Le Tivoli Hotel

Initially we wanted to go to the Canaries, but after having left it to the day before to book, we found that most of the holidays in Tenerife etc had sold out.
The person who I spoke with from Bookable holidays suggested Agadir, and after a quick look on the net to see what it was like (plus the fact that we were slightly worried about not getting anything!) we booked into the Le Tivoli in Agadir for a week.
Not knowing anything about the hotel or the resort, we embarked on our journey with a mixture of excitement and in trepidation.
The hotel was perfect for what we wanted - it had a nice uncrowded pool area, the rooms were clean and a good size and hotels location was ideal for exploring Agadir.
The food, as is often the case in hotels, was a bit hit and miss. A safe breakfast consisted of pastries and coffee. We did have an evening meal in the hotel, which we found tasty but overpriced.
Overpriced is the key word for most of the amenities located near the hotel which cater for tourists in this prominent hotel area. We preferred to walk to the 'rue Du president Kennedy' district where you don't see any tourists and pay 15d compared to 70d for a great tasting tagine.
Its perfectly safe, but watch out for the beggars if you dine outside - they will have everything off your plate that you have left...before you have even left the table!
Agadir itself was interesting, with trips to the souk and the kasbah worthwhile. Again, watch out for people who appear to be doing you a favour and then asking for money afterwards.
Great beach, good bargains to be haggled for, and some good local dining experiences (no bad stomach aftereffects for either of at all).
On the whole it was a nice holiday, and I don't have any complaints about the hotel. I wouldn't recommend it to people who get easily annoyed by locals insisting you look in their shops, restaurants or excursion offices.
However, if you are like us and just have a laugh with them and say no (or speak in Estonian which really confuses them!) then you'll have a good time.
Not sure we'd go back to Agadir, but would consider having a three day break in Marrakesh.

Upon arrival at the Airport we were not greeted by any reps or given any guidance on what we needed to do. We were told money has to be exchanged at the airport however when we went to do this they would only exchange £50, and were told to find a bank.
The hotel is pretty but very dated and definitely not a 4*. More like 3*. Our bags were taken to our room for us and staff don’t expect tips. Rooms are clean but not fully equipped, however the sea view was beautiful. Furniture is dated and tatty. The bar area was disappointing and the hotel shop is tiny and very expensive but does cater for those essentials that you might need.

Staff in the hotel are rude especially staff at reception. Waiters are scarce and you have to wait ages to be served. Pool area was clean and tidy but there are never any sun loungers unless you get up really early and put towels out.
The food at the restaurant was awful the breakfast was repetitive and evening meals were bland and nothing like real Moroccan food. Everything was written in French and you've no idea of what is written on menus or signs. Staff speak very little English. The hotel will try and sell you a Moroccan evening at one of the restaurants. Don’t do it its absolute rubbish a total rip off and a mockery to real Moroccan culture. The are three courses of food provided a set menu, but if your vegetarian like me you'll go hungry.
The beach is nice but has loads of pebbles and some rubbish lying about. The Moroccan people on the whole are very rude and unwelcoming, (and I have been on similar holidays in Egypt where the people are fantastic).
The main shopping center called The Souk is fantastic for souvenirs (don’t spend you money in the shops across the road from the hotel.) is fascinating as it is so large and haggling can be fun at times, however some shopkeepers take offence if you don’t buy.
The excursions we took were rubbish and over priced. There is a place next door to the hotel on the right hand side that do tours to other cities. We went to Marrakesh with them its well worth seeing. A long drive but a beautiful busy city with narrow alleys and loads of hustle and bustle. More like the real Morocco. The best food I had had was in Marrakesh really nice restaurants well priced but most of all the best tasting food and excellent service.

