste the local beer (which you will also find at the Alias Club and in other restaurants in the resort), the Casablanca.
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Le Morjana, Moroccan cuisine
This restaurant, in homage to Moroccan gastronomy, is only open in the evening. The oriental decor of the place, with sofas and cushions, gives it a very pleasant warm and family-friendly aspect. The dishes are prepared by a female chef, which is worth noting, Laïla Hassouna.
To taste: tajines, seafood pastillas, couscous, briouates (stuffed phyllo pastry), the famous harira soup with chickpeas (an absolute must-try, eat it with a prune, the combination of flavors is delicious), M’charmel carrots with spices, Moasia pumpkin with orange blossom honey, etc.
The little extra: a wide selection of local wines.
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The Market Place and Olives
These two restaurants with a panoramic view of the swimming pool offer oriental, Mediterranean, North African, and Asian buffets.
To taste: mezzes, a grilled buffet, etc.
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Le Sel de Mer
This restaurant focuses on local gastronomy, through the country’s fish and seafood.
To taste: Oualidia oysters, the catch of the day on the plancha, in a salt crust, or in the oven, etc.
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L’Oasis
This seasonal restaurant which is located by the central pool of Mazagan is ideal for a snack in the sun.
To taste: hot and cold mezzes, grilled meats and fish.
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The mint tea ritual
Wherever you are in the resort (or in Morocco in general, I think), you will not escape the delicious ritual of mint tea, served most often with a lot of sugar (although you can definitely ask for a sugar-free version, but you must specify it) and some Moroccan pastries.
The tea, enhanced with a few mint leaves, must be served very hot, and there is a particular technique for serving it, which allows for the creation of a fine foam on the surface of the glass. This helps to oxygenate the tea and thus increase its flavor. It is therefore not just folklore, as some might believe…
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The Mazagan Spa
In a dedicated building in the middle of palm and orange tree gardens, there is a space specifically designed for the maintenance and relaxation of the body. On one side, there is a gym with machines and the possibility of having a private coach to concoct a tailor-made program for you, and on the other side is the spa itself.
Inside the spa, you will find a hair and manicure salon, a magnificent Moroccan hammam (with women’s, men’s, and mixed hours), and a particularly qualified massage service. Indeed, the team of therapists who provide the treatments on-site has been very well trained in oriental beauty treatments, but also in western ones with the recent partnership of Mazagan with the Maison Carita.
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Things to do in the surroundings: visit El Jadida
El Jadida is an old 16th-century Portuguese port, whose medina surrounded by ramparts (formerly called Mazagan in Portuguese) is perfectly preserved and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004. The city, which now has 160,000 inhabitants, has a significant sardine fishing industry. You can also practice various water sports there, and many tourists come to visit the historic part of the city every year.
I strongly advise you to go for a walk in the maze of narrow streets of this former Phoenician trading post and to visit the ancient underground cistern where Orson Welles filmed a scene of Othello in 1952.
My good address: The Café do Mare to have a delicious mint tea (Mint tea 12 dirhams) on the small terrace of the establishment, offering a magnificent view of the city’s rooftops.
The hot tip: free shuttles travel back and forth between Mazagan and El Jadida every day for hotel guests (check the times with the guest service team). You can also enjoy guided tours if you want to learn more about the history of the city and Moroccan culture.
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I hope that with all this, I have made you want to discover this part of Morocco, and if you also have your own good addresses and hot tips for this destination, do not hesitate to share them in the comments!
Find below all my articles on my trips to Morocco (2015, 2016 and 2018):
⇒ All my articles on Morocco
⇒ All my articles on Marrakech
MY ARTICLES ON MOROCCO
⇒ Stay at Es Saadi Marrakech Resort (2018)
⇒ Food Tour in Marrakech (2016)
⇒ Selection of accommodation in Marrakech (2016)
⇒ Stay at Mazagan Beach Resort below Casablanca (2015)
Photo credits: Aymeric Renou (1 photo) and Mademoiselle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free, photographer authorization mandatory before any use
