Marrakech la Palmeraie MARROCOS

We visited Club Med Marrakech La Palmeraie as a group of five close friends for a four-day stay to celebrate one of our group’s 60th birthday. Overall, we had a great time, although communication before arrival and some missed arrangements got things off to a less reassuring start than we had hoped.

I emailed the resort two weeks beforehand to let them know about the milestone birthday, ask whether they could arrange something special and book dinner at the speciality restaurant, El Kebir. After a follow-up email, the Welcome Manager replied about a week later, offering room decorations and a surprise birthday cake at dinner. This was reassuring, until I asked for the file number needed to access the Club Med app and was told she couldn’t find our booking. With just two days before arrival and the stay fully paid for, this caused quite a panic. I asked her to confirm our reservation by email, but that confirmation never came.

Thankfully, our reservation was found on arrival and check-in went smoothly. However, our friend’s room had not been decorated, and we still hadn’t received the file numbers needed to access the app, which contains the full daily activity schedule and resort map.

This is where Nihat, who helped us check in, really made a difference. As soon as I messaged him, he acted quickly and sent everyone their missing file numbers. He also worked with his manager to arrange a bottle of Champagne in our friend’s room the following day and a birthday cake at the White Party, presented by a group of staff singing birthday songs in different languages. It was a lovely celebration and much appreciated.

Our first evening’s dinner at El Kebir also went well. We had met the resort manager by chance during lunch there after checking in, and that evening we enjoyed a good three-course dinner, followed by a birthday cake and singing from the restaurant staff. Our friend therefore ended up with two birthday cakes on separate evenings!

Throughout our stay, the resort staff were friendly and helpful. The food offered plenty of variety, with different choices each day and a good selection of quality seafood and meat dishes. Some could have benefited from a little more seasoning, but otherwise we had no complaints. There was also a good range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The entertainment after the White Party was excellent—full of energy and very enjoyable.

We also enjoyed a complimentary group padel lesson. With the courts free to use, we ended up playing every day. The resort offers a free shuttle to and from the Medina, which is a useful addition.

Our Superior rooms were clean and comfortable, with comfy beds, although I found the shower area a little dim. The rooms are set in low-rise, two-storey terracotta-red buildings surrounded by manicured gardens, courtyards and tranquil stone fountains. Inside, the traditional décor and warm colours reflect the resort’s Moorish and Arabic architectural style. We had both ground-floor and first-floor rooms and preferred the first-floor terraces, although some ground-floor rooms also had lovely outdoor seating areas with pleasant views.

On our final day, we checked out at 10am, left our luggage at reception and continued enjoying the facilities until it was time to leave for our evening flight. Nihat arranged our taxi, personally saw us off and even helped load our luggage. A special thank you to him for his professionalism, responsiveness and willingness to go the extra mile. His help made a real difference after the initial hiccups.

Overall, I would give our stay 4 out of 5, with the same rating for service, food and location. Better communication before arrival and more reliable follow-through on promised arrangements would have improved the experience, but we left with happy memories of a special birthday trip. We would happily return and would be interested in trying the exclusive Le Riad rooms next time.

Mr Nihat, at the reception team has helped me in a very friendly and professional way. An example of excellent service, congrats to Nihat, the SPA team. Best regards,