Well I have just returned from a lovely holiday in Agadir. To start with we weren’t too pleased with it, the weather was cloudy and foggy outside and the air-conditioning wasn't too good in the room. After a while of getting used to the Moroccan atmosphere you begin to feel some loyalty and a homish feeling, we got used to it very quickly and got on with our brilliant holiday!
The people are brilliant there, very friendly, kind, warm and generous. We had a fantastic rep who we ended up tipping +40pound (600 dirham) and the lifeguards were always up for a chat and good to talk to!
The worst thing about the hotel was the food, the breakfast was very basic and the bacon well what there was of it because most of it was fat was very dry and cremated! They had eggs, bacon, beans, bred, croissants but nothing too special. Dinner was a lot better but still not a wide enough selection so most of the time I ended up sticking with chips and bred!
Dangers: Outside of the hotel on the pavement are blue tiles, which are very slippery, ladies that like wearing sandals and flip-flops and shoes with not a lot of grip on! I slipped numerous times, so I always found myself dodging them!
Dangers: Taxi's are very, very cheap but still make sure that they put their meter on. The meter is in the car, every taxi has one and it tells you how much you have to pay them and as you are driving to your destination the amount goes up. They have to put their meter on, otherwise it’s illegal but some chose not to so they can get more money off of you! Don’t let it happen!
Dangers: Haggle until you hoggle! Really, you can haggle half of the price. If they something is 500dirham, start off with a stupid price like 150 dirham because then they are more likely to meet you half way, it worked for us!
Dangers: You'll see a lot of Mother's on streets with babies and asking for money. Its up to you if you feel you'd like to help them out with 50 dirham or something but its always nice to know you've put a smile on someone’s face. But beware and prepared!
A lovely day out to do: Wake up, have breakfast, sit by the pool for an hour or so and soak up some sun, then ask for directions for the petit train which will take you for a 30/35minute tour of Agadir and starts near the Kenzi Europa hotel. Ask for a map from reception. Once you have been around Agadir, cross the road (safely) and walk across for a stroll along the promenade where you'll find shops, cafe's, restaurants including a Pizza hut and McDonalds. Pizza hut is very good value for money, the staff are lovely and there is air-conditioning and TVs inside.
Danger: At the airport you have to keep your eyes open on the way there but the way back especially. Nobody tells you anything, you have to be aware. We saw people filling out forms, so we asked and they said "yes you have to fill out one of these forms" and also before you get past the passport control you have to change all of your dirham because you are not aloud to take dirham out of the country - its illegal. There are more things, but I just can’t remember. Sorry!
Danger: You may think its cloudy and foggy so you don't put suntan lotion on, dont do it, smother loads on still because you'll be surprised when you look in the mirror and your bright red like a tomato! Most of the days we were there the sun was shining much of the time!
Feed the stray cats at the hotel please! I did when I was there, every night we bought ham and milk and chicken and fish for them out of the diner, the waiters just smile, they don't mind. So just wrap it in some tissue and feed the poor things!
Thanks, that’s it! Happy holidays!

Weather was great - 28-30 degrees. Sometimes cloudy in the morning but the sun came out around midday and it doesn’t get dark til about 8.30pm.
Hotel was clean and fairly quiet - hardly any kids, which is great for us being a young couple.
We didn’t buy any of the tours offered by the hotel because they were about double what you pay in the local independent tour operators. We went to Marrakech for 350 dirham each, whereas the same trip via Tivoli was 710 each.
The beach was OK - clean and quiet, but hard sand apart from the private beaches where you're crammed in like sardines. We hired a car and drove up the coast to deserted beaches, but the toilets there were very primitive!
Despite having drunk bottled water, we both were glued to the toilet for the last part of the holiday and for a few days after - had to also buy Moroccan antibiotics. There was a queue of tourists in the pharmacy doing the same.
Food in the hotel is great if you love salad - juicy tomatoes and French bread. The orange juice was rotten one day - not sure how long it'd been in the dispenser...
People are friendly in the hotel and don't seem to ask for tips, unlike all other Moroccans.
Everything is a lot cheaper than UK, but watch out that they'll try and rip you off to start with - you can normally get them down to at least half the original asking price.
Night life - fairly dire! We're both in our 20s and there was nothing really to do. It didn’t' bother us too much as there was a TV in the room and we were always tired from the sun.
Generally, we had a great holiday but it was spoilt a bit by the gastroenteritis we both contracted.

The hotel was very clean and friendly, it is an older hotel but has a really comfy, lived in atmosphere, and the gardens and pool area are beautiful. The bedrooms are large and air conditioned. Agadir itself is modern and hasn’t much Moroccan character but the beach is wonderful. The hotel is situated in walking distance of lots of bars, restaurants etc. Agadir is not for people who want to go clubbing all the time. We had a lovely holiday and will be returning.