Day 4 Agadir Morocco - Finding Our Holiday Rhythm

Day 4 and, after three days of doing absolutely nothing except eating, drinking and generally overindulging, I decided my body was in desperate need of some movement! So, before my usual early morning dip in the sea, I headed out for a gentle 5K run towards the marina, which sits at the foot of Mount Oufella. It was nothing too strenuous—just a nice steady jog, with plenty of stops along the way to take photos and send them back to the others so they could see exactly what they were missing while they were still tucked up in bed!

Back at the resort, I managed to secure us what I considered to be the ultimate poolside base camp—a large gazebo complete with a double mattress to lounge around on. This went down an absolute treat and, having stumbled across this little gem, I made it my mission to reserve it every day we weren't off on an excursion. It effectively became our own little private section of the pool area for the rest of the holiday!

During the day, Holly decided to embrace a bit of Moroccan culture and had her hair braided before getting a couple of henna tattoos. One was on her ankle, which was actually a bit of a freebie and was supposed to spell her name in Arabic, while the one on her wrist was a pretty floral design.

Holly opted for blonde braids, which worked surprisingly well with her fair hair and really suited her. They gave her a completely different look and, dare I say it, made her look considerably more grown up. Although I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet!

That evening, we headed off to the Steak House, another of the resort's à la carte restaurants and probably the one I had been looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, while the food was good, it didn't quite live up to the Moroccan restaurant we'd visited a couple of nights earlier. My surf and turf was excellent, but Tina wasn't quite so lucky. Her prawn cocktail starter didn't agree with her at all and, as we'd discover the following day, it left her with a rather unpleasant upset stomach. Not quite the souvenir from Morocco she was hoping for!

Later that evening, part of the entertainment was a digital quiz, which you entered by scanning a barcode with your phone. Tonight's subject was capital cities, which just happens to be something of a specialist subject for Brandon.

Needless to say, he absolutely smashed it and won the quiz! Unfortunately for Brandon, winning also meant being called up in front of the entire audience to collect his prize—a rather fetching Riu hat. He was already looking suitably embarrassed, but the entertainment team weren't finished with him yet. They then proceeded to make him perform the infamous 6–7 dance in front of everyone.

To his credit, he took it all in good humour and did it very sportingly, although I'm sure winning the quiz suddenly seemed like a very bad idea!

Another great day in the bag, and by now we'd definitely found our rhythm. Eat, drink, relax, occasionally exercise, embarrass Brandon and repeat!

Early morning5k and in time to see the sunrise.

My morning run took me to the beautiful marina area.

How picteresque.

The marina sits at the base of Mount Oufella. The Arabic writing can be seen much clearer here.

The water in the marina was like a sheet of glass.

Quick selfie whilst on my morning run. Cut the sign off as it still said 2025.

Selfie with Mount Oufella in the background.

More of the marina.

The pirate ship named "Jack Sparrow".

Holly getting her braids done on the beach.

Then her henna tattoos.

The artist did one on her wrist and then a free name one on her ankle.

The finished braids with a golden clip attached.

Looks amazing from behind.

And made her hair even longer from the front.

The finished wrist henna.

And Holly's name on her ankle.

Who needs to rub in the suncream?

A rare occasion when me and Tina get to lounge on the double bed gazebo throughout the day.

Yes the bottom of my feet are really dirty.

Even on holiday Brandon can't go without his music.

As I said me and Tina rarely got time in the gazebo as it was hijacked by the kids.

Random picture of a bird of paradise plant in the hotel.

Ladies dressed up and out for dinner.

Steak House overlooking the sea.

My surf and turf.

The seafish fruit cocktail which didn't agree with Tina.

Brandon receiving his quiz prize and then readying himself for the 6-7 dance!

Day 3 Agadir Morocco - Feeling Like Locals

Day 3 in Agadir and by now we were all feeling completely at home. In fact, we'd reached that stage where we felt like we'd been there for weeks and practically owned the place! It's always funny how quickly you can settle into a resort, especially an all-inclusive one, and then watch the next batch of "newbies" arrive looking completely lost as they try to work out where everything is. Meanwhile, you're walking around like you've lived there for years!

The day started with me getting up early and taking a walk down to the beach, where I went for a quick dip in the sea before heading back to reserve our sun loungers for the day. Everyone else was still tucked up in bed, so I thought I'd earn some brownie points by securing the prime real estate around the pool! Once that important job was completed, it was off to see the barista for my now customary double espresso. This had very quickly become part of my morning routine.

