Moulay Yacoub: spa complex and hotel officially opens after Ramadan

The Vichy thermalia hotel Moulay Yacoub and the spa Moulay Yacoub, located about twenty km from Fes, officially opens their doors after Ramadan 

This project is part of a plan to modernise the baths of Moulay Yacoub.  The project, at a cost of 400 MDH, was managed between Sothermy and Vichy Spa International, a subsidiary of the Compagnie de Vichy , a leading French group in the field of hydrotherapy and well-being.

The aim of this partnership is to make baths a vector of development throughout the Fez-Meknes Region, thanks to positive socio-economic benefits for the village of Moulay Yacoub.

This development project aims to make Moulay Yacoub a spa with international standards and allow it to play the role of essential component of the tourism offer of the region of Fes Boulemane.

Previously, the thermal baths of Moulay Yacoub welcomed a million visitors a year, a figure expected to increase after the commissioning of new modern equipment.

The hotel has 100 rooms : 58 standard category (about 32 m2), 35 superior category (about 40m2) and 7 suites (from 63 to 80 m2).

It also has 3 food outlets, 3 meeting rooms for up to 100 people, a heated outdoor pool, a gym and a spa.

The region will now have two high class facilities after the opening of Rim Aquatic (see story here)

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Escape the Heat in Fez - Head to the Hills

If you have been sweltering in Fez there are a growing number of places up in the foothills of the Middle Atlas where you can chill out. The View From Fez team recently visited Dar El Mandar, just 35 minutes from Fez

This beautifully designed Amazigh dwelling is nestled in the hills overlooking the Fez-Sais plain with a view of Fez.  It is an ideal place for families or groups to stay overnight or visit with a day pass that includes use of the pristine pool and a delicious lunch.

Dar El Mandar was created by Jaoued Saidi and his wife Samira who have put years of thought and planning into creating a place of beauty that combines both contemporary and traditional Amazigh (Berber) styles.

For cooler times, the main house has a roaring fire in the large open-plan lounge and dining area. There is choice of a large dining table or a less formal table on the terrace outside.

The food is traditional, beautifully prepared and ranges from simple tagines to more elaborate menus if arranged in advance.

The bread and cakes are all cooked on-site in a traditional Amazigh oven. For those interested, a traditional bread making course is available.

Traditional Amazigh bread-making with Khadija

What is remarkable about the Dar El Mandar experience is the variety of areas, each with a totally different ambiance. Sitting beside the pool sipping a cool rosé, or with a group of friends eating lunch in the outdoor dining room, or (our favourite) chilling out in one of the the traditional Amazigh tents.

Room with a view - outdoor dining

The Amazigh tents are ideal for simply relaxing, reading a book or having a siesta. Looking out over the landscape it is easy to see why Game of Thrones used the tents as a template for the Dothraki tents. Khal Drogo slumping on a banquette would not look out of place.

The perfect chill out spot

At the end of the day the bedrooms are inviting, tastefully decorated and with very comfortable beds. If you want to stay overnight it is important to book well ahead as Dar El Mandar has only three (air-conditioned) bedrooms.

Photo credits: Sandy McCutcheon, Suzanna Clarke - Click on images to enlarge

DETAILS

Douar Lahricha Bni Mellala, Kandar Sidi Khiar Caïdat Aït Youssi, Sefrou, Morocco.
00 212 676 141 335
darelmandarfes.com

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Moroccan Beaches - Burkinis and Bikinis

"Au Maroc, burkini et bikini coexistent sur les plages" The Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Lahcen Haddad, may have been speaking French, but his meaning was universally clear - Morocco is more tolerant than France, but, as he pointed out "This burkini story is a Franco-French affair and as a member of the Moroccan government, I am in no position to comment on the decisions of another country."

Diplomacy aside, Minister Haddad is correct. Visit a Moroccan beach and you will see a huge range of beachwear. However, some hotels and resorts have implemented bans in their pools. The Minister is quick to point out, that "... the ban on Burkini in Morocco emanates from some private institutions. We are in a Muslim country that also respects individual freedom and private initiative."

"The Moroccan state does not intervene there. On the beaches, people wear what they want provided you follow the rules of modesty. But for hygienic reasons of their own, some institutions and resorts do not tolerate the burkini. In Morocco we respect the values ​​of moderate Islam. bikini and burkini co-exist on our beaches." - Lahcen Haddad

The Minister also noted that in 2001, Morocco cracked down on Islamist association Al Adl Wa Al Ihssane’s members and supporters who attempted to Islamize Moroccan beaches.

