We visited Marrakech during Ramadan in the month of July where the temperature rose to in excess of 40 degrees celsius. On those days we escaped to The Beldi Country Club, located about 20 minutes away by car outside of Marrakech for lunch and a swim.
The Beldi Country Club sits on 14 hectares and over a thousand rose bushes have been planted on the property which used to be an olive grove – the smell upon arrival was incredible. The Beldi Country Club includes a hotel with 28 suites, a spa and 2 restaurants – “El Badia” located outside for a more casual dining experience during the day and “le Palmier Fou” situated within the hotel for a more formal a la carte dining experience in the evening. During the day there is a mini souk where you can watch artisans at work as well as purchase carpets, tapestries, embroidery, pottery and glass.
We didn’t stay at The Beldi Country Club but made a reservation for lunch at the restaurant El Badia which is located right next to the 35m long swimming pool surrounded by olives trees. There are also 2 swimming pools dedicated to children. The restaurant offers Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine with a French influence and the food was so good that we visited twice during the week that we spent in Morocco!
We asked our hotel to make a reservation and most taxis knew where it was located. Usually we were able to negotiate 40-50Dhs to get there from Gueliz but found that The Beldi hotel reception can also arrange transport back to your hotel or riad for 50 Dhs in an air conditioned private car (for the same price as an unconditioned taxi).
The Beldi Country Club address is Km 6, Route de Barrage, “Cherifia” Marrakech Morocco. For more information and pricing visit the Beldi Country Club website.
Note: As we visited during Ramadan, the Beldi was very quiet and we were easily able to make a lunch reservation on the same day. The souk however was closed as well as the hotel shop. Both restaurants, the hotel and spa however remained open. I was advised, that apart from Ramadan to make a reservation as it is very popular with the expat crowd.
