Iberostar Club Palmeraie Marrakech

The Eldorador Club Palmeraie is set on a 25-acre estate covered with palm and olive trees, lawns, and three swimming pools, one of which is for children. At the main pool, music plays all day long; there are water aerobics classes, water polo games, and more. There are sports facilities in abundance, including a clay tennis court, jogging paths, and a fitness center, but the health club feels more like half of a multi-purpose room with a couple of machines against the wall. The Eldorador Club caters to a largely French clientele, and much of the staff does not speak English -- guests who can speak a little French will have an easier time here. The lobby is enormous, with an atrium several stories high, and a beautiful inlaid wood rotunda at the top, with sunlight streaming in around the edges and a large Moroccan chandelier hanging down as a focal point. The colors are an improbably attractive pink, orange, and white, with bright curtains, upholstery, kilims, and ornate stucco reliefs making the space attractive. There are bars and three restaurants open all year; the food, including Moroccan, Berber, and Italian cuisine, is plentiful, but the quality is just OK; foodies are not likely to be impressed.

The Eldorador Club Palmeraie is located in La Palmeraie, a large, dry palm grove filled with luxury residences and hotels, which is a 20- to 25-minute drive from the old city. The hotel runs a shuttle to and from the medina all day long and into the late evening, and some of the reservation packages include the shuttle fare. Other guests pay a small fee for the ride. There is nothing for guests to explore on foot in the immediate area. Marrakech Menara Airport is 40 minutes away by car.

Rooms at the Eldorador Club Palmeraie are spacious and clean, with private balconies. Each room has a sitting area or daybed; adjoining rooms are available for families or groups traveling together. Double Standard Rooms, which come with small flat-screen TVs, safes, and mini-fridges, have twin beds pushed together with single headboards. Architecture has a Moroccan flair, with fantastic doorways, arches, and bathroom niches. Bathrooms include shower/tub combos, hairdryers, and toiletries, and robes for the Suites. Suites include couches and armchairs and large dining tables, and larger TVs than in the Standard Rooms. Suite balconies are slightly bigger too, with higher-quality furniture. Rooms show some wear and tear, with broken locks being an issue. Walls are thin. Light sleepers should request rooms near the Zen pool, where things are quieter. 

The Eldorador Club Palmeraie offers a wide range of activities for guests of all ages, including baby and kids clubs, which leave parents free to enjoy sports, including tennis, archery, soccer, water polo, Pilates, dance lessons, and trapeze classes. Cultural activities include cooking classes, and lessons in Arabic and “the art of tea.” There is a full menu of treatments available in the spa, which has a huge, traditional hammam. The restaurants include an international buffet with theme nights and indoor/outdoor seating, and a Moroccan restaurant, as well as an Italian restaurant. There is evening entertainment nightly and a nightclub that stays open until the wee hours.