OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24924 posts, RR: 60 Posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 8707 times:
I needed a week in the Sun after a cold Winter that doesnt seem to let up. I looked at various options. Cruises out of Miami and Barbados and Cuba. I decided in the end I didnt want a flight longer than 5-6 hours. I looked at Dubai and Egypt also but then saw some great offers to Agadir with Aer Lingus. I knew a few of the hotels down there and right away one leaped out at me. The Iberostar Founty Beach 4* All Inclusive. Aer Lingus flights were cheap so I booked them then booked the hotel on Iberostar.com. All in was about €800 which was for nothing and a great deal.
I have regular contact with fellow Anetter Gareth and in one of my emails I told him I was heading to Agadir. He emailed me back and said he would love to get away for a week. I emailed back and said ''why dont you come along?'' . He replied he might think about it and needed to get time off work etc.. Anyway a few emails later I get a reply ''I just booked''. So that was it our first trip was confirmed. We had been talking about doing a few flights together for ages.
So for a few weeks we kept in touch chatting about the hotel and what we could do down in the resort etc.. trip advisor was brilliant and had lots of tips. Nearer to the time I was getting a bit worried as the weather was not good but lucky enough a few days before it got better and I was a bit more relaxed. Finally the day came and I took the bus from Newry to Dublin Airport and Gareth took the bus from Galway. We met at 1130am in the check in area.
AIRLINE: AER LINGUS
ROUTE: DUB-AGA
DATE: 20/FEB/2010
CLASS: ECONOMY
SEAT: 29A&C
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS A320
REG: EI - DEP Named ''Eoghan''
After dropping our bags we proceeded to the Aer Lingus Gold Circle lounge.
Jet4You heading to Agadir one hour before us .
Danube Wings , now pulling out of Dublin
Dont know if I will get any BA Miles ....but worth a try
The much down sized EI lounge but enhanced catering for sure. Not bad .
Time to head to the former A gates. Dublin Airport have changed all their gate numbers just causing confusion especially to their staff and airline staff.
Soon it was time to board and the load wasnt bad , only 37 seats free. It was time to head out onto the freezing tarmac and some very dark snowy clouds !
We were greeted by a friendly member of crew at the back steps.
All Economy CityJet
All photos taken out of the window courtesy of Gareth with my Camera as I let him have the window
Soon we were closed up and ready to go. The pilot came over the PA and gave us detailed route information.
After take off the crew commenced their BOB service. I had my eye on the Southern Chicken wrap which I love.
We chatted for most of the flight and it went by very quickly. Soon we were entering Moroccan air space.
Time to say goodbye to the crew and enter the welcome warm air. Passport control was quick enough and so were the bags.
Our driver was waiting for us in the arrivals and within 30 mins we were at the hotel. The reception gave us two nice side sea view rooms next to eachother so we were more than happy.
The porter took our bags and took us to our rooms .
We decided to go for a quick walk and have dinner.
Gareth and I are not a big fan of shows but we went anyway to see and I have to say we were pleasantly surprised. It was Moroccan night and it was not too long and quite good.
I have to admit I dont like Snakes so stayed back lol...
So after the show we had a drink from the bar and decided to call it a night. We were quite tired.
Obligatory suitcase/tag shot
The next morning we agreed to meet at 9am and take breakfast. It was dull and raining but we expected that anyway so we were not too upset.
Then decided to go for a walk around the resort as it was not a sunbathing day.
It was actually great because we saw places we probably wouldnt have seen otherwise we had a good 3 hour walk.
What I liked about the hotel is the Moroccan styles.
I had wanted to look at the Sofitel next door so we decided to take a look .
We liked the hotel but decided it was not worth the extra money and lacked something that the Iberostar had. Still a nice hotel. Alot of the rooms did not have balconies and that a big negative in my books as I like to sit out.
Anyway time to go back to the hotel and relax a bit before taking a shower and going for dinner.
The food was not much different from a Greek lentil dish called Faikes which I love. Nice to see local dishes rather than western ones. The one thing that struck us were the friendly staff who really made us feel welcome. They made an effort to come by and say hello. The hotel manager was there 24/7 and made sure everything was being done properly which is a good sign.
Time for the show and we decided to go since we enjoyed the other one.
The next day we woke up to a warm sunny day thank god. The place looked totally different .
The only complaint was the coffee which I like strong. It was too weak compared to by morning Nespresso but we found a guy called Moha
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24924 posts, RR: 60 Reply 1, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 8710 times:
called Mohammed who knew what we liked and made good strong fresh coffee every morning for us .
Why Speedos are not for all !!
Time to get pool towels and lay out.