“The Moroccan state takes control when citizens try to be vigilantes in public places,” he said, “the public beaches are available to everyone to access them, but no one has the right to tell others how to dress.”

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Moroccan Summer - Tourism, Heatwaves and Burkini Bans

As we reported recently, tourism in Morocco is having a downturn,  (see story here) however the popular Minister for Tourism, Lahcen Haddad, is quick to point out that that overall progress is being made 

 In response to a question from the Socialist Group in the House of Councillors on "accompanying measures for the promotion of the tourism sector", the minister pointed out that the number of tourists who visited Morocco increased by 10% between 2010 and 2015 and that this period was marked by an increase of 31% of the bed capacity (241,000 beds) and the creation of 60,000 additional jobs in the tourism sector.

He also pointed out that the threshold of 10 million tourists per year was exceeded for the first time in 2013 (10.04 million tourists).

The minister noted that a decline in tourist flow and bookings rate was recorded during the period from January to October 2015, including French tourists compared to the same period of the previous year.

Haddad has rightfully attributed the decline to terrorist attacks in France Tunisia and Turkey.

The Russian Invasion!

Although it has not reached the same level as traditional source markets, the Russian tourism is becoming increasingly important in Morocco. Evidenced by the dramatic increase (+ 300%) in the number of overnight stays in Agadir.

Some 40,154 overnight stays were recorded in June against 10,021 overnight stays in the same period last year. In total, 4,792 arrivals have allowed Russia to be the third market in terms of nights after the Germans (42,137) and English (40,639), according to figures from the Regional Tourism Council. Moroccan tourist arrivals fell by 50% to stand at 19,666 in June 2016 due to Ramadan.

Tourist Warning - Heatwave is now official!

For tourists visiting a warning to apply sunscreen and drink plenty of water. The advice follows a press release from National Directorate of Meteorology which says that this week's temperatures will vary between 42 and 46 degrees c, Zagora, Tata, Assa-Zag, Smara, Boujdour, Oued Ed-Dahab, Tan Tan, Guelmim, Sidi Ifni, and Taroudant.

During the same period, temperatures ranging from 38-42 degrees C are expected in provinces Aousserd, Chichaoua, Marrakech, Youssoufia, Rhamna, Kelâa Seraghna, Settat, Ben Fkih Saheh, Beni Mellal, Khouribga Khenifra, Khemissat, Fes, Moulay Yakoub, Sefrou, Taounat, Taza Guercif, Oujda, Figuig, Errachidia, and within provinces of Laayoune, Tarfaya Tiznit, Ait Baha Chtouka, Agadir and Essaouira.

From Saturday to Sunday, temperatures will rise to 42 and 45 degrees C in Zagora, Tata, Assa-Zag, Smara, Taroudant, Marrakech, Fkih Ben Saleh, and within provinces of Tantan and Guelmim.

During these two days, the forecasters expect temperatures of 39-42 degrees C in Sidi Kacem, Sidi Slimane, Taounate, Ouezzane, Moulay Yacoub, Fes, Sefrou, El Hajeb, Khemissat, Khenifra, Khouribga Settat, Ben Slimane, Rhamna, Kelâa Seraghna, Beni Mellal, Azilal, Youssoufia, Chichester, Errachidia, and within provinces of Larache, Kenitra, Safi, Essaouira, Agadir, Chtouka Ait Baha, Sidi Ifni, Boujdour and Oued Ed-Dahab.

Moreover, a strong wind to strong northern sector (50/70 KM / H), blow on the regions of Dakhla, Laayoune and Boujdour, Tuesday from 14h to midnight, the source said.

Burkini Blues ... again

This summer has also seen an increase in the number of hotels banning the wearing of the burkini in their swimming pools.

Almost all of them say the ban is a question of hygiene.

The latest burkini ban is at a swimming pool in a hotel in Marrakech which for "reasons of safety and hygiene" has demanded that women wishing to swim in the pool wear a normal swimsuit. The hotel has installed a sign prohibiting the burkini.

Last year, a pool in Casablanca pool banned the burkini. Other hotels and pools had also prohibited the "Islamic combination."

Hotel Ibis El Jadida and many hotels in Marrakech apply this prohibition. The Tamaris Aqua Park, located a few kilometres from Casablanca had also opposed the burkini officially for reasons related to hygiene.

And yet another controversy that Morocco visits every summer is that of beaches reserved for women.

Again this year a small group has started a Facebook campaign calling for female only beaches where they will not be harassed for wearing a bikini or normal swimsuits.

