Club Hotel Riu Tikida Dunas Reviews

Excellent hotel facilities and overall room quality, very clean. Good choice of and quality of food but wine is poor (apart from a medium white wine called something like ";Gerrouane";). They have no idea about how to make cocktails and tend to make them too strong or with flat mixers. All of us had upset stomachs at one time or other which we couldn't pin down to any one type of food (seems to be a general problem in Agadir). Service in hotel is pretty good but many do not speak English, only French. Often had to return drinks as they got it wrong. Lots of wasps/bees/flies on beach so best to sit around pool area, although good beach for swimming. Entertainment mostly in French and poor for a 4* hotel. All done within cramped bar area.

Agadir as a whole is disappointing. Very little of interest and shopping is poor. Marrakech was a big let-down, not worth the effort to go there for a day-trip. Tarroudant much more interesting and worthwhile and their souks are much better than Marrakech.

You need to realise that the weather in Agadir can be overcast/foggy in the morning and evening so this limits sun-worshipping time. Go inland and the temperature suddenly rises.

Ask your tour rep about whether your return flight will be delayed. We got stuck in the non-air conditioned departure lounge for 4 hrs. First Choice didn't tell us anything about the delays and refused to come and talk to the passengers when we asked them to.

Remember you can't take Morrocan currency in and out of the country. Fixed exchange rates mean you just exchange your money at the hotel.

Riu Tikida Beach Hotel

The downside to the start of this 12-day holiday was having to fly to Agadir on a Thomas Cook flight from Gatwick. The A320 airbus was the most cramped plane we have ever travelled in and the video was poor, as was the food. Never again.

This Riu Hotel here in Agadir is not quite up to the old Riu standard since Thompson's (TUI) took over the chain, however it was very comfortable, the food was good (both quality and variety), and the pool and beach area were well catered for with sun beds. Bottled water is plentiful both with and without gas.
We had asked Eclipse for a quiet room and were disappointed to find ourselves only 20 metres from reception and on the ground floor corridor used by all the guests on the way to their rooms! As the hotel was full, moving was not an option.

We found most of the staff to be very friendly and helpful, though tips were always appreciated and in a number of cases, well justified. For example, the beach area was 'run' by Ahmed who would always go out of his way to greet everyone and find them a sun bed; in fact, he, not the Germans, reserved many beds in the morning so that there was always something available. He took great pride in 'his' beach and it was always clean.
The entertainment at the hotel was adequate, singers, dancers etc., but we saw very little of the Animation Team perhaps because we spent most of our time on the beach.

We did two tours that were from the Rep's list; a half-day ";City Tour"; of Agadir which was very informative about the town, and another to the town of Taroudant to see the old medina (walled town) and the goats that abound the country and can be seen climbing the Argan tree.

Regrettably both of us were sick for 24 hours but on different occasions and not having eaten the same food. Neither of us is prone to sickness as we have travelled extensively and we were unable to determine the cause. Though we subsequently found that a few other guests had suffered in the same way. One cause for complaint was that we saw glasses being washed by hand under a cold tap at the beach bar!

The beach in front of the hotel extends a long way in both directions, is flat hard sand when the tide is out, and has few traders, probably due to the quad-bike mounted police that patrol frequently. Generally the area is very safe, and even in the souk we never felt threatened in any way, only the persistence of some of the shop-keepers is partially annoying, but if you say 'no' firmly enough they get the message.

If you can speak some French it helps, but many of the local people can also speak some English and German; we never found communication to be a problem.
The weather in late April was a bit disappointing. Quite a few days with early morning cloud and strong winds later in the day, while on the day of our wedding anniversary it was cold, with some heavy rain and blowing a gale for most of the day! Having said that, of the 12 days we had at least 8 where the temperature was in the upper 20s and with low humidity.

