The View Agadir

The uninterrupted vista is of palm trees around pools set in fertile gardens. Beyond, white horses caress the Atlantic shoreline.

I’m at The View in Agadir, a five-star hotel where every room has a balcony and a warm, relaxing outlook.

The clue, it’s pointed out, is in the hotel name.

Set on the Atlantic seafront, The View Agadir reflects luxury, style and global cuisine with each of the 272 rooms, including 59 suites, embracing a palette of blue, white and neutral shades incorporating hand-crafted décor from local artisans.

Perfumed aroma

The hotel has a lovely, perfumed aroma, changing slightly as you wander around or experience the extensive treatments at the wonderful Amaya Spa.

Step outside and you enter lush greenery with footpaths weaving through the foliage alongside the pools with sunbeds and seating or small corners to have a quiet read.

Wander further and you are onto the hotel’s private beach along the broad sandy seafront.

Owned by the Experienciah hospitality group, The View Agadir has a new look from this year and joins other View hotels across Morocco, with all properties having their own iconic panoramas.

I visited mid-October, which always feels a lovely time to be in Morocco when the climate is warm, gentle and rejuvenating.

What struck me is the peace within the setting: secluded niches set among the waters of the pools, and the opportunity to seek recluse and silence.

Global cuisine

Dining is an important element of The View with its restaurants offering a range of global cuisines.

Starting in Le V with an al fresco breakfast, there is a fabulous menu of Moroccan and international tastes from eggs anyway you wish; anchovies and salmon; meats; olives; pancakes and a panoply of bread and savoury flavours; coffee all styles; tea (including mint); as well as traditional dishes such as shakshuka.

From there, follow the path through to pools and gardens toward the private beach area. On the way, you’ll discover Le Dielli for morning coffee or early evening cocktails, leisurely lunches of poke bowls and chicken skewers, pizzas and burgers, all within earshot of the waves.

Inspired recipes

For more formal dining, the hotel’s Italian Restaurant Le Sensya has Michelin-starred Chef Francesco Franzese at the helm, who conveys to me his joy at the opportunity to bring Italian cuisine to The View with recipes inspired by his home city of Naples in the south of Italy.

That sees seafood salads, pasta, Mazara red shrimp risotto, linguine with zucchini, grilled calamari or fillet mignon with truffle mashed potatoes on the menu, alongside extensive wine choices and classic desserts of tiramisu, cassata siciliano and gelati.

Tea and tagines

The place for traditional Moroccan dishes such as meat or fish tagines, salads, traditional starters and desserts is at Mima Kitchen, while if it’s tea you’re after, savour the Chay Lounge.

Bright and spacious, it is where you can enjoy teas of all flavours, as well as Moroccan mint tea (poured dramatically from height to tease out the flavours), or even a ceremonial afternoon tea. Choose from African, Lemon verbena, Earl Grey, Ginger Green or White Jasmine tea and enjoy cakes and petit sandwiches, four different jams for the delicious mini scones and snacks.

Meanwhile, the Cedar Bar hosts live music and entertainment late into the evening.

Buddha Bar

As well as the diverse restaurants within The View, there are other places to eat or enjoy a drink nearby or along the corniche.

But not so far away, for a wholly different dining experience, the Buddha Bar next to The View offers a fusion of Asian-inspired dishes. Try grilled striploin, angry chicken or prawn red curry after starting with spiced tuna tartare, lobster dumpling, wasabi shrimp or sharing platters, all enjoyed to the accompaniment of cabaret-style entertainment in a theatrical club setting, where singers mingle with the audience, dancers swirl onstage, and the resident DJ plays Electro-Ethnic rhythms.

Souk and kasbah

Agadir is a great place to get some sun and warm sea air all year round with its forgiving climate but it’s also worth going into the city to wander around the El Had Berber souk with its aisles of fresh fruit and veg, household wares, leatherware and souvenirs. Buy yourself a silver pot for pouring mint tea or a decorative tagine.

Inevitably, it has a modern feel with much of the city having been destroyed in a major earthquake in 1960 and subsequently rebuilt but it retains character.

You can also head to the kasbah, originally dating from the 1570s, on the hill overlooking the city and the harbour, with the fortress having been restored following the earthquake.

A cable car costing 120 MAD (about £10) takes visitors up to the site. Visible on the hillside leading to the ramparts is the giant inscription “God, Country, King” in Arabic. You can go inside or simply walk around and enjoy the view across the bay and beaches.

Hammam experience

The Amaya Spa is a sublime location to unwind and pamper.

Set discreetly beneath ground with treatment rooms, an indoor pool and relaxation areas, the range of therapies is extensive and are conducted behind heavy ornate and weighted doors that were used in hammams in days gone by.

I opted for the Moroccan Hammam experience: 75 minutes of scrubs, ritual washing and relaxation with a range of aromas and infusions with periods of recovery (950 Dirhams).

That saw me at one stage covered in a muddy brown solution that seeped into my skin, and at another given a firm and thorough exfoliation, all within the warm, humid environment of a hammam style room.

Enjoy the view

It was as relaxing, refreshing and cleansing as I’d hoped, followed by a pot of jasmine tea and a laze on a comfortable bed, leaving me fully rejuvenated.

The spa sprawls over 1500 square metres with six hammam treatment rooms, five massage rooms, hair salon and manicure and pedicure areas, where treatments also include full body oriental and energising massages (including a 90-minute ceremonial massage at 1300 Dirhams), or head and neck massages.

Which all means that at The View, you can be pampered, relax or dine in style.

If you’re worried about the calories, there’s a well-equipped gym, as well as yoga and meditation classes to join.

There’s so much to occupy you and absorb at hotel – just don’t forget time to pause, look up, and enjoy the view!

The Details

The View Agadir, Boulevard 20 Août, Agadir 80000, Morocco.

Tel: +212 529 080 103

Website: www.theviewhotels.com

Email: Reservations@theviewhotels.com

The hotel is a 40-minute taxi ride from Agadir Al Massira Airport.

Type of Hotel: 5-Star Hotel

Numbers of Rooms: 272 rooms, including 59 suites (costing up to €600 a night).

Price Band: Medium

Insider Tip: Relax and enjoy, savour the diverse cuisine, but make time for the spa where a special treat is the Moroccan Hammam experience.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8/10

Author Bio:

Mark Nicholls is an award-winning freelance travel writer and author, based in the UK and has written for a range of national titles, specialist magazines and international websites and operated as a war correspondent in locations such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Photographs courtesy of The View Agadir and by Mark Nicholls