disgirl: We stayed at the Beach Towers about 4 years ago and loved it. Note that the Beach Towers are not the fancy towers you see in all the pictures (I think those are the Royal towers), but the Beach Towers are, as the name implies, right on the beach. They are older, and also the least expensive. There is also a third set of towers, I think called the Coral Towers, roughly in between the other two in location and price.
Our room had a great view- because of the shape of the beach there, the rooms seem to look right down the beach with a great view of the ocean. The Royal Towers on the other hand are quite a way set back from the beach.
From the Beach Towers you can get to the other public areas (such as the restaurants and casino) by indoor corridors if you want, but the best way is through the outdoor grounds, which are spectacular. Right outside the Beach Towers are a pond with sea turtles, a grotto which leads to the beach past a very large aquarium which seems carved in the rock. The lazy river, the double slide, and a couple of pools are also nearby. What is not close is the Mayan temple which has the really big slides, but then it is not really close to anything.
The grounds are amazing, there are MANY pools, streams, unexpected sea life displays, etc., all in a lush naturalistic setting. There are many little interesting nooks and crannies everywhere you turn. And the aquariums which recreate sunken Atlantis have to be seen to be believed; it as if you are walking on ancient streets which lead out to the ruins where the fish are. In my opinion Atlantis is way more elaborate than any single Disney resort.
It is, however, quite expensive, especially the food (with a couple of exceptions. The snack bar on the beach right next to the Beach Towers had good food at a fairly reasonable price). There are only a few places within walking distance offsite where you will find less expensive food.
Finally, let me make a couple of comments about Harborside. We took the tour, and while they were nice we really didn't feel like we were at Atlantis when we were there and prefered our regular hotel room in the Beach Tower. For example, there are no lush walkways with ponds as you exit the building. It is sort of like OKW with the get away from it all feel, but it just felt remote. It is on the other side of the marina from Atlantis proper, and it is a shuttle ride (or fairly long walk) to get there from the rest of the resort, and no where near the beach. For example, there is another resort hotel next door to the main facility which is much closer to Atlantis than Harborside. Different strokes for different folks.
