Higueron Hotel Malaga by Hilton

Thank you to Carlos, Younes and the team at the Higueron. Wonderful hotel, great facilities and excellent staff. Looking forward to my next time here.

I don't usually write negative reviews, and I'm certainly not writing this simply to complain about our holiday. We had a good week away with friends, and I recognise that many of the things I'm about to mention can't easily be changed. However, if you're considering booking this hotel, I think it's important that you understand what it's really like beyond the professional photographs and marketing description. Had we known some of these things beforehand, we would almost certainly have chosen somewhere else. I hope this helps others make a more informed decision.

We booked this hotel through Jet2 after reading the description of the facilities, particularly the pools. Unfortunately, the reality didn't match what was advertised, and whilst there were some positives (the spa in particular), this is not a hotel we would return to or recommend.

The pool situation is misleading

Jet2 advertises three outdoor pools, including a rooftop pool and a pool by the spa.

Technically there are three pools, but the reality is very different.

The rooftop pool is open to everyone. However, if you want one of the shaded Balinese beds (which, in 37°C heat, is almost essential), you're expected to pay €50 Monday to Thursday and €100 Friday to Sunday. This wasn't made clear before arrival. The charge included some drinks credit, but that hardly justified the cost and certainly wasn't worth it.

The main pool by the Med Bar looks impressive, but from a practical point of view it is one of the worst-designed pool areas I've experienced.

There were literally four umbrellas serving hundreds of sunbeds.

Instead, there are curtained lounge beds which spend much of the day completely shaded before becoming fully enclosed. There is no flexibility between sitting comfortably in partial shade and being either in full sun or hidden behind curtains.

This caused genuine frustration amongst guests throughout the week. Older guests and families with young children were constantly searching for shade. Staff were polite enough but appeared completely powerless and offered no meaningful solutions. Ironically, the only umbrella that always seemed available was the one reserved for the bar staff.

Guests were regularly told to use the Lake Pool near the spa.

However, once you arrive there you discover that only around 20 beds are allocated to hotel guests. The remainder are reserved for members of the tennis club, despite the pool being within the hotel grounds. Even when many of those beds remained empty, hotel guests were turned away, including families with young children looking simply for somewhere shaded to sit.

There was no indication anywhere that this pool was effectively restricted, and even there the number of umbrellas was very limited.

The towel system is ridiculous

Each guest receives a towel card, which is fairly standard.

However, you cannot simply move between pools with your towel.

At the Lake Pool you not only surrender your towel card, but staff also record your room number and require you to sign for every towel. When I asked why, I was told it was because towels are stolen.

It felt as though every guest was being treated as a potential thief.

For a hotel of this standard, it would be far more customer-friendly simply to account for occasional towel losses than require guests to complete paperwork every time they want to swim.

Food

Reading previous reviews, we expected much better.

Our party included two vegetarians and several real food lovers, yet everyone struggled.

We booked half board, which actually became a disadvantage because of how limited many of the menus were.

At the Med Bar, for example, there wasn't even a proper salad available beyond a small starter. The menu was very limited and after a few days we felt we'd run out of options.

The food often looked attractive, but the choice and practicality simply weren't there.

Again, style over substance.

There is no heart to the hotel

One thing that surprised us was the complete lack of a central social area.

By the third evening we actually asked Reception where guests generally went for a drink because there was nowhere that naturally drew people together.

There was no obvious lounge, central bar or comfortable space to spend the evening.

The rooftop bar eventually opened after a private function, but after 10.30pm it resembled a rather tacky nightclub. The underwater lighting had been changed to bright red, giving the whole area a very strange atmosphere that felt completely at odds with what you'd expect from a five-star hotel.

The location isn't ideal

The hotel sits within a large residential development where apartment owners and residents also use many of the facilities.

Whilst that may appeal to some people, it meant the hotel never really felt like a hotel exclusively for its guests.

The surrounding area is also disappointing.

There is nowhere you can simply wander out for a meal or a drink. The nearest village is down an extremely long and very steep hill, making it impractical for many people, particularly in the summer heat.

Realistically, you'll need taxis for almost everything.

The bedrooms

The bedrooms were unlike anything I've ever stayed in and not in a good way.

The best way I can describe them is a bathroom with a bed in it rather than a bedroom.

The shower cubicle, made from bright blue glass, sits directly up against the bed.

The sink unit forms the headboard.

The bath sits in front of the window.

There were no bedside tables at all, because the bathroom fittings occupied all of the space beside the bed. Just an odd shelf behind your head.

Equally puzzling was the lighting. There were no bedside reading lights, only bright ceiling spotlights high above the room. This meant your only options were harsh overhead lighting or complete darkness, making it uncomfortable if one person wanted to read while the other relaxed or slept.

If you're travelling with someone who isn't your partner, the layout is completely impractical as there is virtually no privacy.

The décor itself felt confused, with bright blue glass, driftwood mirrors and teak vanity units all competing with one another without any sense of cohesion.

Reception and billing

Reception staff felt cold and indifferent both on arrival and departure.

At check-out I had to ask for an itemised statement because one wasn't offered automatically.

More concerning, my travelling companion was told she had nothing further to pay, only to discover after returning home that several hundred euros had been taken from the payment card she had pre-authorised at check-in.

She has contacted the hotel multiple times asking for an explanation but has so far received no response.

The only real positive

The spa.

The treatments were excellent, the facilities were lovely and every member of staff there was professional, welcoming and genuinely five-star.

It was by far the best part of the hotel.

Overall

For us, almost every issue we encountered came back to the same thing: decisions that looked impressive on paper but simply didn't work for guests in practice.

Poor shade around the pools, hidden restrictions on facilities, unnecessary towel procedures, limited dining options, impractical bedrooms, an isolated location and indifferent customer service all combined to make this one of the most disappointing hotel stays we've had.

One final word of caution: check your bill carefully before you leave. Ask for a full itemised statement and verify every charge. In our case, I had to request a breakdown as it wasn't offered, and my travelling companion was told there was nothing further to pay. After returning home, she discovered that several hundred euros had been taken from the card she had pre-authorised at check-in. At the time of writing, the hotel has not responded to her requests for an explanation.

Would I stay again? Absolutely not.

Would I recommend it? No.

The spa is excellent, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to outweigh the many frustrations we experienced during the rest of our stay.

A fantastic five-star hotel that exceeded our expectations. The sports facilities are outstanding, the gym is excellent, the tennis courts are superb, and the swimming pools are immaculate. The breakfast was also one of the best we've had, with a great choice and excellent quality.

What really made our stay special, though, was the staff. Every member of the team we encountered was genuinely friendly, welcoming and helpful. The reception team, in particular, couldn't do enough for us and always greeted us with a smile.

A huge thank you to everyone at the hotel, especially the front desk team, for making our stay so memorable. You played a big part in making it a wonderful holiday for my wife and me. We wouldn't hesitate to return.