Beaches reserved for women in particular exist in the UAE, Turkey and the Republic of Dagestan. It is not expected that Morocco will join that small list anytime soon. Rather the general consensus is that it is more important is to educate conservative males that how their sisters dress is none of their business.

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Morocco's Heatwave Continues

According to the American Meteorological Society (AMS) "in 2015, the annual temperature in Morocco was the hottest since 1960." Yet, 2016 could reach new peak temperatures

Marrakech should reach 40 degrees plus for the next couple of weeks

American scientists in collaboration with experts from around the world including those of the Moroccan National Meteorology Directorate under the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and the Environment say the maximum temperature was recorded in the northwest of the Kingdom and was about 1° Celsius above previously recorded temperatures.

In 2015, the months of May, July and August were particularly marked by heat waves, leading to high maximum temperatures. "These heat waves were associated with dry continental air intrusions from the intense heat in the Sahara," explain the authors. This is what they believe was the basis of wildfires that devastated hundreds of hectares, especially in northern Morocco last year.

Meanwhile, 2016 is turning out to be possibly even warmer. The last few weeks in Fez and Marrakech have been continually reaching daytime temperatures above 40 Celsius. The temperatures headed up across the country last month and Friday 22 July in Southern Morocco saw temperatures of between 43 degrees and 47 degrees Celsius.

Over the next couple of weeks, conditions are expected to be the same (Marrakech 43 or 44 degrees C). However in Fez temperatures over the next ten days should start to decrease to the middle to high 30s.

Hot food takeaway in Marrakech - a bit too hot

Apart from the normal warnings about drinking plenty of water - there is also an issue with electronic and electrical equipment. A couple of days ago a food vendor's stall in the Jemaa El Fna caught fire due to overheated electrical appliances. Fortunately nobody was injured.

One tourist told The View From Fez that he "cooked my iPhone by leaving it out in the sun for 20 minutes.... ouch!

For most people the answer to cooling down is a visit to one of the local swimming pools...

...or, if you have transport,  to the nearest beach.

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Moroccan Beaches ~ the Gender Debate Continues

A few days ago The View from Fez reported on the call by women in Tangiers for an exclusive beach. While Moroccans seem split over the notion, the women have now expanded their campaign and taken to the social networks, including setting up a page on Facebook

The Tangéroises say they need their own beach to defend their right to bathe in "dignity" and away from "sexual harassment", which they claim is very common in the Tangiers, especially in summer.

The women say they are "conservative" and "live in a conservative city" and do not want to "disobey God by wearing swimsuits when seen by men". Comments on the Facebook page, from Morocco and abroad, generally applauded the initiative. Women outside of Tangier, have also suggested private beaches in their areas of the country.

 Photo flashback - Tangier was not always so conservative

Others are not as positive and point to a time a few decades ago when mixed bathing was not seen as a problem. Some go so far as to accuse the women behind the page "serving the agenda of Daesh (ISIS) in Morocco." Other less virulent comments say that it is a non-issue, as a majority of Moroccans are not affected by this kind of appeal, adding that they love to swim with normal bathing suits and have no problem being seen by men.

Even a cursory glance at the fashionable shops around the country shows that the bikini appears to be the referred swimwear for a modern Moroccan woman. Even in the public swimming pools in conservative Fez, the bikini is seen as normal. At surf beaches, wearing traditional clothing can increase the risk of drowning as it is makes swimming very difficult.

Traditional clothing can be dangerous in rough water

Divergent positions fuel the debate and highlight the growing gap between the emergent modernist Morocco and another more traditional and conservative Morocco fighting to maintain conservative values. The wave of respect for individual freedoms complicates the matter and will ensure that this debate continues.

The role of males in this debate is generally overlooked by the mainstream media. Questions that need to be asked include the role of education. Why is it women are forced into demanding a private beach to be free of harassment rather than men be educated that harassment is wrong? Where are the men's voices in the debate? Do they support single sex beaches, family beaches, or are, as some claim, conservative men behind the demands of the conservative women?

Photo flashback - Beauty contest Casablanca 1982

The last thing that either side needs is further polarisation. The case in 1996 in Dubai of a young woman drowning, is a stark lesson in how ignorance and extremism can have fatal consequences.

In the incident at a popular Dubai beach the father of a 20-year-old girl let his daughter drown by physically stopping life guards from rescuing her. According to Lt. Col Ahmed Burqibah, Deputy Director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department, the man preferred that his daughter die rather than she be touched by a strange man.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Lt. Col Ahmed Burqibah, Deputy Director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department said at the time that this incident took place at a beach in Dubai.

