Royal Air Maroc is increasing its service out of New York.
Morocco beach resorts in the works
Continued from Page 52
approximately 6. 5 hours.
Royal Air Maroc is increasing it service
out of Kennedy to nine flights weekly.
There is also a plethora of airline connections via major European air hubs such as
London, Madrid and Paris, thanks to the
open-skies treaty Morocco concluded with
the European Union in 2005.
“In the past two years, we’ve had 25 new
airlines, including low-cost carriers such as
EasyJet and Ryanair, coming to Morocco,”
Maaninou said. “In 2005 there was one
flight a day from London. Today, there are
seven.”
Of the six beach resorts in development
under the Azur Plan, five are upscale. The
other, and furthest along in development,
is the family-oriented Mediterrania Saidia,
set to open in 2009 with nine hotels with
8,000 beds, a 12-mile boardwalk, a 700-
berth marina and three golf courses. The
developments include:
• Port Lixus: Twenty-five miles south
of Tangier, Lixus will have 5,190 new hotel beds, a marina, two golf courses and a
sports and leisure complex.
“This resort is dedicated to relaxation,
spa and wellness,” said Maaninou. “The
region is well known for hunting, so it’s a
more sophisticated product than Saidia.”
• Mazagan: In El Jadida, 25 miles from
Casablanca, Kerzner International — owner of Atlantis in the Bahamas — will spearhead a seaside resort dedicated to gambling
and entertainment, according to Maaninou.
The first hotel will open in 2009.
• Mogador Essaouira: Situated near
Marrakech and the beach town of Essaouira, this upscale resort will be developed
by three European developers, including
Accor. “It will be dedicated to golf, spa and
wellness,” said Maaninou. Mogador Essaouira will feature a spa, nautical center,
two golf courses, 10 hotels with 4,270 beds
and 150 guesthouses with 1,000 beds.
nation beach-desert destination.
“Within these six resorts, begun in 2003,
we will have 130,000 new beds in resorts of
the latest generation coming on line from
Continued on Page 56
Taghazout, a new Moroccan resort near Agadir, will feature horseback-riding trails.
Developers from Dubai are
investing $5 billion in Rabat
and $2 billion in a mountain
ski resort at Oukaimeden.
Perfectly redesigned courses. Perfectly happy clients.
• Taghazout: Los Angeles-based Colony
Capital is heading development of this $2
billion complex near Agadir with a Canary
Islands-based partner.
The first hotel will open in 2009 or
2010, said Maaninou. Incoming four- and
five-star brands are said to include Four
Seasons, Raffles and Fairmont. (Colony
Capital owns the Fairmont and Raffles
brands.) Taghazout, at the southern end of
Morocco’s Atlantic coast, will have 20,000
beds, two golf courses, two spas and horseback-riding trails.
• Plage Blanche: Ground has not yet
been broken at Plage Blanche, which lies
between Agadir and Sidi Ifni. According to
Maaninou, Spanish developer Fadesa has
been awarded a contract to build a combi-
As part of our $100 million resort transformation, our championship golf courses have been completely redesigned by World
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“Fore the Love of Golf” Package from $260*
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fitness center and exercise classes
• Substitute daily golf for one
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• Room tax and resort fee
For reservations or information, call 1 888 270 2283, email tir.reservations@fairmont.com or visit www.fairmont.com/turnberryisle
*Valid May 30 – September 21, 2007. Rates from $260 per person, per night, double occupancy in a Fairmont room.
**Additional rounds can be arranged upon arrival. $30 forecaddie fee will apply for replay before 2:00 p.m.
Travel Agent Summer Value Preview Rate $89
Valid June 1 – September 30, 2007. Per room, per night, in a Fairmont room. Room tax and resort fee not included. Maximum of two rooms.