The winter sun darling that's a short flight away and full of adventure
When clients want a breather from wintering in the UK, this North African country offers plenty of charming options whatever their holiday style, says destination expert Amar Grover
For winter sun holidays, few countries skirting Europe match Morocco’s compelling scenery, range of experiences and iconic destinations like Marrakech. Moreover, its embrace of tourism – from luxury retreats to activity holidays, beaches to city breaks – still sits comfortably with an undiluted North African culture imbued with Arab and Berber traditions.
Unsurprisingly, Christmas and New Year remain peak travel periods while Ramadan, Islam’s holy fasting month, tentatively commences on 1 March 2025. As a desert city at the foot of the High Atlas mountains, winter nights in Marrakech can be chilly but you can expect seven to eight hours of sunshine and daily highs averaging 19-20°C plus a few rainy days here and there. On the coast, Agadir has slightly milder nights and warmer days with seven to nine hours of sunshine, while the sea never dips below 17°C.
TOURING & ADVENTURE
Morocco’s idyllic winter climate is endorsed by Hazel McGuire, UK & Ireland general manager for Intrepid Travel, who says it’s among their top-selling countries. “All that sunshine and mild daytime temperatures make it a perfect winter destination,” she says, with welcoming locals meaning it’s also particularly rewarding in lending insights into traditional life. “Many bookings are into the winter months,” she adds, explaining adventurous clients can even enjoy a new winter trek to Mt Toubkal.
Antony Barton, Explore’s Africa & Middle East product manager, also notes few edge-of-Europe destinations have such pleasant weather through the winter coupled with numerous flight options. “Marrakech can be 20°C during the day even at the end of January”, he adds, making this period a particularly good time for active trips – especially hiking and cycling – which are increasingly popular post-pandemic. Book-ended by Casablanca and Marrakech, Explore’s Best of Morocco itinerary covers the imperial cities of Fez and Meknes, the magnificent Todra Gorge and picturesque “Valley of a Thousand Kasbahs” before resting up in characterful Essaouira on the Atlantic coast.
Book it: Explore’s 15-day Best of Morocco group tour includes 13 nights’ B&B (and one dinner) in simple yet comfortable hotels plus one night camping (using spacious tents with twin beds) in the desert, excursions, transport, transfers and a tour leader, from £1,010pp including flights; explore.co.uk
CITY BREAKS
“Marrakech is our most-booked destination within the North African region,” says Tony Hopkins, trading & development director at easyJet holidays, adding that all-inclusive holidays are also the most popular offering, even for shorter three- and four-night breaks.
Enrique Novella, Kirker Holidays’ Morocco product manager, notes Marrakech is not the only option. The former imperial city of Fez, 250 miles to the north, is a gem. “It’s one of the world’s oldest Arab-Muslim towns with a very distinctively Moroccan feel,” he says. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, its 13th- and 14th-century urban fabric – mosques, palaces and mansions – remains the nation’s cultural and spiritual centre.
Novella acknowledges there are relatively few direct flights to Fez from Britain but travelling there via better-connected Casablanca (a three-hour drive) also opens the door to visiting Meknes, another imperial city, and the ancient (also Unesco) site of Voubilis, a remote Roman outpost. On the Atlantic coast, 100 miles west of Marrakech, the characterful laid-back town and fishing port of Essaouira is another popular choice.
Book it: easyJet holidays offers three nights’ all-inclusive at Marrakech’s Kenzi Club Agdal Medina for £293pp based on two sharing, includes a 23kg luggage allowance and flights from Gatwick departing 30 November; easyjet.com/en/holidays
LUXURY RETREATS
Marrakech still heads the list for five-star Moroccan properties. For Alice Tetlow, North Africa product manager at Inspiring Travel, La Sultana Marrakech is a top choice. Situated in the medina, or old town, much of the property used to be a royal granary. Restored by craftsmen, it’s now a showcase for Moroccan decorative arts. “Heritage curators can guide guests through the property and explain architectural traditions such as zellij (mosaic tilework) and tadelakt (waterproof, almost stone-like plaster).
