Moroccan homes ideally placed for year-round sun and snow holidays

The wraps have come off homes for sale in a major new country club development in Morocco where residents will be able to enjoy year-round holidays which include skiing in the winter months.

Luxurious traditionally-styled villas, ranging in size from three to six bedrooms, are planned for the 285 hectare (704 acre) Samanah Country Club. Located 10 minutes from the centre of Marrakech and only 40 minutes by road from the Oukaimden ski resort in the Atlas mountains, the country club is being built around a Jack Nicklaus signature 18-hole golf course.

“The name of Jack Nicklaus is synonymous with superior golf design,” says Gerry Jones, joint managing director of Newbury-based Saffron Villas, the UK’s leading Moroccan property specialist, which is selling the 560 villas planned for the country club.

“Samanah is destined to become yet another of the spectacular golf courses worldwide which share the Nicklaus philosophy of enhancing the natural environment while creating a course which are both challenging and enjoyable for players of all ages.”

In addition to the golf clubhouse, a social club, sports centre and spa, as well as a creche and children’s play area, Samanah will include three five-star hotels.

One of the hotels has been designed in the style of a traditional riad, built around a fountain in a central courtyard garden.

Bars, restaurants, shops and a businesses centre with seminar facilities are included in the plans.

Landscaping includes a large lake, water features, leafy walks and tree-lined streets.

Many of the villas will occupy front-line positions on the golf course. Designed for indoor/outdoor living and entertaining, they are set in spacious gardens with their own pools. Some have separate staff quarters.

Current off-plan prices start at £284,000 for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom villa on a 1,340 sq m plot, rising to just over £1.2 million for a six-bedroom home.

An on-site management company will handle rentals for owners keen to secure an income from their properties which, say Saffron Villas, could command peak week rentals between £2,000 and £20,000, depending on the size of the property.

The scope for capital appreciation is considerable, says the firm which is predicting that property values at Samanah will rise by as much as 20 per cent within the next two years.

Samanah is a 15 minute drive from the international airport at Marrakech.

Saffron Villas, which has on its books more properties in Marrakech than any other UK agent, can supply more information about Samanah on telephone 01635 253121.