Sofitel has opened a luxury property in the new Moroccan resort of Essaouira Mogador on the country’s Atlantic coast.

The Mogador resort is set in some 600 hectares of forest along 4 kilometers of coast line, boasting a 36-hole Gary Player golf course and a number of exclusive villas.

The villas are all designed to be eco-friendly thanks to features such as energy-efficient lighting and water recycling systems.

As of this week, it’s also home to the massive Sofitel Essaouira Mogador Golf and Spa, a spectacular resort property which offers 147 rooms and 28 villas with private pools.

Designed to blend in with its natural surroundings, the hotel is built around a huge stone reception area which offers a view over the golf course and out to the ocean, as well as being home to the Tea Lounge and a cocktail bar.

For gastronomes, the hotel offers live cooking shows on the terrace in the Kasbah Cafe or a more formal restaurant Atelier aux Aromes, which serves a blend of French and Moroccan cooking.

Two of the resort’s villas have been designed by fashion brand Lacoste and Sofitel has also partnered with Clarins and 5 Mondes to equip the property’s 1,300 square meter So SPA.

Accor‘s new property is one of four top-end properties slated to open in Mogador, with Thailand-based Anantara also planning to open a luxury getaway featuring 40 rooms and 60 villas in 2012.