The welcome
From the first moment the name of the game at the Mazagan Beach Resort was "two steps forward and three steps back". Having been eventually permitted through the security outpost at the perimeter of the resort, our car was valet-parked and our luggage ushered swiftly inside. Then followed a 25-minute pause, standing in the cavernous reception with dozens of other lost souls, waiting for the hotel rep to turn up. After the long trek to the room, we were happy to find a note from the manager (signed by his assistant).
The neighbourhood
Located about 100km south of Casablanca, on Morocco's windswept Atlantic coast, Mazagan is set just off the beach. The property is simply enormous, sprawling over a heavily irrigated terrain of 250 hectares, much of it devoted to the celebrated golf course laid out by Gary Player. There's certainly a sense that you're separated from the outside world, with wonderful views over the surrounding wilderness and down the deserted coastline. The downside is that unless you have your own transport, you are rather captive, unable to easily take advantage of local sights and culture in the nearby city of El Jadida. There are, however, a range of (pricey) hotel-run excursions to nearby cities, and others farther afield to places such as Marrakech.
The service
Without wanting to seem uncharitable, I have to say right away that the service at Mazagan was strangely reminiscent of the 1970s British sitcom Fawlty Towers. As with the shambolic fictional hotel on the equally windswept English south coast, Mazagan's lack of management is at best amusing, and at worst distressing. It's as if all the staff have been told to keep their heads down and to bumble along. They are friendly (Morocco is a kingdom of friendliness par excellence), but so was Manuel, the inept lackey under Basil Fawlty's thumb. And for me this was where Mazagan flopped - the sense that no one really cared that I was staying there.
The room
The guest rooms at Mazagan are laid out on four floors, along three sides of what is essentially a grand riad, a courtyard garden. The rooms are spacious and bright with either views towards the ocean or over the central swimming pool. A normal deluxe room is 42 square metres, with the suites starting at 82 sq m. All rooms feature free Wi-Fi internet, and the usual mod cons. The bathrooms are a little on the small side, but very acceptable.
The food
There are four main restaurants at Mazagan, serving a mixture of cuisine from both East and West. One of the central pleasures at a resort is gorging oneself on food, and that's quite possible, especially in the voluminous Market Place restaurant. Popular with families, the buffet spread is very good, and includes a chocolate fountain (which made my kids weak at the knees with delight). On the floor below the Market Place is a Mediterranean restaurant called Olive's, serving a buffet arrangement of salads, pasta and pizza. The fare in both restaurants is good, although the menu did seem rather repetitive by the second day. For those managing to park their kids with a babysitter, there are two à la carte restaurants, Sel de Mer and Morjana. The first, offering seafood pulled from the Atlantic waters a stone's throw away, backs onto the casino. The second, Morjana, is highly regarded for its Moroccan fusion cuisine.
The scene
Mazagan is a Las Vegas-style resort catering to international holidaymakers eager for sun and sand, golf and gambling, as well as to Moroccans from up the road in Casablanca, who fill the place at the weekends. A great many visitors are lured by the links-style golf course, which is certainly impressive and challenging at the same time. Although there is a consistent Moroccan theme in the decor, I wouldn't say that Mazagan is genuinely Moroccan. Rather, it's a garish fantasy version of the country conjured by the casino owner, Sol Kerzner, the man who gave the world Sun City in South Africa.
Loved
I loved the fact that children were so welcome, and that they had their own "Kids' Club", run by the most ebullient chap I've ever encountered anywhere. The range of activities is near limitless. Also excellent is the golf club, managed by a retired PGA professional. The club, which has its own restaurant and bar, is set to become ever more celebrated as word of it spreads.
Hated
Hate is a strong word, but I'd say I disliked intensely the general lack of leadership, and the fact that just about everything was average yet with prices that could be regarded as well above average. It was this sense of mediocrity that left me feeling a little hollow inside. There was nothing that stole my heart, nothing that made me ever want to return. The verdict If you are looking for golf or for a casino, and you're in the neighbourhood, then drop in. But if you don't gamble or golf and you're searching for a memorably good retreat, then my advice is to go elsewhere.
The bottom line
A deluxe double room with sea view is approximately US$335 (Dh1,230) including breakfast. Suites with a sea view start at approximately $754 (Dh2,770) including breakfast. Mazagan Beach Resort, El Jadida 24000, Morocco (www.mazaganbeachresort.com; 00 212 5 2338 8000).
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
