There is so many things to love about Marbella, Spain. We happily booked on our Marriott trade in…read morehere for a week into a 3 bedroom villa to celebrate our daughter who's a recent graduate and multi state bar pass attorney. We made it here after being in Madrid for 3 nights with our youngest who works for the FS corporation. I mention that, because one thing that happens in our stay was appalling and trust me , FS employees always notice.. First , this resort is beautiful. It's right on the beach. A beautiful gym; multi pools , including a heated one inside; a kids pool & play area; BBQ areas and multiple outlets for eating. The lobby is small, which made check in a bit slow. There is a market place, but it's pricey as it's on property. But it gets you what you need & our girls loved that it had quick pizzas and Euro snacks on the ready. There is a grocery store down the way , also pricey , but cheaper than on Marriott's property. The villa itself could use a bit of a renovation but it's very quiet and so nice and near so much in S. Spain. We had a large balcony over looking the grounds. The location superb. The villa itself was outfitted perfectly for our daughters and us for the 6 day stay. We had one misfire at the on site restaurant: his name is , ' Rofo' and he is a tyrant. He works at El Med, as a host --- maybe a waiter and wins the award for the rudest, most obnoxious staff member we encountered in Europe this year.. yes. The entire year. He sat us at 830, maybe closer to 9pm? But being in Spain, that is usually the dinner hour. We had been traveling all day so we heard music in the restaurant and one of our daughters had a headache and asked to sit on the patio, which he took issue with. She saw him roll his eyes as we sat at the outside table , ( he said we had to sit by 'his' door and order from the limited bar menu), so she left for the room & we went inside, which again aggravated him and he rolled his eyes again. He slammed the menus down and told us to hurry and order. He then placed bread on the table that we didn't want , ( charging us for it) & returning to say 'yes?' .. meaning he wanted our order. We ordered quickly. This was the vibe through our quick dinner; and when we listened to the great entertainment, that we loved and decided to order dessert since it seemed others were? He yelled at us, 'HURRY UP!! IT's almost 10 and we close!!' While tapping his watch and saying , 'I I , EYE EYE EYE O!' .. to that I finally said , ' that is NOT okay .. you are rude !' And he said ' you showed up late and chef is waiting !' .. I had NO clue what this man meant .. but we wanted our check and I was so angry and humiliated we vowed to never go back to this restaurant again. Moreover, it's a Marriott where we have over a weeks plus worth of points for this trip in Europe like we do every year and the American brands employee treated us that badly at dinner after our long day ? So that was our one HUGE issue. We did check out a day early and leave for Barcelona. The spa was also closed and that is not mentioned anywhere on any site or when you check in- it's only when you ask. That said most of our time here was great. It's a lovely location. There needs to be more restaurants with more variety open and a spa. Some updates are needed but I think we will definitely return and maybe Rofo will have a new career somewhere else :-)

Great food and service. No one told us a reservation was recommended though. Beautiful water views!read more

