An extra night in a city away from home can be a blessing...or a curse. But either way, we…read moredefinitely made the most out of it. Since our early Saturday connecting flight was cancelled, delayed overnight and cancelled again, Iberia provided us with a free Sol Principe accommodation in Torremolinos. Front desk host seemed to work seamlessly to assist everyone who received a voucher. I will say a huge thank you to Iberia working jointly with Sol P. for rooming us. The hotel's lobby area is quite large and airy with a kiddie area full of cushions and some easels- all child height leading to an ample hallway with the buffet restaurant on left, large meeting room on right, followed by the hotel's bar, glass doors leading to the upper deck and pool below. Our room for an overnight stay, was comfortable and modern(?). For instance, our room card key accessed light switches and TV by inserting the card and keeping it in the slot. King-size bed was firm- but not break-your-back firm. Sheets are crisp, walk-in shower is ample, basic toiletries such as glass cups, blow dryer, extra towels are provided. Bath and hand soaps are marvelous with a clean scent. All in all, under distress, Sol Principe extended their hands and gave me and hubs a restful one-night stay.

With the exception of Tenerife I usually tend to holiday places only once, preferring to try new…read moreplaces rather than return to ones I have already visited. I have been to torremolinos twice now though and a large part of the reasoning behind that is this wonderful hotel (Sol Principe). This hotel is situated alongside the beach of Playa mar approximately 2km outside the city of torremolinos. It is served by Malaga airport which is a little over 4 miles away and takes only a 15 minute transfer by coach to reach. On approach to this hotel the first thing that caught my eye was the size of the grounds it stood in but it soon became apparent why. This hotel is actually part of a complex which includes as well as the hotel itself the Apartments Sol Principito, a fairly large private car park, a sports area, gardens, a supermarket and of course the pools. The hotel has 623 rooms over 10 floors; I was on the 9th floor with an outstanding sea view. The rooms themselves have a rather large living area which through an arch leads to a smaller sleeping area, just of the living area is a small space sectioned of as a kitchen which has a fridge and the usual very basic two rings, a grill and a microwave to cook with. As I was all inclusive thankfully I had no real use for the cooking facilities which were the one poor part of what the hotel had to offer. The rooms all have air conditioning which with temperatures reaching the high 90`s throughout my stay I was well glad of. They also have a telephone and cable TV. All rooms are non smoking which as a non smoker made no difference to me but as some of the party I travelled with were smokers they moaned a bit about having to go out on to the balcony to smoke. The maid service is daily and is also very good; the cleanliness of the rooms was outstanding. Each room also has its own safe which you need to pay a small amount for on arrival. The facilities consist of three large outdoor pools set in beautiful surroundings and one indoor pool, tennis courts, shopping arcade with boutiques, gift shop, a Hairdresser, a Supermarket, Public phone booths, an internet cafe, Laundry service and a very helpful 24 hour front desk. There is also a great programme run daily for the kids which not only keeps them entertained but also active whilst allowing the adults to soak up the rays and relax. The restaurants and bars are another large part of what makes this hotel so good. The main restaurant offers a beautiful sea view and hot and cold buffet style breakfasts lunches and main meals. There are also two smaller cafe`s which offer snacks and set menus. Then there is divania, a coffee shop by day and bar by night with an orchestra and a dance floor. Bar El Turco have either live bands or a dj at nights. Alcazaba Hall is where the hotel hosts its family shows, it also has a bar and sweets and soft drinks machines for the kids. All entertainment is advertised outside the bars and includes a good day time entertainment programme for the kids. One of the favourites with the kids during my stay was the bam bam club set around the Flintstones cartoons this was for 5-10 year olds but there was also based on the same theme the baby rock club for the younger members. Being that we were all inclusive we ate in the hotel most nights and mornings and I can tell you that their choice of foods and quality of foods were as good as the rest of what the hotel had to offer. (vegetarians catered for). Other activities include archery, shooting, tennis, volleyball, table tennis, aerobic; keep fit and aqua aerobics, bowls and darts. There is also available at an extra cost sports such as sailing, windsurf, water ski, horseback riding and golf. As well as all that for the adults there are tennis lessons and a huge play park for the kids. The hotel is well placed between lots of the attractions torremolinos and the rest of the Costa has to offer, you can catch a coach from virtually right outside the door of the hotel which will take you to any of these local attractions for a very small cost. THE ATTRACTIONS! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Tivoli Fun Park Aqua Park Plaza Mayor (Town square) Selwo Aquarium Selwo Zoo Crocodile farm Picasso Museum There is also a coach available from right outside the hotel which will take you on the coastal tour along the very impressive Costa del Sol front. Most of the attractions and coach tours can be booked from within the hotel but you can also just go to the bus stop spur of the moment and catch the coach and pay at the doors of all these attractions. Back to the hotel itself and on to the cost. Obviously I booked this as most people would as a package holiday; it was booked through Thomas cook and cost £725 all inclusive per adult for a fortnight. That was the cost the last time I visited which was just over 2 years ago now, whilst not the cheapest holiday available it was no where near the most expensive and was worth every penny in my view.

One of the best hotels in the area. The staff is very attentive, friendly. The facilities are great…read morealthough in the past few years due the crisis, thus losing important clientele, it has reduced it's staff thus reducing facilities. The decor seems a bit aged (the lighting on the name on roof top isn't on and hasn't been replaced quite a good few years). Hopefully I can bring back its former glory soon!

