I went to Sangho Club Privilege with my girlfriend and her parents. We stayed 1 week in February 2011. It was a great place to relax. The hotel is an excellent location for visiting Marrakech. It has a great shuttle service to the centre of Marrakech. The hotel was not so crowded. There were only some aged French couples. So that was the reason why the animation were often asking us to join them in the activities. That was because there were of course some older people. So if you go to this hotel in the summer, and you don't want to do the activities, don't bother because there will be a lot of young people. The food is Moroccan of oriental so that's fine. Some personnel love there job and do it with a smile, but other personnel hate their job and are very lazy. The swimming pool looked very clean. The rooms were very clean also. But the minigolf is a bit old. The minizoo is nice for the kids. The oriental show on Tuesday evening was great.

Driving up the long entrance to the Sangho one could be forgiven for thinking they've struck gold.
This assumption would be entirely incorrect.
The infrastructure is old and very tired, my guess would be mid-60s. I can't think of one area which didn't show signs of needing repair or renovation. Every floor area has a cracked tile somewhere, a lot of the glass around the place is chipped, any metalwork such as railings around the bar terrace are streaked with rust, the paths around the grounds are uneven, steps are worn.....when it rained, the ground floor and pathways flooded and remained so for several days. Absolutely nothing looks fresh. Most alarming of all are the electrical fittings throughout...light bulbs dangling, wall sockets hanging out, and in a few select places bare wires just waiting for a victim.
Beware the pool area...One of our guys sliced his foot open on the waterslide somehow.
The room itself was adequate but bear in mind all we needed was somewhere to sleep. The main door didn't shut correctly unless forced and the bathroom was all a bit grotty. The shower/taps selector did nothing - water came out of both at once whatever was set, and the shower head could only be raised to chest-height.
Don't expect any peace - the tiled floors and corridors make excellent echo chambers which carry the non-stop noise of doors slamming, service carts being bumped down the stairs, kids yelling or parties in other rooms.
The aircon did not work. At all.
On to the staff.....they're keen I'll give them that.
The domestic staff were very thorough and polite but appeared not to understand a "Do not disturb" tag. They'd knock anyway, and then regardless of any reply they'd just use their pass key and enter the room. The bar staff are odd.....a couple of times when in the bar during the afternoon I witnessed some blazing rows between staff who seemed to care little for the impression this created, nor for my desire for a bit of peace and quiet on an afternoon off. The bar pianist/singer really needs to be told its not 1974 any more and just the one Neil Sedaka song per evening is sufficient.
The concierge/security staff are good value though - book a taxi, wait for it to turn up, and then watch a fully blown fist fight between the driver and hotel staff unfold before your very eyes. No idea why - it just seemed to happen.
Worse than all of this though are the irritatingly amateur "Animators" or in-house entertainment staff. They lay on all manner of naff activities, most of which involve crappy '80s pop music blasting out across the pool area and terrace, whether you want to listen or not.
We only had breakfast included. Luke warm machine dispensed "coffee", bland croissants, or errr.....tomatoes for breakfast anyone? Really weird menu. If you choose an omelette you may have to explain to the chef that transparent egg white oozing out generally means it's not cooked. When it got busy (see below), the only thing missing from the dining room in the mornings was a referee and a ball - otherwise it could be mistaken for a game of Rugby with guests literally elbowing one another to get to the coffee machine and servery.
During our stay there was some sort of student talent contest camp going on. Just dreadful. The place was rammed with teenagers, with the obvious knock-on effect of noise from the bar carrying across the hotel grounds and in to our room until 4am (and we had to leave the windows open as the aircon was busted don't forget)
Once they'd all cleared off the hotel then filled with French tourists, the children of whom were just rude, badly behaved and noisy, making the most of those echoey corridors to disrupt other guests.
There is a free bus in to town, with a 15 minute walk at the end. Why it can't stop where all the other tour busses do - at the central Place Djeema Al Fna - was never entirely clear. The huge crack across the windscreen isn't reassuring.
In summary, the Sangho is way past its best on virtually every level.
I got booked in here by my work, without any form of agreement or recommendation from me.
If it was my own money I would've checked out and hit the Ibis in town after one night.
I've sat here pondering for an hour - and cannot think of one good thing to say about the Sangho.

