If you fancy a relaxing holiday - Tikida Dunas is for you! (Clubhotel Riu Tikida Dunas (Agadir, Morocco))

Member Name: cherryJ

Product:	Clubhotel Riu Tikida Dunas (Agadir, Morocco)
Date:	24/11/08 (143 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing food, plenty of choice, great beach, great weather, amazing massages

Disadvantages: Some hassle from beach sellers if you venture off the private beach

ClubHotel Riu Tikida Dunas is located in Agadir, Morocco.
I visited in November 2007 and had an amazing holiday.
I've split my review into sections to make it easier to follow....

Things we liked:

The food

The food in the hotel is amazing, and there is plenty of it!

Breakfast is served from 7-1030 in the main restaurant. Due to extreme laziness, we didn't manage to make it there until the end of our first week., However, after out first visit we started putting our alarm on so we could go every morning!!
There is a huge selection of food, including a choice of about 10 different cereals, yogurt, cold meats, cheeses, croissants, pain au chocolat, danish pastries, sausage, potatoes, beans, crumpets, potato cakes, pancakes with a choice of syrups.....and my favourite -you take a small bowl and select from large bowls of cheese, onion, tomatoes, herbs, turkey, then hand it to the chef and he cooks you a fresh omelette.

If you don't manage to get up in the morning, there is a continental breakfast served from 1030-1230 in the downstairs restaurant. This is a smaller version of the main breakfast and includes sausage, potatoes, beans, croissants, pastries etc...

Lunch is 1230-330 and again, there is a wide selection of food. Every day there are 2-3 different pizzas - which are delicious, especially the margarita!, chips, burgers, salad bar.There is always a choice of plain pastas/spaghetti and different sauces such as bolognaise, tomato, creamy herb.... Then there are about 10 or so different meals which vary each day - e.g. honey and ginger chicken, beef kebabs, chicken steaks, fresh fish. If you can still manage to eat after your main course there is a selection of cakes and you can help yourself to ice cream with a choice of sauces and sprinkles.

If you miss lunch or are feeling peckish, they serve "snacks" from 330-530.These include croque monsieurs (cheese+ham toasties), pancakes, sausages, and more cakes and ice cream.

Dinner is in two sittings the first at 630 and the second at 8. You are allocated a sitting when you check in but you can change it if you want to.
There are 3 restaurants: the main buffet restaurant, the Moroccan restaurant Alhambra, and the Grill. You have to book the Moroccan restaurant and the Grill 24 hours in advance, you can do so in the main buffet restaurant by speaking to one of the waiters.
The Moroccan restaurant serves - unsurprisingly - Moroccan dishes such as couscous, tajines etc. There is also a salad bar with Moroccan salads and starters, and a cake buffet with delicious Moroccan cakes and biscuits.
The Grill is not to be missed! It is downstairs in the restaurant where lunch is served.It is much quieter than the main restaurant with only about 20 people max per night. The food includes steaks, chicken kebabs, fresh fish, lobster, squid, beef grill steaks, chicken steaks, roast chicken, chips, potatoes in foil... and of course a wide selection of cakes! The Grill was definitely our favourite place to eat.
The main buffet restaurant has an extensive choice of food, there are 2 salad bars, and a choice of 2 soups every night. You will definitely not have any difficulty in finding anything to eat. There are 3 different pizzas each night, pastas with a choice of sauces, a different roast meat every night - turkey, beef, gammon etc...couscous with vegetables. In the 2 weeks that we were there, they managed to serve different meals every night so there is no chance of getting bored. There are also theme nights twice a week - we had Italian, Spanish, Moroccan and oriental( which is Egyptian food?!)

We were absolutely amazed with the food and couldn't believe the choice available. We had no complaints whatsoever, the food was always hot and there was plenty to go round.




The weather

The weather was perfect. After visiting Tunisia in February when it wasn't very warm we didn't get our hopes up too high. However we were lucky enough to have sunny, hot weather every single day for 2 weeks. Temperatures ranged from 26 - 33 degrees C in early/mid November. However it wasn't too hot - you could walk around and do stuff without passing out from the heat.



The hotel itself


The hotel was spacious and clean and the decor was really nice. The rooms are set away from the main part of the hotel (only a 2min walk) and set out on 3 open air levels around a small lake and palm trees. Even though the hotel was quite busy whilst we were there, it never seemed overcrowded and you can be sure of getting a lounger by the pool, or a seat up on the terrace.



The staff

The staff were genuinely friendly and helpful and seemed to go out of their way to help you and be nice to you. We were always served with a smile at the bar, and our plates cleared away quickly in the restaurant. Reception staff were pleasant and very helpful.
We had special cocktails made for us by some of the bar staff, and one guy even gave us some Moroccan tea and a teapot to make it in on our last day!



The beach

The beach is probably the nicest we have ever seen. It is so clean, we didn't see a single bit of rubbish the whole time we were there. The sand is golden and really soft, and the sea is so clear that you can see right to the sea bed. The beach is huge and so never gets crowded, and there are some good waves for body boarding!

The massages

We had relaxing massages, and reflexology in the hotel spa, for about half the price you would pay in England. A visit to the spa is definitely recommended, there is a wide range of treatments available including massage, shiatsu, reflexology, manicure, facials etc...as well as hairdressing.
However do not miss a trip to "Les massages d'Argan" Our tour rep organised trips there, but it is only about a 10min drive away. For about £20 we got a 2 hour massage which commenced with a cup of herbal tea while we soaked our feet in rose petals. Our feet were then massaged before we lay on a bed and had a full body massage including face and head. It was so relaxing and so good that we went twice! The price also includes a return taxi so it is an absolute bargain. Not to be missed.

We didn't go on any other excursions as we had just gone for a fully relaxing holiday ! (i.e. mainly spent our time round the pool or on the beach)
However there were a number of excursions available through our tour operator Thomas Cook, and I think the other operators offered more or less the same.
These included a 2 day trip to Marrakesh, a 2 hour camel trek, a trip through the Atlas mountains and a fishing cruise.
We walked into Agadir along the beach to the promenade - it took us about 45 minutes. There is a little train that stops outside the hotel, you can get this into Agadir for about £1.The promenade is mainly restaurants and a couple of souvenir shops, there is also a McDonalds and Pizza Hut!

Things we didn't like

Not much! The only things we can think of that stopped the holiday being absolutely perfect were....

Beach sellers

The hotel has its own private bit of beach with plenty of sunbeds and parasols. This is up at the top part of the beach, separated from the main beach by rocks.
However, once you get onto the main part of beach, you will find yourself approached by numerous sellers trying to flog you anything from postcards, donuts, shells and camel rides (although there were no camels in sight.....)
They're not aggressive or threatening, if you just say no and walk away then they wont bother you. It just gets a bit annoying cos there are so many of them.

No jacuzzis
Yes we are getting a bit picky here, but a jacuzzi by the pool would have been nice!

Overall this was a holiday of a lifetime and would be 100% recommended to anyone!

Summary: A perfect holiday in a perfect location