"We have returned from a fantastic week’s holiday at the RIU Tikida Garden (travel dates were 30th August – 6th September 2026). This was our first time in Marrakesh and booked this hotel based on the adults only concept, the all-inclusive element, decent weather, good flight times, and the short transfer time from the airport.
As the Moroccan currency is a closed currency there is the opportunity to exchange money once you pass through immigration. There are several exchange kiosks in the luggage arrival hall along with a few duty-free kiosks. We purchased some Lambert & Butlers which were cheaper than the plane/airport at €36 a sleeve they had other brands including Marlborough, B & H and L & Ms, all under €38 a sleeve. Vodka is our favourite tipple and was more expensive at this duty free then back at home. They didn’t do any deals like Smirnoff 2 for £22 (most of the vodka started at €22 for 1 bottle). If you have any Moroccan currency to change back to GBP you can exchange it at one of the booths at the airport, the lowest domination they accept is 100 MAD. We are also fans of Bumbu rum original, and it was only €26 a bottle in the duty-free shop coming back (we bought a few bottles). You can’t get it cheaper then £30 back at home. We were even in Barbados for two weeks during the summer (which is where they make it) and couldn’t get it cheaper than £30 at the Barbados airport.
Airport transfer time was approx. 15 to 20 mins. We arrived before the check in time of 15:00pm (we arrived just before 13:00), although our room wasn’t ready, we were allocated our wrist bands and were allowed to use the facilities straight away (luggage was stored in reception). At check in you are provided with a hotel fact sheet that gives you all the information and lowdown about things like restaurants, their opening times, where to get pool towels from and times of the shuttle bus etc. One thing they don’t provide which we think would be helpful is a resort map. This would help with trying to find your feet as its quick a large hotel. For example, we knew that there were 4 pools but could only count 3, only on a recce did we find that the 4th pool (quiet pool) and is secretly tucked away in its own separate area.
Pool area - We always make up a beach bag with the essentials when we know we are checking in early; we then just quickly change into our cossies so we can go sunbathing. We were worried that we wouldn’t be able to find a sunbed at 13:15pm in the afternoon as we had read that most sunbeds are taken by 08:00am. Do not believe any of this. We found several free sunbeds straight away. The sunbeds we found were the ones we used for the rest of our stay. They were in a good location (in the section located between the noisy pool and the pool just after you exit the lobby) and got the sun till it went over the roof just after 18:00pm. There was also lots of space here so that we could pivot and move the sunbeds. There was always plenty of umbrellas and tables too. The direction of the sun rose from the block where the quiet pool is located and starts to hit the main pool area about 08:45am. The sun first starts hitting the pool and sunbeds on the side where the reception desk, TUI desk, a la carte restaurant and pool bar are. It then starts to shine on the other side where La Majorelle and lobby bar are about 10.15am. Once it starts shining on this side you get the sun all day till it goes over the roof. The other side that gets the sun a bit earlier starts getting the shade about 15:30. We were going down to the gym just after 06:00am and found that a few sunbeds had been reserved but these were the cabana ones that don’t look like they get any sun, there was also a few around the noisy pool that had been reserved but not many (on the Saturday no beds were reserved at all in the noisy pool at this time). So don’t worry about getting a sunbed there was some available all the time. Plus, we think people forget about the quiet pool and when we went to have a mooch around to see where it was there was loads of free sunbeds around it. We brought our own pool towels in the event the hotel had ran out when we arrived. We flagged one of the pool boys down and he got us two towels straight away. Although the sunbeds are comfy, they do have a metal frame which get so hot if you don’t cover them from the sun. Its hit and miss with getting the pool towels replenished (that’s why we brought our own). The info sheet shows that towels are delivered to the entertainment box (located right at the back where the pool bar is) from 09:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 17:00. We were going down within these time frames but sometimes they had run out, so we just kept a hold off them until clean ones arrived. We were really impressed with all the pool areas; the architecture and design are both modern and chic. There is also a nice addition of a hot tub (albeit not hot) that is attached to the first pool when you exit the lobby. All the grounds are kept immaculate and every morning there’s a clean team who pull all the sunbeds - sweeping, swilling and scrubbing around them. During the day there’s a friendly little fella who comes around picking up everyone’s used cups/glasses etc. Theres plenty of bins located around the resort, so no excuses for any littering.