Lt. Col Ahmed Burqibah  “It shocked me and many others who were involved in the case"

“It shocked me and many others who were involved in the case. The Asian father took his wife and kids to the beach for picnic and fun. The kids were swimming in the beach when suddenly, the 20-year-old girl started drowning and screaming for help. Two Lifeguards were at the beach, and they rushed to help the girl. However, there was one obstacle which prevented them from reaching the girl and helping her.This obstacle was the belief of this Asian man who considered that if these men touched his daughter, then this would dishonour her. It cost him the life of his daughter.”

Lt. Col. Burqibah said "The father was a tall and strong man. He started pulling and preventing the rescue men and got violent with them. He told them that he prefers his daughter being dead than being touched by a strange man.”

He pointed out that this delay caused by the girl’s father cost the girl her life.

At the time, Waseem Ahmed, director of risk at Dubai Festival City said that religious beliefs in Gulf countries mean female lifeguards are needed to save women struggling in the water. "Organisations and governments must employ certified female life guards to deal with females which in most cases is already in lace whether it's government or private sector.

Beaches belong to everybody

"Beaches belong to everyone. But it is equally important to create an awareness amongst the community that the role of a lifeguard is that of a life-saver like a doctor and if in extreme cases when female life guards are not available male lifeguards must act or else we risk losing human life."


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The Weather in Fez - About To Cool Down

The extended period of heatwave conditions in Fez may be about to come to an end. While temperatures  have been over 40 degrees Celsius for weeks, the end may be in sight

Swimming pools in Fez have proved very popular

If the forecasts are to be believed, the week ahead will see temperatures dropping by as much as 10 to 12 degrees.

While Monday will still be a warm 38 and cloudy, Tuesday will drop to 37, Wednesday to 36, Thursday to 33, Friday to 32, Saturday to 31 and Sunday to a very acceptable 30 degrees.

The flash flood at Marrakech airport left passengers wading through water

While coastal areas will continue to enjoy warm but not extreme weather, Marrakech will follow Fez in seeing a gradual drop from the 40s down to the mid 30s.

Hopefully Marrakech will not have to experience again the weather that dumped a lot of rain on the city on Friday. The sudden downpour inundated parts of the city, including flooding at the airport.

A young girl  in Fez cools down at high speed 

For the people of Fez, so far from the ocean, the alternative has been the swimming pools. Fortunately the city has a number of well run swimming pools which have been doing very good business during the heatwave. The lifeguards are attentive, the water quality is superb and males and females swim together without any problems.

For a group of conservative women in Tangier, the answer lies in having a private beach or swimming area where they can enjoy the water without the attentions of the men, who they claim harass them on more public beaches.

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Escaping the Heat ~ and the Crowds

With thousands of Moroccans crowding the beaches and the seaside towns such as Essaouira or up in the hills in Ifrane or Chefchaouen (see story here), The View from Fez went searching for the perfect combination of cooler weather and tranquility. We found the answer just over 80 Kilometres from Fez, at Auberge Ain Sahla

With twenty rooms and both indoor and outdoor dining areas, Ain Sahla is the perfect base for exploring the Jebel Tazzeka National Park. The architecture appears to be the offspring of a wonderfully whimsical marriage between Hobbits and Gaudi. There are numerous terraces with spectacular views as well as a perfectly maintained pool and (surprisingly) a small walled soccer field complete with goal nets!

Set beside the National Park, the area abounds with interesting flora and fauna, including the largest black bumblebees we have come across. For those with good eyesight there are also chameleons and a variety of lizards.

A large black bumblebee feasting on lantana flowers

A well disguised chameleon

The generous breakfasts and evening meals are all prepared onsite from local ingredients. The cooking is done on charcoal and wood fired grills and Berber ovens. In addition, the gardens are full of fruit trees with pomegranates, figs, citrus and grapes. With the wonderful Berber hospitality, guests are free to sample fruit straight from the trees.

All the cooking uses traditional methods and utensils

THE TAZEKKA NATIONAL PARK

The Tazekka National Park is only a few minutes drive from the auberge and offers spectacular scenery and a variety of walks and cave experiences.

Amongst the main attractions of the National Park are the Friouato caves (Arabic: مغارة فريواطو‎), better known by their French name Gouffre de Friouato.

The farthest explored point in the cave system is about 272 meters, but its real limits are still mysterious. However, some locals believe that it is about 3.5 kilometres in length. Be aware that climbing down and then up again does require a certain stamina. (See our story here.)

At the end of a day of exploration, returning to the auberge for a cool drink, a swim and some fine food, is the perfect conclusion.

Ain Sahla Website

Photographs: Suzanna Clarke & Sandy McCutcheon

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