I want to say this was SMASHINGLY amazing! I will definitely recommend the 99 Sushi Bar which was…read moreSuperb! On top of that 100% a shoutout to our waiter Reduan due to his kindness and hospitality here. The location, Atmosphere, Rooms, Value and the Room Cleanliness was absolutely great it is definitely on my top 3 hotels around the world list. Before I finally finish I want to say that the noise level was 0, ABSOLUTELY NO NOISE AT ALL. Finally this definitely deserves a 6 Star as it is far better than 5 stars.

This place is kind of what you'd get if you crossed Lady Penelope's secret hideout with a honeymoon…read moresetting that Europe's chicest young royals might run to. Villa Padierna is a Ritz Carlton property set amidst the Flamingo golf course that was built in the style of a Tuscan Villa. So convincing is the décor with antique furniture, paintings and cool marble interiors it's easy to believe you're in Italy! Only 112 bedrooms ensure that the grounds and public areas feel incredibly exclusive. Beautiful event rooms are enhanced by a purpose-built outdoor amphitheatre for 400 people and 20 private villas. Definite princess potential as you sleep in sleigh beds, lounge in white fluffy robes and bathe amidsy white marble under chandeliers. The lobby and general areas were hushed - we kind of felt like we were a bit too plebby to be there so kept to ourselves, but the gardens and fountains were genuinely lovely to walk in. 5 star to the maximum, but bring your best manners and luggage.

Clearly the most beautiful property on the 1.5+ mile strip with all rooms facing the ocean. And it…read morehas a castle for a next door neighbor! It's tucked away a the end of the strip so it can be a relatively more peaceful resort. PROS: - Can hear the waves while sleeping - Secure parking - SPA on site - Gorgeous pool - beach access - high quality bedding - safe - Meal plan options available (breakfast buffet is 5 stars, just 3 for dinner though) - huge grassy park next door for kids to play - ping pong table, tennis court - bar service near beach - live entertainment in loung CONS: - doors slam VERY loudly, luckily everyone sleeps in. - pool is not heated in off season - no iron in room, need to use hotel service - they allow smoking on balconies

A decent hotel in Malaga. I have stayed here once before quite a long time ago and it's location is…read more5 Star. Just a stones throw from the old city center and a short walk to the harbour from here. Rooms are nice and functional and the bed is of good quality. They clean the rooms nicely every day and the staff are very nice and friendly. Breakfast was included and it was quite ok. A decent choice of food on offer and there was something for everyone. They had really nice fresh fruit and breads each day :-)) The prices here are also quite reasonable and you get good value for money. There is underground parking and it costs €18 a day. Pretty expensive for Malaga for parking but it's secure. I will be staying here again in the future. It's our standard company hotel and so we more or less end up here. A good choice for a short stay in Malaga.

This hotel has seen its best years about ten years ago. The room was outdated. The food was okay…read more However, what saves this place are the great people that work there. Everyone was very courteous, professional and friendly. Only a couple of people at the reception spoke English which can be a bit of a problem. In the future I would try to find a place that's more in downtown or closer to the ocean.

Having been my first stay in Spain, I was pleasantly surprised with how awesome this place is…read more Let's get to my favorite part first: the food. Food here for the breakfast buffet is honestly pretty good. Don't forget that if you're not a local, you probably won't remember that breakfast is served from 9am-11am (local time). There's a great mix of fruits, vegetables,meats, etc. The one thing to watch out for is a distinct possibility of having a dirty glass to drink from (I guess they don't wash glasses well). Also if you have a lack of spanish you are going to have a difficulty ordering an omelette as well. Remember the phrase "Habla Usted Englais" (do you speak english) as that will save your butt continually. The dinner is a buffet,not unlike the breakfast. However, it is not included unless you order half board (breakfast + dinner) and is served around 9pm (8-11pm), again local dinner time. We booked our rooms through europeandestinations and were pleasantly surprised. This is a very luxurious room - it is spacious enough and beautiful enough to rival a great room at the Venetian in vegas. The view is great, although unfortunately our room was the one set of rooms without a balcony (note: maybe you have to ask for that). Staff service was incredibly polite, bordering on "a whole lot nicer than locals", and they made good effort to speak english when possible (again the phrase above will help a lot). They will validate your parking (not free), rent you towels (no charge for return, 15 eur or so deposit if you don't). They were able to give me good directions and helped me deal with roundabouts before I learned how to deal with them myself,which was not unlike telling a blind man to navigate a place he's never been before - don't ask how bad it was. As a techie, internet is important to me.I am posting this review on their wifi, pleasantly pleased at the decent speeds and reception. However, my room is close to the hotel center -and this means that anyone further away probably has from little to zero reception as the wifi is broadcasting from the hotel entrance (there are ethernet plugs in the room). Back to the room itself - in the bathroom you have a stand up shower, a toilet, a nice sink area, a whirlpool tub, and some kind of douche/ballsack wash. I use the term loosely because I am not entirely sure how it would be used (note: do not google search "how to use a douche" unless you are drunk and want a laugh). It reminded me more of a kitchen sink faucet. The whirlpool does have the "no need for a man" setting, and the water pressure in the room borders on typhoon. The bed is nice and huge in the bedroom, and you have your own personal A/C (which goes off if you open the window). Outside, they have multiple pools and plenty of beach chairs to sit in, an exercise area, a salon and a turkish bath (we tried none of these except the pool). I did enjoy the pool greatly, but it is not heated, nor is the spa-looking pool either. All in all, this is an awesome hotel,I have had a great experience, and if I ever come back to spain to the Andalucia region (which is where this is), I absolutely will be staying here again.

Fantastic hotel, with amazing food. Spent the weekend here all inclusive with a works getaway. In…read morethe restaurant the food is out of this world, and the Mojitos they served in the bar were spectacular.