Fantastic activities for kids, but let down by freezing pools, poor drinks, and a frustrating checkout
We recently stayed at the Pickalbatros Club Sangho Marrakech for 4 days in April as a family of four (a couple and two children aged 3 and 7). We booked a Family Pool View room. While the resort has incredible potential and wonderful staff, several management and maintenance issues stripped away the 4-to-5-star experience.
The Highlights (The Good Bits):
Excellent Rooms & Service: Our Family Pool View room was incredibly spacious with comfortable bedding and a massive terrace. Room service was very friendly and the room was spotlessly cleaned daily.
Superb Kids Entertainment: The entertainment team was fantastic—highly energetic and brilliant at including everyone. The Kids Club was a hit for our 3 and 7-year-olds (face painting and indoor toddler slides), and the free VR/gaming room was a massive bonus.
Great Sports & Amenities: There is a top-notch basketball court, a football pitch with good artificial grass, and a padel court (just remember to book this in advance).
Late Departure Flexibility: Since our flight was in the evening and checkout was at 12:00 PM, the hotel kindly allowed us to use the resort's common facilities for an extra 3 hours, and they booked our airport taxi for us.
The Lowlights (The Bad Bits):
Freezing Pools & Safety Issues: We visited in April, and the water in the main pool and the waterpark was absolutely freezing. There is only one small heated pool in the corner of the resort, but it was open for just one day of our stay (closed for maintenance the rest of the time). When it was open, the water was uncomfortably hot (around 35-40°C). Furthermore, the waterpark has great slide options, but some of the steps on the slide stairs were loose, which felt unsafe.
Food & Drink Disappointments: The drinks were a major letdown—poor quality, zero variety, and served in cheap, disposable plastic glasses. There were also far too many flies all around, specifically in the main restaurant areas. While there is a vast variety of food across three restaurants (Main, Moroccan, and Asian), some food items were not fresh or warm. Also, be aware that the Moroccan and Asian "à la carte" restaurants are actually just buffets.
The Checkout Experience (Very Poor):
Our departure left a bitter taste. After checking out, our pre-booked taxi arrived and was waiting with my family inside. The reception staff suddenly stopped me to ask if I had paid the local tourist taxes at check-in. I said yes, but because they never provided a receipt at check-in, I had to pull up my mobile banking app to prove the card transaction.
The receptionist then claimed their system had been down during our check-in, a mistake had been made, and we owed an additional 300 MAD. With my family waiting in the running taxi, I felt pressured to just pay the cash to avoid missing our flight. Shockingly, they refused or failed to provide a receipt for this additional cash payment as well.
Verdict: The kids had a fun time with the activities, but management seriously needs to address pool temperatures, dining hygiene, and their highly unprofessional front desk payment procedures.
