AN ASSAULT, IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE, ON ALL THE SENSES
Every year, as February draws closer, my thoughts turn to getting off this island and into some faraway sunshine.
I hate February, and yet, nonetheless, it also conjures up happy memories because, in my effort to flee, I have often ended up in a memorable location and with enough sunshine to warm the bones for a week or so.
One of my best February escapes ever was to Morocco. It’s a great destination, and one that ticks all kinds of boxes. Just looking for a sunbed and cocktails on demand? Tick. Interested in experiencing a different culture? Tick. Want to golf in the sunshine? Yes, that too.
Agadir sometimes gets a bad press. Yes, of course it’s a modern, bustling city. It was flattened by an earthquake in 1960, so this is a city reflective of the future rather than the past.
I really liked it – the fortress ruins of the kasbah and the morning fish auction at the port, and the souq.
Agadir also boasts a magnificent stretch of golden sand along its seafront. This is hotel territory and we stayed there in the 4star Tikida Beach, one of the hotels, then and now, in Sunway’s portfolio.
You won’t find many tour operators in Ireland who know more about Morocco than Sunway. In fact, with their vast choice of destinations and accommodation there, plus all manner of expertise on the ground, it comes as no surprise to learn that this year marks 25 years in Morocco for the Irish company.
I loved the beach in Agadir. I’ll never forget watching from the hotel balcony as the evening sun dipped into the Atlantic, just sitting there, taking in the amazing tableau on the sands below.
Boys playing football, women paddling while swathed in their abayas, men selling everything, from doughnuts to wooden ornaments to jewellery. And the camels. Oh the camels all ambling slowly homewards and silhouetted against the sinking sun. Even if you base yourself in Agadir, you should go to Marrakech. After a drive through the High Atlas mountains you arrive into this red-walled city with its lovely Koutoubia mosque, its famous Djemaa el-Fna square, (inset) and its fascinating souq. You don’t just see Marrakech, you experience it. It’s an assault – in the best way imaginable – on all the senses. I can’t think of many better places to spend a week in February.