Luxury on the Tetouan Riviera with Sofitel Tamuda Bay

Sometimes called "the white dove", the Moroccan city of Tetouan (ancient Titawin) has historical links with Spain: it was once (between 1912 and 1956) the capital of the Spanish protectorate. It is also one of those bewitching cities, full of glimmering colors, art and refinement, in part inspired by Al-Andalus, with a Medina that has been classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site. A few cable lengths away, on the Mediterranean coast and surrounded by the spectacular Rif Mountains, Tamuda Bay is one of the jewels of the Moroccan coast. Ignored for a long time, this exceptional site has for a few years now been more and more valued by vacationers seeking the sun, the beach, but also luxury, culture and nightlife. Also, King Mohammed VI himself has his summer residence not far from there. Already with a strong presence in Morocco, the Sofitel luxury brand has just opened a new establishment there, Sofitel Tamuda Beach & Spa. It distinguishes itself by its "artsy" atmosphere, inspired namely by the great painters of the first half of the last century that have found their inspiration in the French Riviera: Braque, Picasso, Matisse, Delaunay... The all-white exterior architecture finely unites straight and pure lines with Moorish arabesques, underlined by the radiant light of the sun, the intense blue of the sea, on one side, and the olive green the mountains, on the other. Inside, the shades of light colors remind us of the cubist masters.

Luxury and voluptuousness at Tamuda Bay

Sofitel Tamuda Beach & Spa offers 104 rooms, of which 8 are "Beach Suites" with their feet in the water and 5 "Signature" villas with private pools. The modernist and refined design is full of winks to the 60s and 70s, namely the furniture, but of course all contemporary comfort as well. The interiors created by the architects Ahmed Zyat and Galal Mahmoud also quote abundantly the Moroccan art of Arabic-Andalucian inspiration, so as to offer the visitors with a stay imbued of discreet luxury.

Besides the beach and the pools outside, the hotel offers several bars and restaurants with culinary experiences from all over the world, including the restaurant "All Day Dining" with its offer "Flavour Market", of Moroccan inspiration - one of the best gastronomical traditions in the world; "Bluebart" at the Lobby Lounge, which offers "new freshly mixed signature cocktails"; the So Beach Lounge, that offers sea fruit and fish specialties, as well as a grill steak house of Mediterranean inspiration until 4 am; and for those taken over by night fever, the So Beak Night Lounge, which offers champagne and cocktails all night long.

To recover from these feasts, there is nothing better than a detour through the So Spa and So Fit, the former to relax the body with hamman, massages, pedicure, facial and body treatments, and the latter to tone one's body in between diving in the sea or the pool.

"Kids Villa" nursery and its facilities, library and playing rooms, especially conceived to welcome children between 4 and 12 years old, is the secret of a pleasant and successful stay for children and adults!

Discovering Tetouan and its region

One of the greatest attractions of Sofitel Tamuda Beach & Spa is also its position on the spectacular bay with the same name, and that has staying practically untouched, even though it boasts a seaside resort offering an 18-hole golf course, a water park, stores, restaurants and two marinas. For nature lovers, Tamuda Bay offers hikes along the ledge, with sea and mountains views, underwater diving, and sea trips to meet the many dolphins that criss-cross the bay. Another attraction of Sofitel Tamuda Beach & Spa is its proximity to Tetouan, a city that has stayed somehow away from the traditional Moroccan tourist circuits. Even though it has been the stage of some renovation projects, Tetouan keeps something authentic about it that makes its appeal: a mixture of traditional Moroccan culture and Spanish influence in a city of human dimensions. An absolute must: to visit the Medina, built after the Reconquista by refugees expelled from Spain. According to Unesco, this influence "is visible on the architecture and art that display strong Andalucian influences. It is one of the smallest medinas in Morocco, but it is without a doubt the most complete, of which the majority of buildings have since been kept safe from exterior influences."