Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout: practical guide for a surf stay
The Riu Palace Tikida is a 5-star all-inclusive in Taghazout Bay. Distance to surf spots, lesson options, transfers, alternatives — a practical guide.
The Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout is the 5-star all-inclusive hotel from Riu Hotels & Resorts located in the Taghazout Bay tourist zone, 5 km south of the historic Taghazout village. Opened as part of the bay development launched in 2018, the hotel targets a family and package clientele — as opposed to the neighbouring Hyatt Place, which leans more business and individual leisure. It’s one of the biggest hotels in the district by capacity, and one of the most visible in French TUI / Marmara / Promovacances catalogues.
This guide is aimed at the traveller considering booking the Riu Palace Tikida who wants to know how to integrate a surf dimension into their stay. Exact location, distance to the spots, lesson options, alternatives — everything you need to know before clicking “book”.
The context: Taghazout Bay, not Taghazout village
The first essential point to clarify: the Riu Palace Tikida isn’t in Taghazout village. It’s in the new zone known as Taghazout Bay, a tourist district developed since 2018, 5 km south of the historic village. The distinction changes everything:
- Taghazout village = a fishing village turned mini-capital of Moroccan surf, low houses, surf camps, independent cafés, low-key nightlife.
- Taghazout Bay = a modern resort zone, a wide esplanade, chain hotels (Riu Palace Tikida, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency, Hilton, Fairmont, Radisson), a golf course and a marina under construction.
The two areas don’t look much like one another — one was born of surf, the other of international package tourism. The Riu Palace Tikida sits squarely in the second.
| Zone | Anchor Point | Banana Beach | Imsouane | AGA airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taghazout Bay (Riu) | 7 km / 12 min | 4 km / 8 min | 1 h | 30 km / 40 min |
| Taghazout village | 1.5 km / 5 min | 6 km / 12 min | 55 km / 1 h 10 | 40 km / 50 min |
The hotel in brief: what the Riu Palace Tikida offers
The factual elements (based on the property’s public listing and public reviews):
- Category: 5-star, Riu’s Palace brand (the group’s upmarket positioning)
- Format: full all-inclusive (full board + drinks + 24-hour snacks)
- Capacity: around 700 rooms (families, suites, sea or garden views)
- Restaurants: main buffet restaurant + several themed restaurants (Moroccan, Asian, Italian, grill)
- Bars: pool bars, beach bar, lounge bar in the evening
- Pools: several outdoor pools, including children’s pools
- Beach: access to Taghazout Bay beach (sunloungers included)
- Renova Spa: paid treatments on top
- Entertainment: an entertainment team (often multilingual — French, English, Spanish)
- Kids club: supervised, with daily time slots
- Indicative rate: 1,400–2,200 € per week flight + stay in high season (Paris → Agadir + hotel)
It’s the classic Riu all-inclusive format: you arrive, drop the bags, and don’t have to pull out your wallet again on the property — except for the spa, excursions, and certain à la carte restaurants on reservation.
Surfing while staying at the Riu Palace Tikida: the three options
The Riu doesn’t have an integrated surf school. The all-inclusive package doesn’t cover surfing. Three patterns are possible depending on your profile:
Option 1 — Lessons via a partner school (Taghazout Bay)
Almost all the surf schools in the Taghazout Bay and Tamraght area offer group lessons on reservation. Average rate 45–70 € for 2 hours with board, leash and wetsuit provided. Most schools pick guests up at the Riu lobby and shuttle them to Banana Beach (Tamraght, 8 minutes by road), where beginner and intermediate lessons take place.
Indicative weekly volume: 6 sessions at 60 € = 360 €. Less still if you take a school package over 5 or 7 days.
Who it’s for: beginners, intermediates consolidating, teens and children learning.
Option 2 — Independent surf with board hire
If you’re already self-sufficient (solid intermediate and up), hire a board for the week from a village shop (300–600 MAD depending on model) and use a taxi or shuttle to reach Anchor Point, Hash Point or Imsouane depending on the morning’s conditions. Riu → Anchor Point: 12 minutes, taxi 50–70 MAD.
Who it’s for: confident surfers who want flexibility on spot choice depending on the swell.
Option 3 — Day trip to Imsouane
About an hour’s drive north, Imsouane and its famous Cathedral Bay deserve a day. Excursions organised either by the hotel or by district schools: 300–500 MAD per person, transport + board + coach included. It’s the surf highlight of a Riu stay for a confident intermediate. See our Imsouane guide for the detail on the two bays.