There wasn't much mist around today, so we were able to make the most of the glorious sunshine. We spent much of the day baking in the sun before cooling off with regular dips in the pool or the occasional stroll down to the sea. We'd also started making full use of the pool bar, which was obviously essential for staying hydrated while lounging around in the sunshine!

After lunch, Brandon and I decided to take a walk along the beach and headed roughly halfway towards the Agadir Oufella mountain. If you've seen pictures of Agadir, you'll probably recognise it as the mountain overlooking the city, with the huge Arabic inscription across the side which translates to "God, King, Country". The lettering is illuminated at night, making it one of the city's most recognisable landmarks.

On the way, we came across plenty of great little photo opportunities, including Moroccan flags, signs and various other bits of scenery that made for some cracking holiday photos. Naturally, we took full advantage!

While walking along the beachfront, I started to notice just how much attention I was getting from some of the locals. In fact, we even had a couple of people comment directly—one telling me I looked like Rambo, while another described me as the "powerful Mufasa" with Brandon being my little Simba! 😂

I'll be the first to admit that I don't particularly see myself that way and have never been someone who thinks I look especially good. I also don't train for appearance; I train because I genuinely enjoy being strong, fit and capable, with the muscular look simply being a by-product of that. But the more we walked, the more I started thinking about how being noticeably fit and muscular can almost attract the same level of attention as being at the complete opposite end of the scale.

I found that quite strange because, to me, I don't look particularly unusual. I genuinely believe being fit and healthy should be something everyone strives for, so it was a little surreal to realise that something I consider completely normal could actually make you stand out so much. Perhaps I just need to accept that, in Morocco at least, I apparently have a bit of a Rambo/Mufasa thing going on!

That evening, we had one of the more upmarket à la carte Moroccan restaurants booked, giving us the chance to try some traditional local cuisine. Brandon was actually pretty adventurous and was happy to give most things a go, while Josh and Holly were somewhat more selective with their choices!

The setting itself was fantastic. When we arrived, our table was already beautifully laid out with a selection of canapés, while there were some incredibly comfortable, cushioned sofas where we could relax. The whole experience was really enjoyable, and I have to say I absolutely loved the food. It was a really nice change from the usual buffet offering and definitely one of the highlights of the holiday so far.

After dinner, Brandon and I headed back down to the beach for a night-time walk. We'd spotted quite a few things earlier in the day that we wanted to see once they were illuminated, so it was a good excuse to get out and explore after dark. Once again, we found plenty of great photo opportunities, and seeing the coastline and surrounding landmarks lit up at night gave everything a completely different feel.

We eventually finished the evening back at the bar, where we settled down with a few drinks and watched the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain.

Another pretty perfect day in Agadir—and by now, I was definitely starting to think this holiday was going to be a tough one to beat!

One of the fountains that adored the gardens of our hotel.

Early morning beach dip for me and if you can see the "God", "King" and "Country" on the Oufella you know it is going to be a clear, hot day.

Beach was pretty quiet for my morning dip.

My annual quarter turn physique pose to check-in year over year on whether I am letting things slip.

The pool just looks so still and calm first thing in the morning.

Breakfast out the way and it was pool time.

A rare picture of Tina in the pool playing with the kids (an even rarer picture would be to see her in the sea)!.

Staying cool in the pool.

Solar panel Brandon soaking up some rays.

My shark floaty is still going strong and made it to Morocco.

Keeping hydrated at the pool bar.

Got to love a pool bar when on holiday.

My view for the day.

Honestly I did reserve 5x loungers!!!!

Lunch walk for me and Brandon taking in some views along the beach.

Just a few Moroccan flags!

I love Morocco heart. We could see this had LED's and had to come back in the evening to see what it looked like.

I Love Agadir sign.

And again.

Brandon like photo of him looking at stuff from behind.

Where as I am more in your face.

Check out that hair and the tan lines around the shorts.

Our evening entertainment sorted for today.

Our table for the a-la-carte Moroccan restaurant.

What a beautiful setting and comfy sofas to dine in.

Starter.

Moroccan lamb for the main.

Great selection of little local deserts.

Night walk for me and Brandon starting at the main pool all illuminated.

I think he might just be a bigger poser than me!

Of course he wanted the shot taken from behind.

Brandon viewing the Oufella illuminated at night.

I got him to smile for a photo!

Not only did the "Welcome to Agadir" heart light up at night....

......but it changed colour as well.

Brandon's back shot again.

And again.

And again.

Welcome to Agadir (the other side of the heart had this written in Arabic).

Mountain Oufella (later in the holiday we took an excursion to the top of this on cable car).