Marrakech golf villa in winter: heating, heated pool and daylight
- 26 October 2026
A golf villa in Marrakech works well from November to March, provided you check three things before you book: bedroom heating (nights average 5.9°C in January), the real water temperature of the pool, and when the light goes (5.30pm in mid-December, local time). Afternoons average 19 to 24°C, and the first tee times run from 7.30am to 8.15am depending on the club and the month. Below are the official figures and the questions to ask when choosing a winter villa for a golf trip.
What a Marrakech winter asks of a villa
The gap between day and night is what matters. The World Meteorological Organization’s 1991-2020 normals for the Marrakech station show mild afternoons and cold nights, with an average spread of 12 to 13°C between the day’s high and low:
| Month | Average high | Average low | Lowest recorded low (1991-2020) | Rain days (1 mm or more) | Days with wind of 10 m/s or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 23.1°C | 10.7°C | 2.3°C | 3.8 | 5.2 |
| December | 20.1°C | 7.3°C | 0.4°C | 4.1 | 3.9 |
| January | 19.1°C | 5.9°C | -3.6°C | 3.0 | 3.6 |
| February | 20.7°C | 7.6°C | -1.5°C | 3.7 | 7.3 |
| March | 23.6°C | 10.3°C | 3.3°C | 4.7 | 13.7 |
Source: WMO 1991-2020 normals, Marrakech station (60230, 464 m), NOAA/NCEI archive.
What that means for the house:
- Evenings and nights matter as much as the day. From December to February the average low is 5.9 to 7.6°C. Heating in the bedrooms is not a detail.
- Frost is rare, not impossible. On average 0.2 frost days a year, all in January; the lowest reading of the period was -3.6°C, in January 2005.
- Rain is short-lived but real. Three to five wet days a month: plan somewhere to dry shoes and waterproofs between rounds.
March is the windiest month in the table (13.7 days with wind of 10 m/s, about 22 mph, or more), which affects how pleasant an outdoor pool is. Month-by-month weather, high-season green fees and where else to play are in our guide to winter golf in Morocco; this page is about the house.
Daylight and tee times
Morocco went back to GMT on 20 September 2026 (decree no. 2.26.530). Through the winter, Marrakech is on the same time as the UK; after UK clocks go forward on 28 March 2027, it is one hour behind. The times below are Moroccan local time: sunrise and sunset calculated for Marrakech by the US Naval Observatory, tee times published month by month by Samanah Golf Club.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Samanah: first tee | Samanah: last 18-hole tee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 November 2026 | 7.00am | 5.33pm | 10 h 33 min | 8.00am | 2.15pm |
| 15 December 2026 | 7.24am | 5.30pm | 10 h 06 min | 8.15am | 2.00pm |
| 15 January 2027 | 7.32am | 5.51pm | 10 h 19 min | 8.15am | 2.00pm |
| 15 February 2027 | 7.14am | 6.18pm | 11 h 04 min | 8.00am | 2.15pm |
| 15 March 2027 | 6.42am | 6.40pm | 11 h 58 min | 7.30am | 2.30pm |
What the other clubs publish:
- Assoufid Golf Club: first-tee starts from 7.30am to 2.00pm at 10-minute intervals, with the note “tee times may vary seasonally”. Members have priority on the 1st tee until 9.30am. The club rules expect an 18-hole round to take no more than 3 hours 50 minutes.
- Fairmont Royal Palm: golf open from 8.00am to 6.00pm, January to December, according to the hotel’s golf page.
- Samanah Golf Club: open seven days a week, 365 days a year, with a twilight green fee from 1.00pm in December and January, 1.15pm in November and February and 1.30pm in March.
The sum that shapes the day: at the maximum pace in Assoufid’s rules, a 2.00pm start on 15 December finishes at about 5.50pm, twenty minutes after sunset. In December and January, book morning rounds. At the same pace, an 8.15am start at Samanah finishes at about 12.05pm and leaves the sunny afternoon for the villa.
A winter golf trip from a private villa: tell us your dates and tee times. We build the trip to measure: courses, tee times, accommodation and transfers.
Heating: what to ask before you book
Ask these questions in writing; each one has a golfing reason:
- Is every bedroom heated, and how? Reversible air conditioning, radiators, underfloor heating or a single stove in the lounge: get the answer room by room. With average lows of 5.9 to 7.6°C from December to February, a cold bedroom costs you sleep, then shots on the first tee.
- Is there enough hot water for the whole group at once? Back from the course, eight golfers want a shower within the same half hour. Ask how many bathrooms there are and what the hot-water system can supply.
- Where will you eat? The sun sets around 5.30pm in December, so dinner is indoors or on a heated terrace. Ask whether the dining room seats the whole group and whether there is terrace heating.