Mehdi part of the entertainment team and a real character.
Gareth is a translator so notices these things so had a good laugh.
Im sure people by the pool looked and thought what the hell is he taking those pics for
The hotel was mostly Belgians/Germans/French and Dutch. I only saw 3 British families. Everyone was friendly and exchanged greetings when you passed them in the hotel. Bonjour/Morgan etc... Mostly older couples.
After a roasting day it was time to cool down. We had a few drinks by the pool bar and then at 4pm it was fresh Crepes cooked outside. This became a fav of ours. Time to head inside then for showers and get ready for dinner.
Local money
A few days went past and we kind of did the same things.
9am Breakfast
10am Coffee and checking the internet. I had my netbook and the hotel had free wifi which was great.
Midday laying by the pool with BBQ lunch by the pool.
4pm crepes
8pm Dinner then show, a few drinks at the bar then sleep.
It sounds very lazy but we just wanted a relaxing week. Gareth would read his books and I listen to my music whilst getting some sun. The weather was excellent with a peak on the Friday of around 31c ( 87F ) .
Towards the end I decided to go to the Souk. It was to be an interesting experience , not many tourists and a very local feel which I loved.
Ripp off DVD's . I was tempted to get Sherlock Holmes for €2 but it was only in French so wouldnt understand it.
I love this photo I wanted to capture a true Moroccan scene
It had been a cool experience walking through the narrow lanes of the souk just being a part of the local daily routine. Lots of interesting things and spoke to some very friendly shop keepers and felt so welcome. I bought some items and bargained them down. Im used to it after many years of visiting the souks in various African/Arab countries.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24924 posts, RR: 60 Reply 2, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 8678 times:
Back to the hotel and a nice sunset
That night we had booked the speciality restaurant and it was traditional Moroccan food which we loved.
Then time for the show which was good as usual. After getting to know the entertainment team it was even more enjoyable seeing them perform.
One of the days Gareth knocked on my door and said there is an Irish mercedes parked outside ! Sure enough it was a 06 CE County Clare . Must be an Irish person who lives in Agadir.
One of the nights Gareth spotted this wrong label !
Dont know why but I couldnt stop laughing , just had to be there I guess .
The last night was an Irish themed show ''Riverdance'' type called ''Celtic Pride''. We both looked at eachother when we were told about it and wondered if it would be any good. We decided to go along anyway and give it the benefit of the doubt and also the animation team kept reminding us that we had to go We had seen a demo and I have to say they danced better then alot of Irish people.
I have to say we thought it was fantastic , the moves and effort were amazing and everyone stood up at the end clapping. It was the best show to end the week with and after the show the team joined us at the bar and asked us what we thought. 10/10 to them they worked so hard to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves.
Yousef and Mehdi and another guy posing
That evening it was so warm and we went for a last walk along the long promenade. It was 18-19c at midnight.
The next day we packed and got ready then went for the day by the pool. It was a lovely day upto midday then got overcast. We didnt mind as we had already got tans.
Some last minute Tagines
Fresh Pizza
Private jet.
Soon it was time to say goodbye to everyone and head to the airport. Our driver was waiting for us at reception and we ''zoomed'' to the airport. Gareth looked a bit nervous at the driving lol...
Some random scenes on the way to AGA
AIRLINE: AER LINGUS
ROUTE: AGA-DUB
DATE: 27/FEB/2010
CLASS: ECONOMY
SEAT: 29A&C
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS A320
REG: EI - DEL Named ''St Canice''
We arrived at the airport .
Time to check in
Love the old boards. This one still has the 80's EI logo on it ! Did they ever fly there in those days??
After checking in getting boarding cards and passing through security we were in the Duty Free. 600 Cigs for €58 !! Amazing price although I dont smoke
Nice models
AGA-CMN
I loved the old style of the airport building and the tiles.
RAM Boarding passes
XL Airways flying to Paris
FR
Soon our A/C landed 45 mins late .
Que for EI flight to DUB
After a while it was time to board.
We were greeted by friendly crew and row 29 and 28 ABC were free so Gareth and I took a row each.
Pilot came over the PA and gave routing info also appologised for delay due to DUB-AGA strong headwinds meaning it took them 4hrs 10 mins outbound. He said good news was that return would be only 3hrs 10 mins. So we would be in on time. I recognised a crew member from the outbound flight the week before.
I mentioned about her being on the week earlier and about having to divert on the return AGA-DUB to SNN due to heavy snow closed DUB. Those dark clouds I talked about at the start were going to cause trouble.
We took off into some heavy rain and bad turbulence, the crew had to delay their service. After a while it finally began and Gareth and I got the Chicken wrap ! What else.
