Hotel Golden Tulip Anezi Agadir

Towards the northern end of the bay of Agadir, the Anezi is situated some distance from the beach and is quite a hike to get to. What's more, there is nothing of interest at all in the immediate vicinity so you will have to walk around ten to fifteen minutes to reach the main tourist centre where you will find shops, restaurants and bars. The fact that it is situated relatively high up though does mean that the views from the hotel are pretty good compared to those from hotels right on the beach. The airport in Agadir is about half an hour away by taxi and the journey should cost you in the neighbourhood of 200MAD.

The Anezi is owned and run by the Golden Tulip group which you may already know as it has properties in forty countries, including another in Agadir and six more throughout Morocco. For those guests in a wheelchair know that the hotel has nine guestrooms adapted for your use.

The Anezi is another one of those standard white wash tower blocks with a checker board frontage of balconies. The marble-clad lobby is predominantly white and features bronzed mirrors, tall potted plants and a wide staircase leading up to the first floor gallery. There are a few seating areas made up of black and white false leather armchairs and sofas with glass-topped Moroccan style coffee tables between them. The lobby bar adjacent to the hall is the venue for live music every night, which is followed by other entertainment such as traditional song, karaoke and magic shows. Out the back of the hotel are the three swimming pools and a large area for guests to relax in as well as to participate in the many activities that are run, particularly during the school holidays (although these may not coincide with the British school holidays, so check before you book). The medium sized pool is used for water-based activities such as aquagym while the largest one is used for water polo tournaments, although there are many other games organised by the animation team such as ping pong, darts and mini golf among others. The animation also continues into the evening with a mini disco for kids which precedes dancing for the adults and a show in the high season. During the summer months there is a miniclub to occupy the very youngest guests in the hotel which is overseen by a house-trained staff.

A modest spa and fitness centre are at the disposal of guests at the Anezi. The facility, which is far from being a destination spa, consists of just two massage rooms, a sauna, hammam and hairdresser. No recognisable branded products are used for the treatments, local oils being favoured instead. There is a tiny relaxation room within the spa and the staff we came across didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about their centre.

The hotel is well maintained overall even if he décor is somewhat outmoded. There are some pleasant common areas with well kept greenery and the views from the swimming pool area are worth contemplating for a while with a drink in hand. Access to the bedrooms is pretty straightforward and there are lifts to help you get here. The corridors are a little dark and gloomy but they are wide enough for you to pass through comfortably with your luggage. There is complimentary wifi in the lobby but if you do not have a laptop then you can use the business centre which is charged at 20MAD per hour.

There are two types of accommodation on offer at the Anezi. On the one hand are the several categories of guestroom ranging from standard to junior suite while on the other are the self-catering apartments situated in another building across the road from the main hotel. The basic guestrooms are rather dated with old green carpeting, a worn out desk/television unit with storage space and old fashioned matching bed spread and curtains. You can tell how old the rooms' installations are by the presence of a radio tuner in the bedside table, something one does not see very often at all these days. There is an occasional table and chair in one corner and a wardrobe concealing the safe which costs 25MAD per day to make use of. A narrow balcony has two plastic chairs and over looks either the pool and gardens or the ocean depending on the placement of the room. Other amenities include a colour television, telephone, refrigerator and air conditioning. The bathrooms, some of which need to be touched up a little, are on the small side and feature mosaic tiling all round, a marble vanity and hairdryer. Toiletries are provided but are basic while the bathtub also has a shower. The superior rooms are much more up to date and have white floor tiles, plusher linens and smarter furniture fixtures as well as flatscreen televisions and modern bathrooms with contemporary fittings and a walk-in monsoon shower. Larger rooms, in the form of junior and senior suites, are also available and offer more living space with the senior suite having an extra bathroom.

For those who wish only to stay on a room-only basis and do their own cooking then you can opt for one of the hotel's apartments which cater for four or six people. They feature a small master bedroom with double bed, a living area with extra single bedding and a fully equipped kitchenette some of which have seen better days but which seem clean. The apartments also have large balconies with inland views. Bathrooms are very similar to the standard guestrooms over on the other building.

The hotel's main restaurant, Dades, an unremarkable space with tightly crammed tables dressed in peach table clothes, serves breakfast and dinner daily with the evening buffet running on a one-week cycle. Those guests staying on an all-inclusive or full board basis have the option of taking lunch at the swimming pool's snack bar without paying while all other guests pay the à la carte prices. Another option for dinner is the hotel's Moroccan restaurant, Fez, which is far more agreable in terms of décor than the main restaurant. For all-inclusive guests there is just a 10? supplement to pay for dining here while all other guests pay the à la carte prices. The restaurant is open just two nights a week and there is a minimum of 20 people needed for the evening to go ahead. But in addition to your meal there is entertainment provided in the form of traditional music and dance.

The beach is some walk away from the hotel and involves going down several sets of stairs between streets which is awkward if you have a lot of things to take to the beach. It should take around fifteen minutes to reach the beach but if it is particularly hot you may want to think about taking a taxi. The beach itself is a safe one with calm waters, little wind and clear water with nothing dangerous lurking there within. A private area of the beach is provided by the hotel for its guests which offers sun loungers and parasols. There are several providers of water sports activities in the area which the staff at the hotel will point you in the direction of.