Royal Decameron Issil

The panoramic terrace was the most peaceful and beautiful place in the resort for me. I only discovered it on my last day. The grounds and architecture are lovely, and even without going out, you still feel like you’re in Marrakech. There’s food available for most of the day, so it’s easy to find something to eat. Getting around took some planning. The Medina shuttle is punctual, but there are gaps in the afternoon. Take the noon bus and the return isn’t until 4 pm; the next shuttle after lunch leaves at 3 pm, which can eat up much of the afternoon. The drop-off is about 10 minutes from the Medina. The bus isn’t branded and doesn’t always show the Club Med sign, so finding it for a one-way trip back from the Medina may be difficult. Excursions are also limited by their schedules, and I couldn’t join any because none worked on the days I was there. My airport transfer wasn’t great either. The pickup was outside the airport, past departures and check-in, rather than at arrivals. It took me 15 minutes to find it. I waited around 30 minutes for another G.M. to join the shared vehicle. For checkout, I asked to leave earlier because I’d heard Marrakech airport queues could be very inefficient, sometimes up to four hours. They wouldn’t arrange it because the vehicles were shared, even though the transfer add-on I’d paid for would have more than covered my own taxi. There were some room and service issues too. My room didn’t have a hairdryer. Service was mostly adequate, but lacked warmth. Some staff didn’t speak enough English; reception took a while to understand when I asked, “Do taxis use the meter?” I also felt my check-in fell below standard. I arrived on a shared transfer with another Frenchman, and the GO explained everything in French with very little English. I missed several details, including that I had to fill in a customs form that day. I understand this is a French-speaking country and resort, but if the holiday can be sold to me in English, the service should be adequate in English too. The buffet could be improved. There weren’t enough serving spoons, which led to a lot of cross-contamination, and vegan guests have few protein options. One afternoon the regular buffet was replaced by a Garden Party, but there was no notice or signage. Other parts of the resort were hard to find: the cardio room sign pointed to the toilets, and beyond them there’s a small gate, shut but not locked, leading to the pool and then the cardio room. That’s a lot of needless hassle just to get to a fitness class. It wasn’t a bad stay, but Club Med could have made things much smoother for guests, especially in a stressful city like Marrakech, which can be unfriendly to tourists.

We visited on a day pass and were disappointed by the food. The buffet was shockingly sparse, so we went to the specialty restaurant El Kabir instead. The service there was nice and the food was good, though the menu was small. The resort also looked like it needed repairs, with lots of torn pool cushions and other things needing attention. Getting picked up by taxi meant a solid five-minute walk to the front gates. We’d planned to stay here for the whole trip, and I’m glad we chose a much nicer riad in the medina instead.

Ahmed, the teens club coordinator, is a chill guy who can work with everyone. DJ Spooks and DJ Tariq were amazing too, and the evenings were so much fun. I’d really recommend it!

The entertainment was great, and the restaurant staff were very attentive. The pool staff even found a chair for my husband by the pool, which really helped him relax. He has stage 4 cancer, with bone cancer throughout, and was able to rest without pain during our holiday. The only issue was checkout. We hoped to keep the room until 11 or 12, since he needs his rest, but we had to leave at 10 and the front desk wouldn’t give us extra time. He could shower at the hotel, but he needs a bed. Thank you to the whole team for a wonderful holiday xx