The flight was un eventful and I watched my music videos and Gareth read his book. Soon it was time to land flying up from the South of Ireland ( Cork ) into Dublin.
We parked at the B gates . Passing a Jet2 737
The flight again had been quite full maybe only 15 seats free and the duty free sales paid for the flight itself . They sold hundreds of Euro worth. We thanked the crew and disembarked the aircraft. Passport control took seconds and then we went for our bags.
Gareth was to catch his bus at 0045 and I thought I had missed my 0020 to Newry by just a few mins. We went to look and lucky it was still there I just made it. I said goodbye to Gareth and got on the bus.
So thats the end of this long trip report. If you got this far then fair play !
I had a lovely week and I hope EI keeps this route, its a gem. Flights were comfortable and hassle free. Agadir is a place I will go back to again and the Iberostar Founty beach also. Everything was perfect, the food the people and lastly the company
@ Gareth ... you know where I want us to go next and your language skills will come in useful LOL... thanks for being great company and the laughs, even the bad jokes LOL...
Hope you all enjoyed this report and I love to get all your comments as usual so dont be shy .
Kind regards
OA260 / Philip
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
gpbcroppers63 From Ireland, joined Jan 2008, 511 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 8555 times:
Wow Philip, that was quick! A truly great account of a fantastic week away! Thanks again .
Quoting OA260 (Thread starter): All photos taken out of the window courtesy of Gareth with my Camera as I let him have the window
Because you're so generous! I actually took some pretty good shots out of the window. I'm inpressed
Quoting OA260 (Reply 1): Why Speedos are not for all !!
I just wet myself laughing at that pic. I'd completely forgotten it!
Quoting OA260 (Reply 1): Gareth is a translator so notices these things so had a good laugh.
I intend to show that to all of my colleagues tomorrow. It'll give them all a great laugh.
Quoting OA260 (Reply 2): One of the nights Gareth spotted this wrong label !
Dont know why but I couldnt stop laughing , just had to be there I guess .
You nearly got us chucked out of the hotel lauging at that!
Quoting OA260 (Reply 2): 10/10 to them they worked so hard to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves.
They were brilliant at the Irish dancing. Such a great show and I'd recommend anyone go to see it at the Founty Beach!
Quoting OA260 (Reply 2): Gareth looked a bit nervous at the driving lol...
I was sh**ting myself! You have to admit that driving in the middle of two cars in lanes one and two is slightly suicidal
Quoting OA260 (Reply 2): @ Gareth ... you know where I want us to go next and your language skills will come in useful LOL... thanks for being great company and the laughs, even the bad jokes LOL...
Thanks for that Philip. I'll try and refrain from the shit jokes and rude football chants next time .
Once again, cheers for a brilliant report and a fantastic week. We shall do it again. Inshallah!
According to one of my colleagues, my problem is that I'm addicted to travel!
LYchemsa From United States of America, joined Oct 2009, 905 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 8522 times:
Thank you for posting the pictures of Agadir. Tripadvisor is a wonderful site for hotel reviews.
It seems it was warm enough to swim in the pool but am I correct that no one seems to swim in the ocean? The ocean does not look too nice. Cold? Shallow? Rough?
FlyingFinn76 From Finland, joined Jun 2009, 1705 posts, RR: 41 Reply 6, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 8501 times:
Hi Phil,
Great work, definitely refreshing to see some sun, sand, sea and palm trees in the middle of this snowy winter. I had a very bad experience on an all-inclusive hotel in Spain last summer, but yours looks much much better. AGA would make for a nice break, glad that you found some local culture as well.
I never knew EI operated this route, how long has it been running?
gpbcroppers63 From Ireland, joined Jan 2008, 511 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 8502 times:
Quoting LYchemsa (Reply 5): It seems it was warm enough to swim in the pool but am I correct that no one seems to swim in the ocean? The ocean does not look too nice. Cold? Shallow? Rough?
One of the pools was heated so we were able to swim in that. I did go into the cold pool most days but Philip was too much of a wimp . I also went into the sea once and it was fairly warm but the currents were very strong so I didn't feel safe swimming in there. Many people went surfing and body boarding though.
According to one of my colleagues, my problem is that I'm addicted to travel!
OA260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24924 posts, RR: 60 Reply 8, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 8400 times:
Quoting akhmad (Reply 3): Thank you and Gareth for sharing. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks glad you enjoyed it you should certainly consider a trip.
Quoting gpbcroppers63 (Reply 4): I was sh**ting myself! You have to admit that driving in the middle of two cars in lanes one and two is slightly suicidal
Haha well maybe
Quoting LYchemsa (Reply 5): I correct that no one seems to swim in the ocean? The ocean does not look too nice. Cold? Shallow? Rough?
