A chaotic (on our part) arrival, with tired, hot children, a husband glued to a conference call and a full arrival party including a beaming GM, calls for emergency measures. Luckily at the seamlessly run Four Seasons, a member of the concierge reads the room and whisks our daughters off to explore the gardens while we check in and plan our next few days ahead with the team. As you would expect from the slick brand, here it is about making things run like clockwork, where both the children and adults can have some downtime, too. To this end, we make a swift beeline, through gardens alive with birdsong and tinkling fountains, to the kids’ club, built in the style of a traditional Moroccan mini kasbah. They are immediately put to work crafting bracelets, rehearsing for a play retelling Ali Baba, learning Arabic calligraphy and decorating Fez hats in the traditional style. The family pool is located opposite, so you can whisk them out for a lunchtime splash (it is worth noting that in April the water was bearable but on the chilly side).
One morning we rose at 5am for quite the memorable trip, sailing high above the Agafay desert in a hot air balloon. I had to admit that my heart was in my mouth throughout, but the girls’ glee couldn’t be contained, as we soared over the brightening desert as the sun rose. My youngest, then age just four, was too small to see over the basket and there was a fair amount of waiting around beforehand, so it might be suited to those over seven (the age of my eldest then). Their absolute highlight (and terrifying for me) was the extremely bumpy landing, that had them laughing uproariously as slightly ashen faced adults thanked the gods that we had all arrived back in one piece. Other experiences include private hire of the resort’s cinema room, with on tap warm popcorn, or visits to Berber villages for an immersion into typical craft and cuisine.
Price: From about £330 per night.