Who the Riu Palace Tikida is the best choice for
The ideal Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout guest profile:
- A family with children where one parent wants to surf for an hour in the morning while the rest of the family enjoys the pool and kids club
- A couple where one partner doesn’t surf and prefers all-inclusive comfort, the spa and the entertainment
- A package traveller familiar with the Riu format (Punta Cana, Cabo, Cancún) who finds familiar bearings in Morocco
- A group of non-surfing friends who accept that one member slips away in the morning for lessons
The profile this is NOT the best fit for:
- The intensive surfer who wants two sessions a day, 6:30 a.m. starts, personal kit for a week
- The independent traveller who prefers the authentic village atmosphere
- The tight-budget traveller — Riu’s all-inclusive really pays off in high school-holiday season
- The surfer looking for community — at the Riu you mingle with European package families, not surfers on a dedicated trip
Alternatives to the Riu Palace Tikida
For an equivalent budget (1,400–2,200 € a week) but surf-oriented, the options are radically different:
Premium surf camp in Tamraght or Taghazout village — for example Surf Maroc Villa Mandala, Munga Guesthouse, Paradis Plage Resort (Tamraght, 5-star ecolodge). Surf package included, coach supervision, two sessions a day. Rate 1,200–1,800 € a week without flights.
Neighbouring resort in Taghazout Bay — Hyatt Place (4-star, à la carte), Hyatt Regency (5-star, à la carte), Hilton Taghazout Bay Beach Resort & Spa, Fairmont. All in the same zone, with slightly different profiles. See our guide to the Hyatt Place Taghazout Bay for a direct comparison.
Riad or guesthouse in Taghazout village — the authentic option at a moderate budget (50–120 € a night). Local accommodation + à la carte surf sessions with independent schools.
Getting to the Riu Palace Tikida
The Riu is 30 km north of Agadir Al-Massira airport (AGA), around 40 minutes on the P8. For a TUI / Marmara / Promovacances client, the airport transfer is generally included in the package — a charter bus that serves the Riu and surrounding hotels. For an independent traveller: private taxi 200–300 MAD (20–30 €).
For more detail on transport options, see our guide Agadir → Taghazout: getting to the surf village from the airport.
Wrap-up: what to remember
- The Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout is a 5-star all-inclusive from the Riu group, in the Taghazout Bay zone, 5 km south of the historic village.
- Full all-inclusive board + drinks + 24-hour snacks — surfing not included but accessible via partner schools.
- Distance to spots: Banana Beach 4 km / Anchor Point 7 km / Imsouane 1 hour by road.
- Target audience: families and packages; for a 100% surf stay, a surf camp is a better fit.
- Indicative rate: 1,400–2,200 € per week flight + stay in high season, half that off-season.
To place the Riu within the Moroccan surf ecosystem or compare it with other accommodation options, see our full guide to Morocco’s surf spots.
FAQ
- Is the Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout a true all-inclusive?
- Yes, in the classic Riu format: full board + drinks (local and international) + 24-hour snacks + several themed restaurants + entertainment. The advertised rate covers almost everything you consume on site. Extras: external excursions, the spa, and certain à la carte restaurants on reservation. It's the Riu model you'll recognise from the group's other destinations (Punta Cana, Cabo, Cancún).
- Is surfing included in the Riu Palace Tikida package?
- No. Surfing isn't included in the all-inclusive package. The hotel connects guests with partner schools in the Taghazout Bay zone (group lessons 45–70 € for 2 hours, board and wetsuit included), but the cost is on top. For a fully integrated 100% surf stay, a surf camp where sessions, board and coach are bundled into the package is a better fit.
- How far is the Riu Palace Tikida from Anchor Point?
- About 7 km north, around 10–12 minutes by car on the P8. The Taghazout Bay district (which also houses the Hyatt Place, Hilton and Fairmont) groups the chain hotels at roughly equal distance from the spots. A shuttle or private taxi runs 50–70 MAD (5–7 €). By bike, allow 25 minutes on a two-lane road.
- Is the Riu Palace Tikida family-friendly?
- Yes — that's probably the hotel's primary clientele. Kids club, children's pools, multilingual entertainment, buffet restaurants with wide choice, paid babysitting. For a family with children where one parent wants to surf casually (an hour in the morning) while keeping hotel comfort, the Riu Palace Tikida is one of the best options in the area.
- What's the average price for a week at the Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout?
- In high season (French school holidays, Christmas and New Year weeks), expect 1,400–2,200 € for a week in a double room all-inclusive, flight included from Paris. Off-season (May, June, September), it drops to 700–1,200 €. TUI, Marmara, Promovacances and FRAM regularly bundle Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout package deals.