There is a real sense of arrival to the Atlantic Palace with a long drive up to the striking main entrance with a set of stairs leading to an arched front door flanked by palms. The immense lobby, which stretches for tens of metres, features a shiny marble floor with Moroccan motifs, plenty of comfortable seating in the form of plush emerald green armchairs and, most arresting of all, an intricate carved ceiling from which hang beautiful Moroccan lamps. The reception desk to the left of the entrance as you walk in is manned by several members of staff, each one professional, friendly and well-informed.
In terms of the hotel's public spaces, which are all kept beautifully, the largest has to be the swimming pool area. In the form of a flower, it measures a massive 2,000m² and is surrounded by lush greenery and plenty of sun loungers and parasols. There is ample space for all guests and the exposure to the sun is excellent for the majority of the day. Free towels are on offer to all guests and there is a separate kid's pool adjacent to the main one. In winter, the pool is heated to allow bathing all year round.
There are a whole host of other sporting activities available to clients from pétanque to ping pong or guided jogging routes to aquagym. The hotel boasts a tennis academy for people of all ages and also rents out bicycles for rides in the city centre or the Bensergao forest. But the major pull for guests here is the proximity of the golf course, just fifteen minutes from the town centre. The Gold de l'Océan has an academy and club house and offers several packages for the most avid of golfers. Guests at the Atlantic Palace have preferential rates at the course. For any other activities that you may want to do, such as horse riding, you can ask the concierge for advice.
While there is no big evening show or spectacle, the hotel does have an animation team, mainly for the kids, that provides soft animation throughout the day. There is both a baby and kids club on the premises where a qualified staff looks after young guests up to the age of twelve, although there is no full programme to keep the occupied all day long.
The hotel also has its own casino with all the traditional games, including roulette, poker, slot machines and more as well as a separate bar and restaurant. There is a free shuttle running between the hotel and the casino between 10pm and 4am.