Like Gareth said you would need to be a strong swimmer, I hear its better in Summer. There had been exceptional storms a week before we arrived and lots of driftwood and rubbish had washed up so it spoilt the beach a bit but they were clearing it fast while we were there. Everyone said its never been like that before. I guess its the bad weather pattern all over the world this Winter.
Quoting FlyingFinn76 (Reply 6): I never knew EI operated this route, how long has it been running?
Im not sure also like I said the old Shamrock logo was on the old flickr boards. So it must be a long time. Although I do believe they had a break in service.
Quoting gpbcroppers63 (Reply 7): One of the pools was heated so we were able to swim in that. I did go into the cold pool most days but Philip was too much of a wimp
Yep Im a wimp lol.. Why go into a cold pool when there is a heated one next to it !!
And to prove Gareth did indeed ''paddle'' in the Atlantic
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
FLIEGER67 From Turkey, joined Sep 2003, 4391 posts, RR: 57 Reply 10, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 7959 times:
Hey, Phil,
what a nice sunday evening read.
High class pix as well, feeling like another time in Agadir also for me.
My ride to Marrakech coming up also in a week or two.
With Christoph/Contact Air also visiting Morroco lately it seems there is good demand here
around us A.netters.
Shamrock350 From Ireland, joined Mar 2005, 6106 posts, RR: 15 Reply 11, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 7871 times:
Great report Phil,
Nice to read about this route, Aer Lingus have been operating it since late 2007 and it seems to have done well so should be sticking around. The chicken wrap is tasty, I was disappointed when they removed to the pizza from the menu but the wrap makes up for it. Agadir looks very nice, a friend of mine is heading down there soon after a few weeks in Egypt, the benefits of having parents from both countries I suppose!
shamrock604 From Ireland, joined Sep 2007, 4039 posts, RR: 13 Reply 12, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 4 hours ago) and read 7755 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 8): Im not sure also like I said the old Shamrock logo was on the old flickr boards. So it must be a long time. Although I do believe they had a break in service.
As far as I know phil, they did do the odd AGA charter service, even back in the 80's. I've heard EI are happy with AGA, and it will be sticking around.
Great report by the way, and although I was considering a trip to AGA, you have pretty much convinced me now.....
Flown EI,FR,RE,EIR,VE,SI,TLA,BA,BE,BD,VX,MON,AF,YS,WX,KL,SK,LH,OK,OS,LX,IB,LTU,HLX,4U,SU,CO,DL,UA,AC,PR,MH,SQ,QF, EY, EK
Cool , you chosen your hotel yet? Alot of Irish go to the Agadir Beach Club but Gareth and I took a walk and looked at the hotels but I wasnt impressed by it to be honest.
LOL... Gareth has his email address I think to forward him the photos/videos of the shows. ...
Quoting EL-AL (Reply 15): Can't say it's because Israel's good relations with Morocco.
Yes I saw the immigration officer looking at my TLV stamps but nothign was said. I checked before I left and everyone said no probs at all and some Israelis commented they had no issues either. Tel Aviv still has the best beach though and its on my wish list for this Summer.
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
shamrock604 From Ireland, joined Sep 2007, 4039 posts, RR: 13 Reply 18, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 7537 times:
Quoting OA260 (Reply 16): Cool , you chosen your hotel yet? Alot of Irish go to the Agadir Beach Club but Gareth and I took a walk and looked at the hotels but I wasnt impressed by it to be honest.
It would be the Sofitel Phil, I get a very substantial discount at that chain. At this point, it will probably be late this year when I get the chance...
Flown EI,FR,RE,EIR,VE,SI,TLA,BA,BE,BD,VX,MON,AF,YS,WX,KL,SK,LH,OK,OS,LX,IB,LTU,HLX,4U,SU,CO,DL,UA,AC,PR,MH,SQ,QF, EY, EK
lukeyboy95 From Papua New Guinea, joined Apr 2008, 951 posts, RR: 35 Reply 19, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 4 days ago) and read 7429 times:
Hi Philip
Nice report - you made an EI report very interesting with all you holiday pictures.
I absolutely wasn't aware that Morocco was offering the sort of package scene - it seems to pull it off not too bad either. It certainly doesn't seem to get the Uk market yet...though the cities are getting very popular.
Was alcohol included in hotel? And was it dodgy stuff is so or nicer mainline brands? I have always wanted to go on an all inclusive - my buddies often do - its alot of eating and drinking which are activities I hold in high esteem...