Restaurants – there are 3 restaurants on site. La Majorelle for breakfast (07:30 to 10:30), continental (10:30 to 12:00), lunch (12:30 to 15:30) and snacks (16:00 to 17:00), the evening meal is served in the restaurant next to the TUI desk in the lobby (19:00 to 22:00) and then the al a carte Cullinurium is open Mon, Tues, Weds, Sat and Sun (closed Thurs and Fri) – which has 2 services 19:00 to 20:30 and then 20:30 to 22:00. It’s one visit per week and reservations can be made at reception. We booked ours up as soon as we arrived and we pleased we did as only Saturday (our last night) was available. The food here was delicious and was worth the visit. We can honestly say the food overall in all the eateries was amazing. For breakfast they have something for everyone’s palette, the omelettes are amazing too and are cooked to perfection by chef Yassine (lovely, friendly chap). On the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the holiday they even had pork salami, Serrano Ham and pork bacon (USA style) we were proper chuffed with this as we love our pork products. Theme nights were put on in the evening restaurants and again there was so much choice and variety, everything was greatly presented and very tasty. Please note that the only alcohol served in all 3 restaurants is beer (self service so you can pull your own) and wine (rose, white and red). If you’re wanting anything else, you need to go to the lobby bar or the pool bar. Water is available everywhere and is served in 1.5l bottles. There is also a large fridge in the gym that has lots of water. As with all the restaurants and eateries the staff all work extremely hard, are very friendly, helpful and are very attentive. We never had to wait for any top ups, refills and all our used dishes and napery were taken away with haste
Lobby bar - We loved the lobby bar and were there first thing when it opened at 09:00am to get our morning pint and gin and tonic (closed at 24:00). Drinks wise there aren’t any top shelf liquors, however the domestic spirits available such as the gin and vodka are decent and not to be sniffed at, beer is locally brewed and is 5.1%. There was a decent cocktail list, and we made our way through it during the week. After 19:00 they turned the orange slush machine on which was a great opportunity to get the vodka slushes in. It’s a shame they don’t put this on during the day as it would be really refreshing whilst sunbathing. Please note there is no straws (not even paper ones), we always take plenty of straws away with us and used them in abundance whilst here. At 18:00 the bar tenders dish out bowls of popcorn, pistachios and almonds. The lobby bar also features a TV, and they put it on for the English Premier League games (a few nightly games were on during our stay). One of the channels used to broadcast the game was Sky Sports but this channel wasn’t available in the room. If you run out of reading material there is a bookshelf with plenty of books (located just before the ladies’ toilets), there are also a few board games on this shelf too.
Room - Our room allocation was in the block on the side of the lobby bar and Le Majorelle. We were quite centrally placed and had a lovely view of the pools (if we ever returned, we would request the same room). The room was a decent size, had plenty of storage space, plenty of lighting, plenty of plug sockets, a small fridge, kettle, 2 x glasses, 2 x cups and coffee/tea/sugar sachets, 2 x bottles of 1.5l water were provided, hair dryer and safe (free to use) were provided as standard. Air-con could have been a bit cooler but we just stuck the ceiling fan on for additional support. There were a few English-speaking channels on the TV – 2 x movie channels and BBC world news. There were also a few sports Channels – BEIN sports which had some of the Ligue 1 games on. WI-FI worked well in the room and in the lobby bar/restaurants areas but it lost connection once you went outside. The shower worked well with both excellent pressure and temperature. Hand wash, shower gel and a box of tissues are provided. Housekeeping attended the room daily and kept the room clean and replenished the toilet rolls and any used towels etc. The walls were soundproof, so you didn’t hear any noise coming from your neighbour’s room. We were given two single beds pushed together which we were surprised with considering this is an adult only hotel. Please note there is a mosque nearby and we were woken every morning at 5.20am and then 05:40am with the call of prayer (we sleep with earplugs in and could still hear it), we therefore didn’t need our 06:00am alarm as we were already up then. No room iron is provided. We emailed prior to arrival, and the hotel confirmed you can rent an iron for a small charge and its subject to availability (rent them at reception). We just brought our own travel iron instead as we couldn’t be bothered with the faff. We have stayed in multiple RIUs around the world especially the Caribbean and the Maldives where the bar butler/optics bar are provided in the room as standard. It has only been this RIU and the RIU Palace Zanzibar where this hasn’t been the case. We were also expecting a few soft drinks and a few cans of beer in the fridge too but again this wasn’t the case. We really missed the bar butler/optics as we like to have a few vodkas and gin whilst getting ready for the night out. This acted as an impediment as it meant after sunbathing and having a few drinks in the lobby bar, we would then have to order several takeaway drinks and gingerly carry them back to our room (along with all our pool stuff and towels etc) trying not to spill anything. You also get allocated two room cards so you can keep one in the slot and keep the air con running.