Hotel Nobu is an absolute dream! Situated adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea and alongside "The…read moreGolden Mile", the ritziest part of Marbella, lies this stunning, Andalusian style hotel, that aims to please. I thoroughly enjoyed my entire stay here, and you will too. The lushly manicured grounds are maintained exceptionally well. In fact, they were just adding a fresh coat of stark white paint to the dwellings while I was visiting, which was beautifully accented by cobalt blue wall pottery, containing bright pink flowers. The majestic swans that swim in the man-made stream help make this an even more romantic getaway than it already is. I was seriously living vicariously through those two. Now where was my dream date when I needed him most?! The rooms are every bit as spectacular as the glitzy pictures on their website will lead you to believe. The decor is contemporary meets boho chic and the color palette consists of relaxing, neutral tones. The Deluxe & Junior Suite rooms were both spacious and well appointed. Nobu Hotel goes the extra mile with Natura Bissé toiletries. Anything you could possibly need or want is provided... slippers, combs, bath salts, makeup remover, you name it. There's even night cream for your face, which was quite luxurious. The breakfast buffet was heavenly! Bring your appetite as they do not disappoint. This isn't your typical hotel buffet, it's a major cut above the rest. Pretty much any breakfast food that your heart desires is served and all of it is excellent. Six Senses Spa is close by too, in case you're in need of some pampering. I had an amazing, ninety minute massage with the argan oil upgrade. I thoroughly enjoyed my treatment, as well as the amenities. Every evening, turndown service brought me something special to nibble on and offered me complimentary water bottles. The staff truly made me feel like a princess here. Tip for the ladies: pack an extra pair of flats to carry with you in your purse so you don't slip on the cobblestone bridge in your heels (especially after a few cocktails at Nobu, lol). See photo I posted of the Roman Bridge. This is in no means a complaint whatsoever. That bridge is so picturesque and it's from first century A.D. so it's certainly not going anywhere! I mention it only so that those reading this can plan accordingly. Nobu Hotel Marbella is as good as it gets! You can order Nobu sushi from room service. Need I say more? I will always have fond memories of my stay here (special shoutout to GM John Thomson for taking such good care of me). I hope to return for another visit in the near future, next time I'd like to stay during the summer months. I'm convinced this is the nicest hotel in all of Marbella! Highly recommend.

This hotel is fantastic! We've had such a wonderful stay. Vega was so gracious and welcoming when…read morewe arrived late and tired. Isabel and Gonzalo have been fantastic and helpful every day. I this hotel / resort and highly recommend if you want a five star experience and a five star staff. We will come back for our next anniversary. Great location. Private beach. Get exclusive rooms for all the extras. Great entertainment. Fantastic dining

Staying at the hotel with 3 rooms. Arrived at solemo bar told no service at 5:45. Lots of…read moreavailable tables. Told that all the tables were reserved. I think they thought we were not hotel guests. Once we told them that we were hotel guests they told us that the bar closes at 6 on Saturday. We had been there on Friday and it had closed at 7. We were able to get served on the beach chairs beside the solermo bar but we felt that we were getting a favour from the bar staff. Quite unfortunate given that we have 3 rooms at the hotel for 4 days. Subsequent to the bad service I was able to talk to the GM about this incident He was very apologetic and very understanding I was impressed by the recovery of a bad service incident

Did not stay here but stopped by for their fantastic Sunday brunch at the Beach Club and to check…read moreout the impressive grounds. Brunch featured great Joselito's Cinco Jotas jamon, Beef Wellington, paella, lamb chops, smoked salmon, shrimp, desserts and more. Absolutely wonderful and worth the 130 Euro. There is a bar called Rudy's that is stunning though closed for the summer months. The waiting room off the lobby is impeccably furnished. High end shopping on site including a Louis Vuitton. Beautiful hotel that attracts a more refined, laid back crowd.

