"We recently stayed at the Pickalbatros Sungo Club on the outskirts of Marrakech, and it was very much a tale of two halves — genuinely impressive in some areas, but with room for significant improvement in others.
The Rooms — Excellent
The accommodation was a real highlight. The rooms are exceptionally spacious and beautifully presented, with a comfortable, modern feel throughout. Housekeeping visited every single day without fail, keeping everything fresh and tidy. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference to the overall experience and is exactly what you’d hope for from a hotel of this calibre. I do appreciate this was not everyone’s experience at the hotel and some people had issues with house keeping. One thing the hotel did was let us keep our room until 1pm on the day of check out. This was a small gesture but helped us massively as we were not being picked up until 4.20pm. A definite tick in the box for a positive customer experience.
The Facilities — Brilliant
Where this resort truly shines is its facilities, which are genuinely world-class. The centrepiece is a fantastic water park that kept guests of all ages entertained for hours. Beyond that, there are multiple pools to choose from, a full-size football pitch, padel courts, and a very good gym that is well-equipped and modern, a great kids clubs— a great variety that means there is never a shortage of things to do. If you’re travelling with a group or a family, the activities alone make this place worth considering.
The Food — Needs Significant Improvement
Unfortunately, the dining experience was where the resort fell short, and for a property marketed at four stars and above, this is hard to overlook. Every evening meal — including in what are advertised as à la carte restaurants — is served as a buffet. That alone is disappointing, but the real issue is the complete lack of organisation at mealtimes. It is genuinely chaotic: queues go unmanaged, people push in freely, and guests are regularly left to source their own cutlery and drinks. It feels more like a budget canteen than a premium resort restaurant.
A particularly serious concern is the complete absence of food labelling. We were travelling with someone in our party who has a severe nut allergy, and it was genuinely stressful trying to work out what was safe to eat. Nothing on the buffet is labelled with ingredients or allergen information, which is not just an inconvenience — it’s a real safety issue that the hotel needs to address urgently.
To give credit where it is due: when we explained the situation at the bakery using Google Translate, the chef was wonderful. He came out personally and prepared a fresh batch of pastries made without nuts so that our guest could actually eat something. That was a genuinely kind gesture and showed that individual staff members care. There are staff that really care and a special shout out to Aziz at breakfast who was brilliant and a credit to the hotel.
Drinks & Bar Service — Long Queues and Shortages
The bar situation also needs addressing. Queuing for drinks was a regular and frustrating experience, with waits that were far too long for a resort of this size. On multiple occasions the ice cream and beer had also run out entirely, which was a recurring disappointment, especially in the Moroccan heat. One thing to keep an eye out on is there are so many bees due to the drinks. There is nothing the hotel can do about this but it is something to be aware of and we found that if you left them alone they were not aggressive at all.
Some additional information which may help.
Free Shuttle to the Medina — The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle bus into the Marrakech medina and back, which is a fantastic perk. However, you must book your place in advance, and be warned — it will not wait if you are late back to the meeting point. Make sure you know exactly where and when to return, or you could find yourself arranging your own way back.
Beach Towel Deposit — A deposit of 100 dirhams is required per beach towel, which is returned to you at the end of your stay. Just make sure you keep track of your towels throughout the holiday to avoid any unnecessary stress on checkout day.
Tipping Goes a Long Way — If you do tip the staff, you will notice a marked improvement in the level of service you receive. It is entirely your choice, but a little generosity does seem to go a long way here and can make a real difference to your overall experience.
Overall
The Pickalbatros Sungo Club has the bones of a brilliant resort. The rooms and facilities are genuinely impressive, and individual staff members showed real warmth and initiative. But the dining experience needs a serious overhaul before this hotel can truly live up to its four-star-plus billing. Sort out the food and drink operation, and this place would be very hard to beat."
