Benalmadena Beach

I recently stayed two-nights at spirit hotel benalmadena beach, for which I paid a premium expecting a comfortable room, a good night’s sleep, and a standard of service that reflected the price paid. Unfortunately, my experience fell significantly below these expectations.

The main issue was the inadequate air conditioning in my room. Despite raising my concerns on multiple occasions, staff attended the room several times and repeatedly assured me that nothing was wrong with the system. However, the room remained uncomfortably warm, and it felt as though the cool air was not circulating effectively throughout the space.

I am only 4ft 11in tall, and everyone who came to inspect the issue was taller than me. This made me wonder whether the air circulation and temperature at my level were being adequately considered during these inspections. Regardless of the cause, the reality was that I was unable to get comfortable, and my concerns did not appear to be properly investigated or taken seriously.

As a result, I had virtually no sleep on either of the two nights, spending both nights feeling excessively hot and sweating. This had a significant impact on my stay and was completely unacceptable, particularly given the premium price I had paid for the accommodation.

What disappointed me most was not simply the apparent failure of the air conditioning, but the repeated dismissal of my concerns. I expected staff to make a genuine effort to investigate the problem and find a solution, rather than repeatedly telling me that nothing was wrong while I continued to experience considerable discomfort. I do not believe it is acceptable for a guest to endure two virtually sleepless nights without a satisfactory resolution.

In addition, I had paid for bed and breakfast. However, as I needed to leave at 6 am to catch my flight, I was only offered a cold takeaway breakfast. While I appreciate that early departures may require alternative arrangements, I was disappointed with what was provided as part of a service I had already paid for.

Taken together, these issues meant that I did not receive the standard of comfort or service I reasonably expected. The room failed to provide an adequate sleeping environment, my concerns were not satisfactorily addressed, and the breakfast arrangements further added to my disappointment.

I would appreciate it if you could investigate the air conditioning in the room, review how my complaint was handled by your staff, and clarify what arrangements are available for guests who need an early-morning breakfast.

This was our second stay at Benalmadena Beach Hotel and sadly, while it was still a good stay, it did not live up to the experience last time.

Check in was perfect, we were early due to our flights being early morning, but our room was ready. The check in process was very quick, despite there being a few others checking in at the same time, and we were directed to our room. This was when we were faced with our first disappointment. We had booked an evening sun room, but our view was the hotels gym and a neighbouring building. You could see the sea if you went right out on the balcony, but you were then overlooking everyone else’s balcony.

Last time we visited we had a front sea view room, that option was not available this time when we booked. I asked at reception if we could upgrade the room, but the hotel was fully booked. I can’t say this is entirely the hotel’s fault, I would have booked full sea view if I had that option, however, we were almost at the back of the hotel and it was apparent that other rooms on the same side but closer to the front had better views. Lesson learned, I will only book again if we can book the full sea view.

The room itself was clean and comfortable. The cleaning staff were brilliant and really friendly. The only thing that was missing was a table or desk. There was a sofa so even a coffee table would be beneficial and there was plenty room. Possibly just personal preference as I needed to catch up with some work but had nowhere to sit with my laptop. WiFi is very good though.

We booked half board but did not expect much based on other reviews. For the price difference if we only ate a couple of evenings in the hotel it covered the cost, however, I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and we ended up eating in virtually every night. Breakfast was also very good, which we knew from our last stay. Sadly, on a couple of days, the service was a bit of a let down. There were some younger members of staff and when they were on the service was excellent with the buffet options kept topped up. A couple of times they were not working, and it was a different story. I presume a chef in a black uniform wandered around the buffet options and while looking, didn’t seem bothered if they were needing topped up or not. On one breakfast sitting a guests in front of me at the toaster asked a member of staff if there was more white bread. He moved the 2 slices that were there and walked away without saying anything. I assumed he was maybe away to get more, and he did return and filled up every basket of bread, other than the white bread. It may be there was none left, but there was no communication.

The positives still far outweighed the negatives. This is a smaller hotel than many we have stayed in but even when full, as it was, it still felt quiet. There was never any shortage of tables in the dining room, there were plenty of sunbeds, and reception dealt with guests quickly and efficiently, so even if there was a queue you didn’t have to wait long. The location is great with loads of bars, restaurants and shops nearby, along with access to the seafront walkway to wander along to the marina.