We would typically highly recommend this hotel for many reasons but sadly we are unable to do so…read more The property is beautiful, has impeccable service, fantastic dining and truly all of the amenities and service that you would seek in a resort, but we would like to share the troubling and incredibly disappointing experience that we had while there that left us feeling completely violated.We were traveling as 2 couples and were staying in rooms 167 and 169. On our 2nd day we realized that multiple things from our rooms were missing: 1. Several hundred dollars taken out of the wallet that was on the shelf in the closet in room 167 2. A jewelry case that had many pieces of expensive and incredibly sentimental things that can never be replaced - this was also on a shelf in the closet in room 167 3. Another jewelry case that had many pieces of expensive and sentimental pieces that can never be replaced - this was in a drawer in the closet of room 169 and had been covered with undergarments and bathing suits. We were distraught and went immediately to the guest services office. We were professional and kind while sharing what had happened. Management promised an investigation and review of the security film. Over the course of the next 4 days we spent several hours per day proactively seeking updates and information. One of the hotel managers and one of the guest services managers accompanied us to the police station where we spent 2 hours getting a report filed. On our last night of vacation we still had no resolution as to how the hotel was going to help us so we went back to the office and engaged with Julian (the hotel General Manager and person who responds to these trip advisor reviews). We spent over an hour with him sharing with him in a very rational manner what transpired, how we felt and how disappointed we were that this had happened. He listened and then said that we need to understand that things like this happen and that the hotel is not responsible for any of it. Julian came across as condescending and it felt that he was insinuating that we were not being entirely truthful. He referenced that the Ritz Carlton has bi-laws that state that they are not responsible for things that are taken from their guests. I told him that we have stayed at many Ritz Carltons over the years and have never had an issue, but if we ever did I was certain that they would take care of us and make us feel valued given how impeccable their customer service is. I know that we wouldn't have had to spend several hours over the course of 4 days trying to plead our case to the Ritz Carlton management team while we were told repeatedly that it's not their fault and we shouldn't accuse them of taking our things. He said that the security cameras show that 3 staff people entered our room the night of the robbery and each of them has been working at the hotel for 20 years and that they have never had an issue. We said that we hoped that it wasn't one of the 3 staff members who were in our room but that the reality is that our things were gone so somebody was in our room going through our things while we were gone. He continued to tell us that we should not accuse people on this team of taking our things. The conversation was going in circles as we tried multiple times to plead with him to understand that we are good, honest people who feel incredibly violated. We asked him if he could please put us in touch with the owner of the company and he said no. He said that he would personally call the owner to discuss this matter with him. We asked him if we could please be present for this conversation and he said no. While we can appreciate the loyalty he has for his employees, we also feel that he should have valued what we were telling him vs. debating it with us. The entire thing hugely impacted our experience and took hours and energy away from our trip. What has been most disheartening is the lack of communication, compassion and empathy from the highest levels of management. This is not the gold standard of the rest of the resort experience. There is absolutely, positively without a doubt an issue with theft. It's a terrible and incredibly unsettling thing and it's sad to head home with this type of feeling after what should have been the most magical experience at this resort. It is bad enough that it happened, but it's compounded given that we had to beg them to help make it right. In the end they didn't do that. Very disheartening. We recognize that 99% of the people there are absolutely fantastic but sadly somebody came into our room, went through our personal belongings and took money and things that were important to us and we will never see those things again. Awful in every regard.

Beautiful hotel, true 5 star. We booked well in advance on the hotel's own site and paid a…read morereasonable price. We made a note in our reservation that we were staying on our wedding night. When we arrived we got a free upgrade to a suite and there was a bottle of complementary champagne waiting for us in the room. Great service! The bathroom was huge! Biggest bathroom I have ever seen.

We had a fantastic time at Don Carlos! A highlight of our experience was the wonderful kids club!…read moreOur 3 children (7, 6, and 4) were delighted to make new friends and spend time with the nurturing and fun loving staff at the club! Noela, Maria, and Veneris truly made the holiday extra special for the kids! Many thanks for a great experience! Gina + Tony

AMAZING HOTEL...incredible service and ocean views. If you ever find yourself planning a trip to…read moreMarbella, this is a most! Also, be sure to take tennis lessons from Manu Jimenez. He is an excellent trainer, passionate about the sport, and will make sure you stay in shape all throughout your vacation! Thank you for a great summer!!!!

The full name of this hotel is: Don Pepe Gran Meliá. It is a great place, located just about 15…read moreminutes walking from the old city center of Marbella. It is also right on the boardwalk that runs along the beach, and that you can use to get to the city center. The boardwalk is full of restaurants and bars, which makes the location of the hotel even better. The hotel facilities are in great shape, spacious rooms with views of the Mediterranean Sea, large outdoor pool, heated indoor pool, large fitness center, 3 restaurants, lots of lounge chairs around the pool deck, as well as, on the lawn area next to the pool. Another big plus for this hotel is the breakfast buffet they offer and that is included with the room rate. Huge selection of breads, meats, eggs, juices and fresh fruit. Also, the service in general is great, in all of the areas of the hotel. Excellent place to vacation in Marbella.

