A lazy long weekend in North Africa (Jan 25)
Sunrises on an empty beach, sunsets at our favourite bar and lazy days in between. This little stretch of the North African coast is ideal for a short break.
This was a great escape from the January cold back home.
It was also a great counter balance to the low budget break we did last time. Not that this was any better – just different!
We spoiled ourselves rotten on this trip and treated ourselves to a little luxury. That said, it didn’t break the bank, and we found some great value places – see ‘Hints and Tips’ section at the end.
Staying in ONE place!
We had decided to head back to our new go-to-getaway destination ‘Taghazout’, this time for a long weekend on the glorious sun drenched Moroccan coast.
Unlike our last visit, we didn’t feel compelled to explore the wider region. Our aim was to simply enjoy the local surf village and immerse ourselves in what it had to offer. Of course there was nothing I could do to convince Emma to take surf lessons! So walks, yoga, and relaxing it was!
We also went in search for a few new restaurants and bars. But the order of the day was to chill – and that’s what we did!
Base camp – Radisson Blu
The last time we were here we discovered a whole bunch of low rise (and quite posh) hotel complexes on the 5km footpath between Tamraight and Taghazout.
Although these are not our usual ‘target’ venues we suspected at least one of them might be ideal for an out of season long weekend – and it was!
After a little bit of research we ended up in the Radisson Blu, and managed to get ourselves a complimentary upgrade to a beautiful self contained one bedroomed bungalow.
The isolated apartments are a great design, lots of privacy and elbow room, with views looking over the beach sited well away from the communal areas and pool. Rose petals were sprinkled over the bed which was a nice touch.
The Radisson was also the closest of the hotel complexes to the surf village of Taghazout, so it was only a short walk to find life, restaurants and bars.
Only the chirping of wild birds could be heard above the sound of waves crashing on the not-so-distant shore.
Daily Yoga and Pilates.
We settled quite quickly into a daily pattern, watching the sunrise from an isolated local beach, eating breakfast al fresco and as the temperatures slowly increased, either some meditative yoga practice or Pilates.
We’d then head for the pool or beach and read a book, have a swim, or simply wander along the surf line to one of the two local villages.
The yoga and Pilates lessons were a great way to start each day; our instructor Khalid was incredible and very attentive to the individual needs of his students. It was just the tonic we both needed after the bumps, bruises and muscle pulls we both picked up during our last ski trip.
Vibrant colours and friendly locals
Despite the low cost and relative ease to get here, I’d say the people who come to this region are a tad more adventurous than most and have a healthy appetite for the simple things in life. It’s obviously a surfing Mecca but there’s plenty more to do besides. Of course with most developing countries the infrastructure needs a little attention, but that’ll come with time. What’s nice is that it retains a wonderful regional character, whilst catering for the needs of visitors. In our view it’s got the balance just about right, especially for an ‘alternative’ short break.
Local bars and restaurants
Having been here a few times we’ve tried quite a few of the street cafes and beach front eateries between us. However, given we only had three nights, we decided to head for some places that had wine on the menu and where we could put on some glad rags, kick back and relax.
Seaside Hotel
We headed back to a hotel and restaurant called Seaside Hotel. The waitress who served us on our previous visit last month recognised us immediately.
It meant even better service! And an even better sunset than last time! Of course being a ‘licensed’ bar, it’s a little more pricy than the smaller cafes and restaurants.
Le Lazuli – Radisson
Our second night found us at the local Radisson restaurant. Where, because we were out of season we found ourselves pretty much alone!
Le Bougainvillea
It’s also where we got to take breakfast, overlooking the beach, in the warmth of the morning sun.
Amouage
Immediately next door to the Seaside hotel, is a restaurant and bar called Amouage. It has a great vibe which was helped immensely was the fact that we rocked up during “happy hour” where a bottle of wine was £13 and cocktails £5.50. The food was awesome too! This place also has a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the ocean.
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Munga Bar
Loz, my eldest daughter, came here last time she was in Taghazout, so we thought we’d give it a whirl. We only stopped for beers on route back to our hotel after a night out elsewhere. What was bizarre is that the locals are walking about in jackets and huddling around fires, whilst visitors wandering around in shirts and short sleeves.
So all in all a great few days away, helped by the warmer than average temperatures and blue skies.
I thinks we will be back.
Hints and Tips.
This was certainly more of a “fly and flop” type of holiday than we usually do. But I suppose we’re allowed to have an occasional trip that doesn’t end up with me dragging Emma all over the place by bus and exploring what’s around every corner!
It didn’t take a lot of convincing to do this break given the £25 return flight from WizzAir (plus one additional cabin bag costing an additional £25 each way).
The bill for the accommodation (at a 5* resort) ended up being £71 per night per person, including the meal we had and a few drinks.
Yoga and Pilates sessions were included in the price of the hotel.
We used InDrive (the local Uber) to book taxis which works out half the standard price.
The taxi from the airport was booked in advance (using booking.com) and cost £24. I know I could have got it cheaper using InDrive but didn’t want the stress of finding one at 10:30pm (when our plane arrived).
The meals at the restaurants worked out at approx £30 per person – including a bottle of wine and in the case of our ‘new find’, cocktails.
Clubroom Lounge Gatwick South
The holiday started when we checked into the clubroom lounge at Gatwick South. However, that’s not as extravagant as it sounds as we had vouchers which reduced the price. It was lovely being served good quality food and having personal attention ahead of a flight.
