Most people associate Morocco with medinas, desert dunes, and coastal sun. Michlifen is something else entirely. Sitting at nearly 1,700 metres in the Middle Atlas Mountains, surrounded by a cedar forest and overlooking the university town of Ifrane, this is one of the most unexpected luxury golf resorts in the world — and one of the most memorable I've ever stayed at.
Arrival & First Impressions
The drive up from Fez takes around an hour and a half, winding through cedar forest with Barbary macaques sitting on the roadside. By the time you pull up to Michlifen, you've already half-forgotten you're in Morocco. The architecture is a blend of Moroccan craftsmanship and alpine lodge — green copper roofs, carved wood detailing, warm lantern light. It manages to feel both grand and genuinely cosy, which isn't easy to pull off at this scale. The lobby, with its fireplace and hand-laid zellige tilework, set the tone immediately.
The Rooms
I stayed in one of the Junior Suites, which had a proper suite layout — separate living area, large windows framing the forested hillside, and a bathroom with a hammam and deep soaking tub. The rooms are dressed in warm earth tones and Moroccan textiles, with enough modern comfort that nothing feels rustic or compromised. On cooler evenings, having a fireplace in the room isn't a gimmick — it's actually necessary, and thoroughly appreciated.
The Golf
The Michlifen Country Club sits just below the resort, tucked between the trees at altitude. It's a genuinely unusual golf course — not in the sun-baked, sandy-rough style you might expect from Morocco, but lush, tree-lined fairways with cool mountain air and real elevation. The greens were in excellent condition when I played, and the combination of precision required off the tee (cedar trees are unforgiving) and the panoramic views made for a completely absorbing round. There's also a well-equipped golf academy for those who want to work on their game — the altitude alone gives you an extra 10–15 yards of carry, which never gets old.
The Spa & Wellness
The spa here is the kind of place you read about and assume is a bit of a marketing exercise — an outdoor treatment pavilion built on a platform in the treetops, with white curtains billowing in the mountain breeze while you get a massage. I can confirm it's entirely real and entirely extraordinary. The indoor spa is beautiful too — hammam circuit, hydrotherapy pool, and a relaxation area that looks out into the forest. After a round of golf at altitude, spending two hours working through the thermal circuit felt almost medicinal.
The Dining
Dining at Michlifen leans hard into Moroccan heritage, and the kitchen does it justice.
- L'Oriental is the main Moroccan restaurant — proper tagines, couscous, pastilla, and harira, served in a carved-cedar room with live Gnawa music some evenings. It's a full cultural experience as much as a meal.
- Le Cedray is the brasserie, more international in focus and perfect for a relaxed post-round lunch or a lighter evening meal.
- The Lounja Bar is ideal for pre-dinner cocktails beside the fireplace — the mixology team do a solid take on Moroccan-inspired drinks.
Breakfast is a generous spread of fresh msemen, Moroccan pastries, harira, and international options. One of the better hotel breakfasts I've had.
The Overall Stay
Michlifen is the kind of place that's very hard to leave. The combination of altitude, fresh air, excellent golf, and a spa that genuinely relaxes rather than just ticks a box creates something close to the perfect golf and wellness trip. It's not the beach or the desert, but that's exactly the point. If you've done the Marrakech resort circuit and want something genuinely different, or you simply want a world-class golf and spa break that feels a million miles from everywhere, Michlifen is the answer. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