Great location for vacationing and sightseeing. Hotel transportation to Marrakech and back is satisfactory during daytime. To see Marrakech by night, we returned to hotel by taxi (cost 150 Dirh.).
Room was fine (air cond.) and the bedding very comfortable. There is no fridge this was not a problem for us. The bathroom needs a bit of a freshup (work in progress in other rooms) and hopefully the shower curtrains are being replaced by glass panels. Also the WC flushing made a noise like a FA-18 fighter plane.
The park and pool are great and very relaxing (with few guests at the hotel) - the water temperature was "refreshing" for a PM temperature of 35° C.
We booked half-board pension - the breakfast buffet was satisfactory (no more) while dinner was good. In the evaluation form I mentioned that it would be appreciated if they could get rid of the flies!
Don't expect to buy postage stamps or newspapers at the reception or kiosk in front of the hotel! The reception sent me to the kiosk and the kiosk to the reception (buy the stamps with the postcards).
Overall a good stay (value for money). for people that want a quiet vacation mixed with an occasional sightseeing trip.

Returning to the amazing city of Marrakech since our first trip 3 ½ years ago we stayed in the splendid Club Sangho in the Palmeraie, the oasis of 150,000 palm trees north east of the Medina or walled City. This was a bit like Walt Disney does Morocco with the swimming pool pure Bedrock from the Flintstones. Nevertheless it was somewhat splendid.

A colleague a year ago had found Club Sangho when she went down to Marrakech on my recommendation and booked it on a hotel booking site. I booked this time on their own website which is all in French. It is nonetheless a strange booking experience as you get a booking voucher but no confirmation email and subsequent emails to the webmaster went unanswered. The only other contact point given is a French call centre number in Paris. This is not the most practical contact point from the UK; what I wanted was a direct email or phone number for the hotel. So I was somewhat nervous when we disembarked at Marrakech Menara Airport early in the morning. We had arranged a transfer directly over the internet so didn’t know what to expect but I needn’t have worried as our helpful driver was waiting with an older model but still very acceptable S-Class Mercedes. Club Sangho is around 10kms away in the Palmeriae and as always it is wonderful to see the passing parade on the way in this most exotic of cities.

When we arrive at Club Sangho we are impressed at the imposing gateway and the avenue lined by King Palms leading to an impressive forecourt and an equally impressive reception in a palatial Moroccan style. Going to the reception desk with my voucher from their own website it was obvious we were not expected and this was the first they knew of us. Nonetheless they handled things well. We were sat down in reception and given a complimentary cocktail. After only five minutes an English speaking member of staff booked us in and we were led by a porter to our room. This involved going through the gardens and the sight which met us was stunning. A triple swimming pool with a cascade and slide surrounded by beautifully tended gardens and behind in the “Bedrock” building another large indoor pool and an extensively equipped Spa and Balenotherapy centre. The rooms are arranged in an arc in the gardens as connected Riad style pavilions with either a terrace or a balcony leading onto internal double height Riad style courtyards with fountains and typical decorative lanterns – the effect is not unpleasant and certainly gives visual interest. Our room was on the ground floor and excellent, traditionally decorated with Moroccan style bespoke furniture a double bed, a pair of bunk beds and a separate bathroom and toilet.

