Atlas Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed here last year, it was full. So full you couldn’t get a chair in the lounge or bar areas!, we had to sit outside, it was cold.
The only other area was the 'animation' for kids in the basement, We couldn’t understand what was going on, or the lyrics of the music, they were only young kids trying to entertain us, too noisy for us!
We couldn’t ever get a spot by the pool as large groups hogged them ALL DAY. Some families never left the hotel, they monopolised all seating and pool areas.
The rooms were ok, quite basic. The food was very 'samey' in sauces, the salads were good.
The queues at the bars were long, we used to order 2 drinks when we got served, although some staff refused to serve 2 a time. MOST staff were 'surly', none smiled.
I was unfortunate to have a tooth abscess, no help at all from reception, they charged me 50p to ring doctor!! - I had to go up to room to get change to pay them first!.
I was 'ripped off' by a dentist, who 'frog-marched' me to a bank to pay in cash!!.
The weather was mixed, also beware, lots of prostitutes on the main street.
The beach was dirty they charge you £12 a sunbed.
The main street was drab with dingy stalls selling tat.
If you like drinking all day, and do not leave the hotel, you will enjoy this holiday, I CERTAINLY didn’t!

We (4 adults and 5 kids) have just returned from a 2 week all inclusive at the Atlas hotel. The Atlas is lovely, clean and very plush. The cleaners are always milling around the hotel. Staff are mostly friendly although smiles are hard to find but that’s probably just a cultural thing.
The beach is a few minutes walk through some great small streets busy with restaurants, stalls and bars. I think all the rooms are air-conditioned and the noisy night life is kept at bay by double glazed windows and doors.
On the down side, the food at the Atlas’ restaurant although plentiful is a bit basic, bland and monotonous. After a few days I found I would much rather eat out to. The food elsewhere around Golden Sands is great and cheap, 15 to 25 Lv per head is more than enough for a great meal including drinks.
If our experience is typical, the Atlas’ Chinese restaurant is probably to be avoided, we aren’t picky eaters but I don’t think just adding a load of super salty soy sauce to different meat dishes qualifies them as Chinese, out of the 9 in our party none could eat their meal.
The Atlas’ all inclusive package is definitely on the low end of the scale and I’m afraid it was a bit of a let down. Away from main restaurant meal times the food options are limited to the likes of cold French fries, very bland pizza, mini sausages and cold (ish) pasta.
You aren’t permitted to use the hotel’s two main bars. In the daytime you're limited to a make shift bar pushed under some stairs and in the evening (‘till 11PM) to the outdoor ‘Ice bar’. Your room’s mini bar is also not in the all inclusive package, in fact there’s a warning that you’ll be charged 5 Lv a day if you put anything of your own in it.
It also seems ‘rules’ are not waived in the slightest. My pal went to the Ice bar at around 10:45 PM and joined the end of the 'last drinks' queue. When he eventually got to be served a ‘closed’ sign was plonked on the bar in front of him. He and the hand full of others who were still queuing were not impressed.
Rumour had it that this is a nightly event; surely with a bit of thought the bar staff could predict when to tell people to stop queuing.