For Novella, La Villa des Orangers remains a Kirker favourite: its quasi-riad style provides a distinctively Moroccan vibe while also being conveniently located near the iconic Djemaa el-Fnaa square. It also has a swimming pool, unusual for a riad-like property. If money is no object, adds Novella, the Royal Mansour’s extraordinary cluster of 53 one- to four-bedroom riads with butlers offer unmatched luxury and discretion along with a vast pool. Meanwhile, the city’s venerable La Mamounia (opened in 1923 and where Winston Churchill famously stayed to paint) remains an enduring landmark if not the socialites’ hub it once was.
Book it: Inspiring Travel offers five nights’ B&B at La Sultana Marrakech from £1,579pp based on two adults sharing a Riad Room, includes flights from Gatwick, private transfers and luggage, for travel between 14-19 November or 23 November-12 December; inspiringtravel.co.uk
BEACH HOLIDAYS
Zoe Towers, Jet2holidays’ head of product, flags Morocco as a brand-new destination with year-round flights and holidays commencing in October 2024. “Ideal temperatures during the long winter months and phenomenal experiences mean Morocco has something for everyone,” she says. Agadir and its hinterland are the focus of most Moroccan beach holidays. Facing the Atlantic, Agadir’s vast 5km swathe of golden sands make it a prime destination but several considerably smaller resorts a little to the north, Imi Ouaddar and Taghazout in particular, offer a more relaxed, low-key vibe.
EasyJet holidays’ Hopkins notes that seven-day holidays are the most popular duration for these kinds of breaks. With its luxurious amenities and proximity to Agadir, Pickalbatros White Beach Resort Taghazout is among the best and most popular picks here.
Book it: Jet2holidays offer seven nights’ all-inclusive at Pickalbatros White Beach Resort Taghazout from £729pp based on two adults sharing, includes 22kg baggage allowance and return transfers, departing Manchester on 16 January 2025; jet2holidays.com
FAMILY FRIENDLY
Intrepid’s eight-day Morocco Family Holiday covers Marrakech, quaint Essaouira, the old atmospheric walled town of Taroudant and Berber villages in the Atlas Mountains. Experiences include a donkey ride through a genuine living oasis, enjoying traditional food for lunch in a local home, a camel ride on the beach plus a half-day hike in the Atlas.
If families aren’t ready for an immersive touring trip, Marrakech’s sheer range of properties along with eclectic sights and attractions means they can easily dip in and out of activities and sightseeing. Hotels in the “Palmeraie” – an enormous palm-tree oasis in the city’s outskirts – are notably larger and offer more facilities than those in the new town or medina. Jet2’s Towers cites Be Live Experience Marrakech as an example: all-inclusive, two children’s pools (think giant frog-mouth slides) plus a large heated pool (handy in winter) along with mini, kids’ and teen clubs for four- to 16-year olds.
Book it: Intrepid Travel’s Morocco Family Holiday includes seven nights’ B&B plus three lunches and two dinners, transport and transfers, bread-cooking demonstration, donkey and camel rides plus a walking tour of Marrakech’s medina, from £570pp excluding flights; intrepidtravel.com/uk
Winter is best time for 'terrific hikes'
Enrique Novella, Kirker Holidays’ product manager, simply adores Morocco: “Unlike the usual winter sun destinations, Marrakech’s cultural shift really is wonderful. But it’s not just the city with its numerous attractions, you can enjoy day – or ideally longer – trips to the Atlas Mountains and see extraordinary Berber villages. One of the best and easiest places to reach is Imlil, a spectacular village at the foot of Mt Toubkal [North Africa’s highest peak]. The area is full of terrific hikes; many come for days, and in winter you’ll likely see snow on the upper slopes – very beautiful on a crisp, sunny winter’s day.”
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