AluaSun Marbella Park

Staff were friendly but overwhelmed at reception constantly. Check in was almost two hours later than advertised. Facilities in the room were poor, bath was dirty, no pool towels given. We were refused a lunch meal on our last day. The adult pool was constantly full of children, with no staff to remove them. Very disappointing for a four star resort.

First time at this hotel and was really happy that I chose to stay there. I usually do breakfast only but chose half board and found the food selection and quality to be very decent. Cleaners did an excellent job every day leaving the room fresh and replacing towels. Please be aware of something that happened to me at the bus stop outside. A car stopped and offered me a lift to Marbella one day. The man told me this tale about bus strikes and how I would be waiting there a long time as few buses were running. I stupidly accepted the lift and this man produced a fake taxi sign during the journey and when we arrived demanded an extortionate amount before letting me out of the car. His reg number was 6773 NDL so please don't make the same mistake.

Poor location. The hotel is set in a woodland which contributes to amount of ants and spiders present I. The rooms and corridors. It is also right next to a motorway/ busy highway which did not feel safe when leaving the hotel on foot.

The grounds are kept nice however the rooms are dull, small, and very dated. My room had damp on the ceiling near the wooden grate. The painted layer of the wood on the door frame was peeling off, like it was rotted. The wall lamps were hanging off by the wires and kept in place by being balanced on the wall fixtures. The bathroom was dated, with mildew and rusty handrails.

The food hygiene was poor. Dirty chairs, tables and cutlery in the main restaraunt. Flies everywhere and on the food. Chefs not wearing gloves when handling food. Using the bare hands to pick up salad to put on our plates/ burgers. Some food from the snack bar was served on squares of paper. They appeared to be picky as to who could have paper plates from the snack bar. The food in the main restaraunt was barely warm. The boiled rice was ice cold. We had to warm our food in the microwave.

The pool slides were good, however the pool is much smaller than the pictures look. Lifeguards sat behind a small wall on their phones and not watching the busy pool. The sub loungers were very dirty and did not appear to have been cleaned for a long time. With dirty brown water and dirt pooled in the curves of the legs/white frame.

The entertainment was good if you are Spanish. They did not speak any English and when anyone did it was minimal. All entertainment was in Spanish. They did not cater for English at all and was very Spanish focussed.

This hotel is advertised as a 4 star but at best it’s a 2.5. It looks the part in pictures but in reality is dirty with poor hygiene and not English focussed at all.