Great place to stay right on the beachfront and boardwalk. The Décor could use some updating but…read moreoverall still great in book! Definitely recommended!

The Kempinski Hotel Bahia de Estepona must be one of my favourite 5 star resort hotels on the…read morecoast. Distinctive pink architecture and wide outdoor spaces are perfect for conference or leisure groups. A fairly recent EUR7 million refurbishment of all 148 rooms and suites has revitalized the distinctively Spanish decors with all modern amenities. The aspirational Imperial Suite is a marvel. Split-level with the top floor a glass box on top of the hotel, the entertainment areas have a private bar, leather sofa suites and a telescope to survey the entire coastline. The Beachfront too has been redone for the summer season with landscaping and furniture. The health club is small but perfect for basic workouts, but my favourite place was the swim-up bar in the lovely lagoons and whiling away the day in the sunny gardens.

This place is dirty and falling apart. Hairs (not mine) were all over the bathtub. Door was…read morebroken. They forgot to clean my room one of the days. They say there is free wifi, but it barely ever works. To top it off, the air conditioning broke one night and it was 28deg C in the room. They wouldn't do anything about it - their solution was "sleep with the door open". They wouldn't provide any compensation for the lost night of sleep - in fact, the manager refused to discuss it. Stay at your own risk. It's really not worth it!

On my trips to Marbella, I've stayed in different areas of town but the town is quite compact, so…read moreit's not really a major inconvenience you do stay Senator Marbella Spa Hotel caught my eye with its outstanding leisure facilities and the hotel were running a special deal allowing hotel guests to use the extensive spa for free. Ever one with an eye for a bargain, I snapped up a room here for my recent trip The main hassle is that it is located a little out of town compared to some other hotels but nothing unmanageable. Its location is a little confusing on Google Maps where it is placed incorrectly - it is literally next door to the Palacio de Congresos exhibition centre. It took me 20 minutes to walk downhill to the hotel from Marbella bus station It's a 5 minute stroll down to the beach and within 5 minutes of walking along the pleasantly tarmaced beachside walk, you'll hit the strip of restaurants and retail shops which will line your whole path right up into town. Taking this scenic route means you'll take about 25-30 minutes to get to the Old Town area but taking the direct walk on the main road will probably get you there in 20 minutes. The best beach area is at the end closer to the Senator hotel. The town end becomes quite pebbly. There are lots of areas with static umbrellas for hire if it's too hot and I do like the provision of public showers at the beach The Senator is classed as 4 star and the large spacious rooms and public areas do reflect the little bit of luxury associated with a higher class hotel. There was free cold water and juice available in the public lounge The bedrooms come with a little balcony but there's no seaview, being a little inland. Perhaps dealing with shortcomings mentioned in reviews on another review website, there's now air conditioning as well as a ceiling fan in the room. Free wifi is also available in all bedrooms though I was a little disappointed to find that the basic (ie slower) wifi was free but a premium (ie paid) option promised faster speeds. It wasn't unusable but was certanly frustrating at times Perhaps my favourite feature of the hotel was the rooftop pool and hot tubs. There was a fantastic view of the sea and mountains and I spent a very pleasant afternoon on my deckchair soaking up some rays The spa area was a little odd - common changing room for both sexes with no obvious private cubicles for changing in. However, the facilities were amazing. Large pool with multiple hot tubs, various massage jet options, steam rooms (clothed and ahem continental style), an ice room and plunge pools. The spa area is very big and I also whiled away some hours down here The breakfast option is worth paying extra for. There's a large selection of cold meats, fresh fruit (I ate a lot of watermelon and pineapple!), cereals, yoghurts, bread and croissants. They also cook bacon, eggs and omelettes to order. A good start to the day The other reason I stayed at this end of town is that it was very close to the Melia Don Pepe hotel, which housed Calima, a restaurant where I ate my second favourite meal ever Currently my favourite hotel in Marbella until I rob a bank to get enough money to stay at the Melia Don Pepe!