We’d visited the Riu Tikida Beach in January 2020, again in February ‘22; and found it to be a great place to enjoy some winter sunshine.
This time, however, we decided to skip our pre-flight overnight stay at the Gatwick Crowne Plaza and instead drive to the airport at stupid o’clock on Monday morning. Leaving the car with Gatwick’s valet car parking would save us over a hundred quid. Every little helps and all that.
We’d set a three forty five alarm call, and were showered, the cats fed, and out of the house just after four thirty. The street lights are out between one and five, so we drove through darkened streets.
Our journey to Gatwick was uneventful, and the directions to the car park drop off were excellent. We’d dropped the car, and our baggage off, before six and made our way through security into a lounge. The lounge itself was spacious, with panoramic views over the apron.
We enjoyed some breakfast and very spicy Bloody Marys while watching a cloudy sunrise, then had to trek to what felt like the furthest departure gate, (47) seemingly somewhere out near Dorking!
The flight itself was pleasant enough, with a very chatty captain and crew. We landed in Agadir at about one forty, the only aircraft on the tarmac and so got through passport control swiftly.
Customs took a little longer as we were forced to rescan all our luggage.
Once we got out of the terminal building, we quickly found our taxi and arrived at the hotel at about three.
Our room, 302, was wonderful.
With a spacious balcony and spectacular views across the hotel’s pool area across to the ocean.
We dumped our bags, Ali changed out of her travel clothes and we headed down to the bar for a glass or two of chilled rose. We were later joined by Mel & Jim, a couple from Bognor; they were forced to sit separately on the outward flight (the downside of three abreast seats on a 737) and Jim had sat next to me.
Ali and I were recognised by several of the waiting staff in the bars and over dinner, which was gratifying, and one bar man actually reserved us a table for lunch the next day.
We had an early night on Monday, it had been a long day.
Tuesday was spent relaxing by the pool, although Ali took a few walks along the beach birdwatching. She also enjoyed a couple of dips in the pool which was slightly less cold than on previous visits.
After dinner we were joined in the bar by Mel & Jim for a couple more drinks. We’d touched base during the day with Bryan and Sandra – whom we had met the previous year – they had revisited the hotel in October last year, and were enjoying the second week of a two week stay.
I spoke with the concierge regarding a visit to a leather shop, much as I had on our previous visit; he recommended a different shop, and said he would arrange a car for Wednesday morning.
The car arrived promptly at ten on Wednesday morning and whizzed us to a shop about five doors away from last year’s. While we talking with the salesman another fella walked in, saw the waistcoat I’d had made last year and declared it to be his handiwork.
A comprehensive spectrum of leathers
I ordered two waistcoats, one in denim blue and another in burgundy; both in fine goat leather.
They also offered to repair the lining in last year’s waistcoat, gave Ali a very nice purse/wallet AND agreed to deliver my waistcoats to the hotel on Thursday evening; I obviously hadn’t haggled hard enough!
Back at the hotel, we returned to our preferred spot near the pool and chilled, although I did attend a masterclass in Mojito making. The TUI rep, a young Geordie girl, was trying hard and we had already declined her invitations to a quiz, bingo, and a ‘Moroccan music night’.
Thursday morning was dull, but the sun broke through by lunchtime, we spent another day chilling and Ali wandered down to the beach to video the wading birds. The tailor delivered my waistcoats early evening, better quality than last year’s, which he’d repaired for me.
One of my new waistcoats
We enjoyed dinner in the a la carte restaurant, with Mel & Jim, it was Jim’s birthday, although he was fighting off a cold. The food was excellent, the same menu as we’d enjoyed the previous year.
Friday morning dawned overcast with rain threatened, we spent much of the morning chatting with Bryan and Sandra over coffees in the library bar. Various weather apps threatened rain between two and three, it actually started at about two, causing us to run from the lunch restaurant to the main building, but by three it was pretty torrential.
Bryan had brought some quiz questions with him, and we spent a pleasant evening in the bar testing our general knowledge.
Saturday dawned brighter, but windy. We’d found a sheltered corner on our previous visits and, when the sun broke through late morning, we enjoyed a breezy, sunny day. Ali retired to our room later afternoon while Bryan and I took part in the TUI rep’s afternoon quiz, and won, comfortably. He’d already received a RIU candle holder for his birthday, so I claimed the prize.
After a couple of relatively challenging days, weather-wise, Sunday was simply glorious, with cloudless blue sky for most of the day, and a full day of sunshine. We wandered down the promenade in the morning, Ali had walked most days, this was my first walk of the week, before settling in our sun-trap. Ali also enjoyed a few dips in the larger, unheated, pool; she’d swum in the smaller pool most days, but the sunshine made the larger pool almost bearable.
If you zoom in, you might see Ali in the pool!
Maybe we were getting cynical, but the hotel staff seemed gain an interest on when we were expecting to return home. We made a point of tipping the room attendant, the maitre ‘d and some of the bar staff. For others it felt increasingly and unnecessarily ‘transactional’.
The Maitre d’ – whom I’d tipped on Saturday – was extremely magnanimous on Sunday evening, offering us most of a bottle of red wine ‘for your room’ and, when declined, a full, sealed bottle to take home. Again we declined, and were back in our room before ten.
Monday dawned bright and sunny, the forecast was settling in for a beautiful week. We packed our cases, enjoyed a final buffet breakfast and settled in the bar to await our transfer. Both our private transfer and the main bus were due at eleven thirty, but our ‘car’ – actually a large VW minibus – arrived before eleven fifteen and whisked us off the the airport.
We were through security, check-in, security (twice more), and passport control just after midday; two of only four people in the departures area. The rest of our plane-load, including Mel & Jim, arrived before two, and our aircraft half an hour later.
Passengers strode across the tarmac, loading through both front and rear steps (that’s us just about to board, you don’t often get that photo on a travelogue (Bryan and Sandra arrived for their return flight to Newcastleas we were boarding)) and our flight was away a few minutes late at three PM.
The return flight went without any problems, we saw views of Mont St Michel in Brittany and Brighton; we landed on the stroke of five fifteen and then taxied back to Gate 47, in the back of beyond. There was a sign as we left the gate saying it was 780 metres to Passport Control, it seemed further.
That said, navigating Passport Control was swift, no queues and all the electronic gates were working. Even more astonishing, our cases were among the first on the conveyor belt. We said our farewells to Mel & Jim as we collected our cases.
We headed over to the car park – through the reception of the Sofitel Hotel – and found the SAAB waiting for us. We were on the road within minutes and arrived home at seven fifteen, exactly two hours after the wheels had touched down.
We’d enjoyed a week away, some excellent food, some warming winter sun, caught up with old friends – John & Sandra – and met new friends – Mel & Jim.