The shakiness of the booking system was illustrated when we went for a stroll in the grounds and the porter who brought us to our room came up and asked us to go to reception. It turned out they had thought our voucher was prepaid as it is mostly French package tourists who come here. No problem and I was happy to pay the price on our voucher, 288 euros for 4 nights’ half board for 2. The hotel is set in 11 ha. Of grounds and there is every facility there for families, tennis and netball courts, football pitches, basketball, a well used boules court and even its own children’s zoo and aviary. We found ourselves having lunch in the snack bar in the grounds which is set in an orange grove. It was a lovely haven and the Moroccan Brochette I ordered was “just so” perfectly done and beautifully presented – a hint of the high standards of the food elsewhere. Afterwards a gentle post prandial stroll through the delightful grounds. One bad feature is the shopping arcade in front of the hotel which is pretty useless. Firstly half the shops were closed or empty and the stock in the ones which were opened was past its sell by date. They are probably astonished that people are not buying their faded dog eared postcards. But the main surprise for hotel shops was that they were not Prix Fixe – You do not expect in hotel shops NOT to have goods priced and to go through the routine of asking a price and being given the rubbish patter “get what you want all together and I give you a good price.” Indeed! We walked away as I’m sure most visitors will; the hotel really needs to sort out this rubbish retail proposition plus vite.

Now when you book half board you are a bit of a hostage to fortune and don’t know what to expect. As we headed towards the double height and palatial Koutoubia Restaurant that night we travelled with no expectation but what met us astonished us. Each and every night of our stay what I can only describe as the evening banquets became the highlight. Each night there was a (different) astonishing display of superb Moroccan cuisine fresh and served over charcoal braziers with chefs on hand serving and cooking specialities, and a superb range of patisserie and deserts. No safe “International” food here but the “real deal” and a very generous deal at that. Even at breakfast you had as well as the extensive buffet a chef freshly cooking omelettes to order, a Dada (traditional female cook) was doing the fresh Moroccan pancakes and another person serving fresh mint teas. You could happily forget about the room and the food makes the Sangho value for money on its own.

Another feature of this hotel is the team of Jeunes Animateurs or organisers who do the poolside activities (as well as exercise classes and a kids club there are free Arabic and cooking classes) and who we got to know over the few days as they were anxious to practice their English but they were also making an effort to include us. They were doing tourism courses at University and this was their practical experience and they were a delightful and hard working group of young people. They would ask new arrivals if they could join them at dinner and make them welcome and fill them in on the activities. They had “events” in the Koutoubia so you might be welcomed to dinner by a cavalcade of bonsoirs and salaams from a welcome line dressed in traditional costumes. Afterwards in the music bar they would have live music and dancing each evening and they would politely ask you up to dance and also involve the children in the entertainment. Most nights there is a Chicago style revue in the hotel theatre which showcases their talent. The girls wear modesty shorts for the routines but it is nonetheless very western and indeed probably more risqué because they feel they can let go protected by their clothing! There is also a shisha café, the Caleche a la carte restaurant and a late night club which is free to residents.

In reception Rachida runs the tour desk and her English is good if you need advice or pointers. They offer a package deal of three day tours to the Atlas Mountains, to Essaouira and to the Medina for 99 euros and she can arrange most other things for you. There is a free shuttle bus (which you need to book) to downtown Marrakech so we never needed a taxi to the Club Sangho during our stay. The Balenotherapy centre offers a full range of beauty and health treatments but it is not cheap, they price up to Paris prices.

So given the location, the standard, the excellent staff and superb facilities, the wonderful food and the included entertainment the Club Sangho is a wonderful Marrakech base and superb value for money by any standards. So why was it half empty when we were there? Well Sangho are a French / North African joint venture with a number of properties in Morocco and Tunisia aimed fairly and squarely at the French family package holiday market, although many Moroccan families visit for weekend breaks. However they are badly missing out on the new budget traveller market of people using the budget airlines to Marrakech (Ryanair, easyJet, Transavia, Atlas Blue,) and people wanting to make accommodation arrangements directly. They need to update the website, have it in several languages, send out confirmation emails and make it easy to use and book. In summary, once you get around the francophone bias, Club Sangho is a stormer of a deal which I would highly recommend to any visitor looking for an alternative base away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Marrakech.