Agadir

Agadir

Location: Morocco, Atlantic coast.
Village type: Bungalows.
Opening date: January 30, 1966.
Closing year: 2021.

A little background: Late in the evening of February 29, 1960, the Moroccan city of Agadir was the epicenter of a powerful earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale. The earthquake caused extensive damage to the old kasbah and left more than 12,000 dead and 25,000 injured. To this day, it remains the most destructive and deadly earthquake in modern Moroccan history.

Rebuilding Agadir without delay, as King Mohammed V wished, would become the mission of the Crown Prince, the future King Hassan II. The foundation stone of the new Agadir, located slightly further south, was laid at the end of June 1960.

In 1963, Hassan II met Gilbert Trigano at the inauguration of the Al Hoceima resort and asked him to establish the second Moroccan resort in Agadir. The city had been designed and was undergoing reconstruction, and the Crown Prince wanted to revitalize and boost the region, which had suffered greatly. What better way to do this than with Club Med? The Club Med resort would be the first hotel complex to be built on the Agadir beachfront. This was in 1965

This time, the club is innovating. The village is designed to operate year-round, while other villages are still in their seasonal phase. The accommodations are also different. It won't be a village of huts like in Al Hoceima, but a permanent, built-up village. A hotel village.

Agadir was born from the talent of Jean Weiler and the design office of Club Med.    

The village sprawls across 4 hectares along the oceanfront, nestled on a dune that had to be tamed and stabilized with eucalyptus trees. Two rows of bungalows, housing the guest rooms, are laid out. The first, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, consists of single-story bungalows. The second, undoubtedly the one that gives the village its character, is situated on the dune itself. These bungalows are built in terraces on three levels, following the contours of the dune. Stairs provide access to each level. At the top, one finds the hammam and the renowned Moorish café.
Each bungalow offers a bedroom with a terrace, a bathroom with a shower, and heating for the winter season.

Slightly apart, we find the heart of the village with the main bar and restaurant, which, since its opening in 1966 (a first for the club), has offered a so-called "dietary" buffet alongside the traditional buffet. The bar and restaurant feature enormous bay windows overlooking the swimming pool and its sun deck, which provide access to the vast Agadir beach.

The village's charm has been carefully cultivated. Besides the eucalyptus trees, a small path winds through the village, providing access to each part. A small bridge spans a stream, along whose banks carpets are laid out. The village entrance gate, with its majestic double wooden doors, is also one of its symbols, as is the Moorish café.

The resort opened on January 30, 1966, but unfortunately, it didn't achieve the expected success. Most likely, the overtly luxurious image was off-putting. Among the guests were Mireille Darc, Zatopek, Françoise Sagan, and Régine. The resort struggled to fill its first few seasons, but over time, Agadir would become one of Club Med's legendary villages.

Now let's talk about sports, because Agadir also has its own unique features. Due to its resort-style concept, the land-based sports facilities, established in the summer of 1967, are located a few kilometers away in a place the Club calls the Ranch. There are about twenty horses, 18 tennis courts, and a restaurant serving mechoui (roast lamb). To connect the two areas, a shuttle bus system, similar to a road bridge, was implemented. (A similar system was later established in Marrakech between the Medina village and its sports area located in the palm grove.)   

Then in 1991, not far from the Ranch, the club opened the Dunes golf course, a 27-hole course (3 nine-hole courses). It is considered one of the most beautiful and technically challenging in Morocco.

Throughout its history, the village has undergone several renovations. The most recent was in 2005.

The Anthem of Agadir

It is inspired by the Luis Mariano song "Paris c'est du Champagne". The song was created in 1968 by Pierre Jean LAPLACE, then the village chief.

Agadir
is champagne
Agadir
is love,
It's a land of plenty
Where one would like to live forever
…

Village chiefs:

It was Judith BLITZ (Didy), Gérard BLITZ's sister, who opened the village on January 30, 1966. Among her team, in the traffic manager position, was a certain Marcelle FAYT, also known as the Duchess, as well as a very young PS (service staff) from Agadir. His name would resonate for a long time in the Club's history. His name: Ali IMANE

After Didy, Pierre Levrard, Jean Belin, Tony Hatot, and then Pierre Jean Laplace succeeded one another as village chief in Agadir. Jean Robert Reznik began his career as village chief there in 1970

The end:

Although rumors had circulated since the mid-2010s that the village was on borrowed time, the axe fell in March 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to information obtained from Club Med, the reason was that the village—or rather, the "resort"—in Agadir no longer met the quality and comfort standards they were committed to offering their clients (QED: the village was incompatible with moving upmarket). For Club Med, the future in Morocco lies in the expansion of the Marrakech Palmeraie and Yasmina resorts, planned for 2022, as well as the opening of the new Essaouira village in December 2023. As

you can see, the Club Med village in Agadir now joins the long list of villages enshrined in the Club Med's "Village Paradise" and featured in the Collierbar.