Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas will soon expand its presence in North Africa with the launch of a stunning property in Morocco, complete with an 18-hole Graham Marsh-designed golf course.

By late 2022, the Anantara Al Houara Tangier Resort will open its doors in Morocco, welcoming guests into a new oasis of relaxation. We find out more about this spectacular scheme.

A growing footprint in the Middle East

Minor International, the company behind the Anantara brand, entered into a partnership with Qatari Diar, a Qatar-based real estate developer, to create two new properties in Morocco in 2015. The Anantara Al Houara Tangier Resort was one of those properties.

Upon completion, the resort’s 150 elegant rooms, suites and villas will overlook the ocean, offering guests spacious abodes on the Atlantic coast. Visitors will be able to take their pick from a variety of amenities such as dining venues, an executive lounge, and kids’ and teen clubs. There will also be indoor and outdoor pools, plus a vast Anantara Spa for relaxing and unwinding.

However, the 18-hole Graham Marsh-designed golf course directly adjacent to the resort will no doubt be the property’s crown jewel, attracting both amateur and professional players to its pristine greens.

A major undertaking for Minor

Speaking in 2015, Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive officer of Minor Hotel Group, said: “We are excited to announce these two new Anantara resorts in North Africa in partnership with Qatari Diar.

“Our Anantara brand is now well-established in the Middle East, with six properties in the UAE and our first resort in Qatar opened earlier this year, and we are keen to add North Africa to our footprint, where these two new resorts will help further develop luxury tourism within these destinations. We are looking forward to a strong alliance with Qatari Diar going forward, with scope to explore additional opportunities to expand our portfolio in the wider MENA region.”

Khaled Mohammed Al Sayed, group chief executive officer of Qatari Diar when the partnership with Minor took effect, said: “Qatari Diar is building signature projects and facilitating vibrant new communities on an unprecedented scale. Our projects are significant, landmark projects that are often unrivalled in size, scope, and vision.

“We aim at creating distinguished developments not only in Qatar but around the world and our partnership today with MHG, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region, goes in the same direction.”

Morocco’s new luxury development

WATG and Wimberley Interiors from London and Agora Premium from Tunis have been tasked with the resort’s design. They’ve artfully combined modern styles with traditional Moroccan materials and patterns to create a regal atmosphere that guests will immediately feel at home in.

The materials and colour schemes used throughout the resort, meanwhile, will evoke the natural surroundings of rich forests, the beach and the sea.

The resort will be part of a larger development by Qatari Diar, which also includes upscale serviced apartments, golf villas and vacation homes. It will be a 20-minute drive from Tangier’s downtown area and just five minutes from the city’s international airport.