- Is there a fireplace, and is firewood supplied? A log fire is part of the appeal of a winter villa; ask whether it can be used and whether wood is charged separately.
- Where does the kit dry? With three to five wet days a month, a utility room for shoes and waterproofs saves you setting off damp the next morning. Ask too where golf bags are stored under cover.
Our site does not list specific villas: the house is proposed with the quote. So put these points in your request and get each answer confirmed in writing.
Heated pool: what to pin down
“Heated pool” can mean almost anything. Winter days are mild (average highs of 19.1 to 23.6°C) but nights are cold, so an unheated pool stays cool even in bright sunshine. To know whether you will actually swim after golf, ask for:
- the water temperature, in degrees, and the period it applies to;
- how the pool is heated and the hours the heating runs;
- whether heating is included in the price or charged as an extra, per day or per stay;
- whether the pool has a cover at night, and how exposed it is to the wind (March averages 13.7 days of wind at about 22 mph or more);
- when the sun leaves the terrace: on 15 December it sets at 5.30pm.
In December and January, pool time sits between your return from golf and sunset, which is what an early tee time buys you. If swimming matters to the group, November and March give more light (10 h 33 and 11 h 58 of daylight on the dates in the table) and average highs around 23°C.
Running the golf day from the villa
- Breakfast before the round. The stay on our holidays page includes a dedicated chef cooking in the villa: ask what time breakfast can be served for an 8.00am or 8.15am tee time.
- The drive. Private transfers between the airport, the villa and the courses are part of the offer. Drive times depend on where the house is: without traffic, allow about 12 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna square to Royal Golf Marrakech, 21 minutes to Assoufid and 23 minutes to Samanah (OSRM routing). Add the drive and your warm-up to the tee time to set the driver’s pick-up.
- Caddies. A caddie has been compulsory on every course in Morocco since the Royal Moroccan Golf Federation circular of 29 May 2025, so budget one for every round, winter or summer.
- Rain. At Fairmont Royal Palm, golf carts are not permitted in the rain, and the club asks you to check with the golf reception beforehand. Assoufid’s rules also allow the course to be closed in adverse weather.
- Ramadan. According to the UK Foreign Office, the next Ramadan starts in February 2027; exact dates vary. Our guide to golf in Morocco during Ramadan explains what changes.
For a stay of several weeks or months (club memberships, the 90-day rule, insurance), see our guide to Marrakech long-stay winter golf. To compare a villa with a chef against a hotel on cost, see golf villa in Marrakech with a private chef.
What to put in your quote request
Our golf holidays in Marrakech include a private villa for 3 to 21 people, a dedicated chef cooking in the villa, private transfers between the airport, the villa and the courses, and rounds on Marrakech’s 13 courses chosen with you. Prices start at €1,150 per golfer (about £960). For a winter stay, add to your request:
- your exact dates, since daylight grows from 10 h 06 min in mid-December to nearly 12 hours by mid-March;
- how many golfers and non-golfers, and how many bedrooms you want;
- “heating in every bedroom” if it matters to you, plus the hot-water question for the whole group;
- “heated pool”, with the water temperature you expect, and whether heating is included;
- your preferred courses and tee times (morning or afternoon);
- the breakfast time you want and what you expect from dinners at the villa;
- your budget per person.
A heated villa and morning tee times: say so in your request. We build the trip to measure: courses, tee times, accommodation and transfers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a villa in Marrakech cold in winter?
The nights are. From December to February the average low is 5.9 to 7.6°C on the WMO 1991-2020 normals, and the lowest reading of the period was -3.6°C in January. A house without bedroom heating can be cold indoors, so ask in writing, room by room, how the villa is heated.
Can you swim in a villa pool in Marrakech in December?
Only if the pool is genuinely heated. December afternoons average 20.1°C, but nights fall to around 7°C. Ask for the water temperature in degrees, the hours the heating runs and whether heating is included in the price or charged on top.
What time does it get dark in Marrakech in winter?
Sunset is at 5.30pm on 15 December, 5.51pm on 15 January and 6.40pm on 15 March, local time, according to the US Naval Observatory. Morocco has been on GMT since 20 September 2026, so in winter it is on the same time as the UK.
What tee time should you book in winter?
A morning one. Samanah publishes a first tee at 8.15am in December and January and a last 18-hole tee at 2.00pm. At the maximum pace in Assoufid’s rules (3 hours 50 minutes), a 2.00pm start in mid-December finishes after sunset.
Does the stay include a heated villa?
Our holidays page describes a private villa for 3 to 21 people, a dedicated chef and private transfers, from €1,150 per golfer, without listing the equipment of any house. Bedroom heating and pool heating are points to specify in your quote request.
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