Miscellaneous – the gym was open from 06:00am and had a canny set up with an array of equipment to get a decent work out in (there is also a separate studio). The buttons on the treadmills etc are in French but you can get the gist of what they mean in English. The gym is in the same building as the spa (which is located just behind La Majorelle). Please note there are 2 entrances to the gym where only one is open at 06:00am, this is the side door where you walk past the showers and the indoor heated swimming pool. We noticed two signs on these doors that confirmed there is a charge to use the indoor heated pool and the fee can be paid at reception. There was also a fridge in the gym that had plenty of water.
Our return flight was decent (12:40pm) so was a case of getting ready, have breakfast and then away at 09:15am (pick up time). In the event of us returning to this hotel and having a different later flight time we wanted to see what the options were for a late check out. The info sheet confirmed a late check out could be arranged until 16:00pm (subject to availability) and cost 650 MAD. If you didn’t want to keep the room on reception would store your luggage, you could continue to use the facilities and then use the shower and changing rooms that are featured in the downstairs area next to the al a carte restaurant (they also have lockers). Alternatively, there was 6 showers to the entrance to the spa (where indoor pool was).
Mohammed’s shop – we fancied doing a hot air balloon ride. We had read that these excursions could be booked in Mohammed’s shop (much cheaper than the TUI trips). If you turn left out the hotel, the shop is straight down on the left. It was open when we turned up at 08:00am and sold everything. It featured things like souvenirs, clothes, bags, toiletries, pop, crisps, energy drinks, vape machines, cigarettes (L&Ms, Chesterfields and Marlborough, we purchased 2 x sleeves of Chesterfields and charged us 32 MAD (approx. £2.50) a packet, £25 a sleeve) as well as excursions. The hot air ballon excursion was much cheaper than TUI (TUI were charging 2400 per person, approx. £188 each), we got charged £220 all in (£110 each). The shop accepts both card and cash. Mohammed text us 24 hours before to confirm the pickup time of 05:25am. This trip was fantastic and we highly recommend it (we were back at the hotel at 09:15am). The journey to the site took about 35 minutes. once there they provided tea, coffee, juice and biscuits. There were decent toilets at the site too with plenty of toilet roll, running water and hand wash. It was very interesting seeing how the team set everything up, it was well structured and organized. We felt safe throughout the whole time and our pilot spoke excellent English. We were up in the air for about 40 minutes and was amazing seeing the sunrise along with all the other hot air balloons that make an appearance throughout the adventure. Once the ride was over, they take you back to base where they put on a breakfast (boiled eggs, bread, cereal, cheese etc) and then take you back to the hotel.
Conclusion – we had a lovely holiday at this hotel. We loved not having to worry about getting a sunbed and tasted some fantastic drinks and food. The hotel is kept nip and clean, the staff were fantastic workers and its excellent hearing them change between English and French languages to cater for both guests. Would we return – yes, would we recommend it – yes. Thank you for having us xx.
Finally, we just want to say a massive thanks to all the staff who work at this hotel. From the clean team, chefs/cooks, waiters/waitresses, bartenders, entertainers, pool attendants, security team, the room attendants and reception team. They all work extremely hard and will do what they can to make your vacation an excellent one. We want to give a big shout out to Yassine (omelette chef), Youseff (restaurant), Abdul (restaurant), Ismail (restaurant), Fatima (restaurant), Mohammed (restaurant supervisor), Khadijah (lobby bar), Osama (lobby bar) and Zacharia (lobby bar)."