Andaman From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 21, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 7279 times:
An interesting TR, all that sun and great food bring back memories. I was in Agadir around 15y ago, was a mixed experience. I really enjoyed the day trips to Sahara and Marrakech but I found Agadir rather boring.
Quoting OA260 (Reply 16): Quoting TurkishWings (Reply 14):
Real cute too
LOL... Gareth has his email address I think to forward him the photos/videos of the shows. ...
I can see you did meet several local talents Back in 1995 it was confusing to get unexpected attention from the local guys, my straight ultra-blond travel mate was especially popular.
SXDFC From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 2011 posts, RR: 19 Reply 22, posted (3 years 2 months 3 weeks 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 7245 times:
Phil:
What wonderful and colorful TR! I think this one is your best one yet! Morocco is such a beautiful and colorful country, and the culture judging from your pictures makes it even more amazing! Great TR!
ALL views, opinions expressed are mine ONLY and are NOT representative of those shared by Southwest Airlines Co.
Thats a nice hotel as you can see. Good nightclub there apparantly.
Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 19): Was alcohol included in hotel? And was it dodgy stuff is so or nicer mainline brands?
Yes it was included and wasnt bad, the wine was a bit dodgy but the cocktails were nice but I didnt drink that much as I prefer soft drinks which was real stuff, sprite , coke etc..
Quoting TravelsUK (Reply 20): I would quite happily bet a £100 he was Russian!
Didnt see any Russians, cant remember what he was but we noticed that he loaded his plate every night and couldnt walk properly due to his size, a bad state to be in .
Quoting Andaman (Reply 21): my straight ultra-blond travel mate was especially popular
LOL..true they like all new blood Male or Female .... When in Rome
Quoting SXDFC (Reply 22): What wonderful and colorful T
Hi Bobby, Glad you liked it ! I even got some pics of the local girls for you lol..
OLYMPIC AIR - ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΚΗ "Η ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ΨΗΛΑ" "GREECE FLYING HIGH"
26 gpbcroppers63: I've uploaded a number of videos of the shows to Youtube. The links are below if any of you want to look at them. The Celtic Pride show is definitely
27 oa260: Cool was going to ask you to post them. Well done
28 johnboy: Great job! I really liked checking out your pics, especially of Agadir and the hotels. And the men. My hubby and I traveled to the Iberostar Tucan in
29 airbuseric: Hi Philip! as said by others, it's indeed a nice report again! Well done! Morocco looks a great place, and is on our list to visit this country for a
30 robffm2: Great report, thanks for sharing your experience with us. I especially enjoyed the pics, reminding me of many fun trips to AGA and Morocco the in past
31 LH4116: Good evening Philip, an excellent and very interesting report, I would say it's your best so far! The pics from Morocco were great, they bring back lo
32 Contact Air: Hi Philip, Great report and lots of fantastic pictures - thanks a lot for posting! The City of Agadir seems to be worth a visit. The Iberostar Hotel l
33 oa260: Your welcome thanks for reading. Hey Eric Yes I got a few things nothing major though. Welcome and it will come in useful in the next few months Im s
34 mainMAN: Thanks for a great report. I was in Marrakech in February, my second visit to Morocco (first was merely a day trip from Algeciras to Tangier)........w
35 oa260: Yes thats one thing that we thought you kind of went as they were so friendly and nice and also were great at their job.
36 IrishLPL: Hi Philip! Really enjoyed reading your report, and LOL at some of the comments on your entertainer friends! Can you say a bit more about the onboard s
37 oa260: You couldnt fault it , standard service nothing special, crew on return were better than the crew outbound not saying anything bad about them but the
38 JFKMan: A great TR! Thanks for sharing! That duty free shop has some nice models....and deals! Thanks, Tommy (aka JFKMan)
39 EIRules: Hey Phil Another excellent trip report, though not quite as good as the last coz I was in that one lol.. Love the pics of Agadir. It was never somewhe
40 ba319-131: Hi Philip, Nice report and pictures there, seems we all need a break from the dreary winter weather, Jan/Feb seems an ideal time as it's a bit quiet.
41 shamrock604: Pretty much anything to the sun performs well for EI!!! Try getting standby on a canaries or agadir.. nightmare!
42 Nibog: Hi Philip, Cracking report,enjoyed the photos and I have to say they have given me an added buzz for my DXB trip next month,although I dont think i co
43 PlaneHunter: Hi Phil, very interesting report with many nice pictures from Agadir. It seems you had a great vacation there. How much do they charge for it? PH
44 oa260: Yes sometimes aviation models are in the most unlikely places. Thanks Andy . Loads are supposed to be good so hope they will keep it, much better tha