Marrakech: Manzil la Tortue

I spent my birthday just outside of Marrakech at Manzil la Tortue, a fabulous place to head to if you want to get out of the city and soak up some sunshine in peace. Manzil la Tortue, you see, has a pool day and lunch for 290 dirhams each (about £19), which gets you two delicious courses, use of the pool, your towels for the day, plus a late afternoon snack. Perfect!

The above photo doesn't do the pool area justice, but it's a really relaxing space and the staff there are just brilliant. One thing I didn't want was for us to be constantly hassled on my birthday - we weren't. I had such a lovely day reading in the sun, swimming in the pool and eating yummy food with Olly - what more could I have asked for?

We visited Manzil La Tortue for their pool day and lunch, which is excellent value. For 290DH we got two delicious courses each, and use of the pool all day - this also included towels and a late afternoon snack.

The food was absolutely delicious - some of the best we had in Marrakech - and the service went above and beyond. We were there celebrating my birthday and my partner was able to arrange a bottle of champagne with the owner, which they didn't have on their wine list. Nothing was too much trouble and we had a fantastic day.

One thing to note, the pool isn't heated, but that actually makes for a welcome respite from the hot sunshine. It really is a tranquil environment and a fabulous place to have a relaxing day. If we had known about Manzil La Tortue when we were booking our accommodation, we would have definitely booked to stay there. Highly recommended.

Top tip: If you wish to do their pool and lunch day and you're staying in central Marrakech, call up and book their transfer service (costs 150DH each way) to avoid the inevitable haggling with the taxi driver once you arrive!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g293734-d4084692-r275238203-Manzil_la_Tortue-Marrakech_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html#

We visited Manzil La Tortue for their pool day and lunch, which is excellent value. For 290DH we got two delicious courses each, and use of the pool all day - this also included towels and a late afternoon snack.

The food was absolutely delicious - some of the best we had in Marrakech - and the service went above and beyond. We were there celebrating my birthday and my partner was able to arrange a bottle of champagne with the owner, which they didn't have on their wine list. Nothing was too much trouble and we had a fantastic day.

One thing to note, the pool isn't heated, but that actually makes for a welcome respite from the hot sunshine. It really is a tranquil environment and a fabulous place to have a relaxing day. If we had known about Manzil La Tortue when we were booking our accommodation, we would have definitely booked to stay there. Highly recommended.

Top tip: If you wish to do their pool and lunch day and you're staying in central Marrakech, call up and book their transfer service (costs 150DH each way) to avoid the inevitable haggling with the taxi driver once you arrive!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g293734-d4084692-r275238203-Manzil_la_Tortue-Marrakech_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html#

We visited Manzil La Tortue for their pool day and lunch, which is excellent value. For 290DH we got two delicious courses each, and use of the pool all day - this also included towels and a late afternoon snack.

The food was absolutely delicious - some of the best we had in Marrakech - and the service went above and beyond. We were there celebrating my birthday and my partner was able to arrange a bottle of champagne with the owner, which they didn't have on their wine list. Nothing was too much trouble and we had a fantastic day.

One thing to note, the pool isn't heated, but that actually makes for a welcome respite from the hot sunshine. It really is a tranquil environment and a fabulous place to have a relaxing day. If we had known about Manzil La Tortue when we were booking our accommodation, we would have definitely booked to stay there. Highly recommended.

Top tip: If you wish to do their pool and lunch day and you're staying in central Marrakech, call up and book their transfer service (costs 150DH each way) to avoid the inevitable haggling with the taxi driver once you arrive!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g293734-d4084692-r275238203-Manzil_la_Tortue-Marrakech_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html#

We visited Manzil La Tortue for their pool day and lunch, which is excellent value. For 290DH we got two delicious courses each, and use of the pool all day - this also included towels and a late afternoon snack.

The food was absolutely delicious - some of the best we had in Marrakech - and the service went above and beyond. We were there celebrating my birthday and my partner was able to arrange a bottle of champagne with the owner, which they didn't have on their wine list. Nothing was too much trouble and we had a fantastic day.

One thing to note, the pool isn't heated, but that actually makes for a welcome respite from the hot sunshine. It really is a tranquil environment and a fabulous place to have a relaxing day. If we had known about Manzil La Tortue when we were booking our accommodation, we would have definitely booked to stay there. Highly recommended.

Top tip: If you wish to do their pool and lunch day and you're staying in central Marrakech, call up and book their transfer service (costs 150DH each way) to avoid the inevitable haggling with the taxi driver once you arrive!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g293734-d4084692-r275238203-Manzil_la_Tortue-Marrakech_Marrakech_Tensift_El_Haouz_Region.html#

As for the lunch, it was absolutely delicious! Olly chose their Moroccan salad as his starter with a main course, whilst I opted for a main course and a dessert and chomped on the yummy bread rolls whilst he ate his starter. (For 350DH, you can have three courses.)

For my main course I chose the lemon chicken tagine, which came with Manzil la Tortue's very crispy and perfect home-made fries. The chicken was cooked beautifully, and the lemon flavour was intense and flavoursome.

Olly went for the mixed grill - yum! If you look behind his plate though, you'll spot a circle which is called a planchas. We loved our lunch choices, but we almost wish we had picked this option as you get a selection of meats to grill yourself, along with spices, veggies and fries - another table had this and the smell wafting across was incredible!  

For dessert I chose, what else, chocolate! The lovely owner of Manzil la Tortue also arranged for a bottle of champagne, at Olly's request - they don't usually have champagne on their wine list, but they were happy to sort this out for us. The service was spot-on all day, and we left with very happy smiles on our faces.

     

If we had known about Manzil la Tortue when we were booking our accommodation in Marrakech, we would have booked to stay there. If you are staying in central Marrakech and find that you want a break from the hustle and bustle, I implore that you visit Manzil la Tortue like we did.

Call them up and book their transfer service (costs 150DH each way) to avoid the inevitable haggling with a taxi driver, but to also make sure that they have room for you - they limit the amount of people to make sure that it remains a peaceful and relaxing environment. You won't regret going! x