At first very concerned on approaching Agadir - but once at resort and in hotel found everything from service to food excellent. The hotel was fantastic and in great location. It is about 20 min walk from centre of Town, but we did not venture out much as the hotel was too fantastic. i believe all inclusive is a must as we could not complain or did not get bored of the food. it was out of this world.

Overnight trip to Marrakesh is a must but be careful of the souks - advise do not get in too deep!!! Loved morocco and its culture also Eussoria is also a must as it feels that you have gone back in time and would recommend eating the fish on the front - it seems very hustle and bustle but well worth it. Best fish I have ever tried. In summary this is an ideal location as long as you stay in the better hotels 4* plus. As we heard some horrors about the hotels in the centre. Would def return.

First trip to Morocco. Rui Tikida Dunas is an excellent hotel, clean,good food and friendly staff. Poolside facilities were excellent(no need to get up early to book your lounger)as there is hundreds of them.This was only the second group from Thomas Cook, and the reps were great,not in you face trying to sell you trips. We went on the overnight Marrakesh trip, if you get a chance dont miss this once in a lifetime trip,it was great value. We would certainly go back. One thing that could be a problem is the Air conditioning, it is ";centrally controlled"; that is it can only be swiched on from reception. If you like a cool room ask for a room on 2nd or 3rd floor, then you can leave the balcony door open. Well done again to hotel staff and reps.

After taking mainly independent holidays, we booked with Thomsons for a week in the Tikida Dunas. Situated on the outskirts of Agadir - a 30 minute walk along the beach or 20 - 25 minutes along the roads to the promenade area - the Tikida Dunas is a well appointed hotel and worthy of its 4 stars.

The facilities are very good, the gardens landscaped and the rooms, both accommodation and public areas, very well appointed. The bedrooms, especially are very spacious with small balconies or verandahs. Both Denise and I are in two minds about the all-inclusive package. While it takes away the worries of when and where to eat, this leaves little incentive to explore the area and look for those little restaurants or bistros which give an atmosphere of the local area. The main restaurant is used for breakfast and dinner, the latter in two sittings and all meals are buffet style which can lead to a 'canteen like' feeling as the dining room is so large. We booked a meal in the Alhambra restaurant, within the Tikida Dunas complex, and which serve more Moroccan dishes and this was very enjoyable. We also booked a meal at the 'La Scala' restaurant about 7 - 10 minutes walk from the hotel. This was a superb evening, the meal excellent and the ambience really made the night. A 3 course meal, including Denise's 500g of King Prawns, wine, and a tip for the friendly, very professional staff, cost just over £60. A restaurant we would both heartily recommend, but you have to book! We would both return to the Tikida Dunas but would consider trying it on a BandB basis if we can and would also try and use a scheduled airline.

It may be time of year we travelled but most of the people seemed to be of the same age as us, or older. One young couple we spoke to - both in their 20's - suggested the resort be called SAGAdir!

The one downside to the holiday was the flight. We flew Thomson fly and is the second time in three years we've flown a chartered airline on a package holiday. There is a suggestion that charter companies save money on fuel by recycling most of the air in the cabin and only supplementing it with warmed, filtered air from outside. This means that for the duration of the flight you end up breathing in any germs or bugs brought by other passengers. I noticed there were several people on the outbound flight with colds who spent a fairly good portion of the flight coughing and sneezing. Two days into the holiday, both Denise and I came down with streaming colds (her second in 4 years and my first for two - both after we last flew a chartered airline)which did affect the enjoyment of the holiday. This also meant we had to return to UK bringing our colds with us on the plane. I have taken this up with chartered airlines in the past, and is one of the reasons we usually go independent using scheduled airlines, but the only response is a load of statistics for which you need an honours degree in aeronautical engineering to understand. If anyone from Thomsons (or TUI as it is now called) reads this, their reply may make interesting reading.
So, if you flew BY016B from Agadir to Gatwick on Sunday 19th March and you ended up with a cold, it may be because of me (and Thomson's recycled air).