Cortijo del Mar Resort

We visited as a family staying in a 2 bed apartment. We knew it was a residential area as we had friends staying at their family villa 5 mins up the road so they were able to direct us to the local restaurants. The apartment we stayed in was well equipped with great air conditioning, we rented it privately so didn’t have cleaners for the week. The pool itself is a good size, but could do with more sun-beds & umbrellas for the amount of properties on the sight. Also, as there is grass around the pool it could get quite muddy. Something we observed was the lifeguards taking peoples sun-beds & giving them to those without a bed if you left it too long. You might think this a good thing, but you should be able to go for lunch or a swim in the pool & come back to your sun-bed! Twice I saw a family of 4 came back to 1 bed. We ate several times at the pool cafe/bar Kambalaya & the food was always delicious. The staff are very friendly there too. We did hire a car. There are plenty of supermarkets close by. We drove into Estepona port one night & Puerto Banus, both not too far. We did try to walk to the closest beach, but it’s over the main road walkway & it’s a bit of a building sight at the moment so you need to drive to find a better one. About 10mins walk down the road there are lots of lovely local restaurants. We ate in Cabana, Lola’s, Sushi House & la Grappa & would recommend them all. We also had drinks in The Victoria & Albert pub, which had a pool table & kept our teens happy. Overall a relaxing stay.

We recently stayed at Cortijo del Mar Resort, and it was a complete disaster. I highly recommend avoiding this place, especially during the summer season. Here's why: 1. Lack of Beach Umbrellas: For an entire resort, they only have nine beach umbrellas by the pool. Nine! With 9 of us in two families, we had to camp out at the pool from 9 AM just to secure one measly umbrella. This is unacceptable for any resort, especially one claiming to be a "luxury" destination. 2. Rude Residents: On our last day, despite being at the pool since early morning, a resident showed up at 5 PM and decided to invade our space. When we politely approached her, she became incredibly rude, and her family joined in, creating an uncomfortable and hostile environment. It was absolutely shocking and made us feel unwelcome. 3. Hygiene Issues: The pool was CLOSED on our second day because someone had defecated in it. Yes, you read that right. 4. Tired Apartments: The apartment we stayed in looked nothing like the photos advertised online. It was tired and lacked the "luxury" we were promised. It was a major let down and not worth the money at all. 5. Unhelpful Management: When we raised our concerns with the manager, he was completely indifferent and basically said there was nothing he could do. Customer service was non-existent. Overall, this was one of the worst holiday experiences we've ever had. Save yourself the disappointment and stay somewhere else. We will never be returning to Cortijo del Mar Resort.

We traveled in July 2023 with Jet2 in a party of four families. The apartments are obviously privately owned and whilst they are well sized each apartment has differing furnishings and kitchen equipment. The rattan garden furniture in three of the four apartments our party occupied was perished and breaking up on either the chair arms or the top of the back of the chairs. Some didn’t even have cushions. The pool area has an overpriced restaurant bar and pool activities are overly subdued by the lifeguards who enforce the “no balls” and “no inflatables” rules. This seemed to be at the bequest of the residents as although Jet2 and Cortijo Del Mar websites claim the resort is family friendly there isn’t actually a lot for kids to do. So the restrictions on “no balls” and “no inflatables” in the pool seem to fly in the face of this family friendly claim. Neither website highlight these rules. The rules however seem to be flexible for residents as although there is a sign at the resort entrance highlighting dogs are not allowed there are signs around the resort highlighting that residents are responsible for cleaning up their dogs waste. During our trip we saw dogs in the resort and at the pool area on more than one occasion which surely must raise questions on the cleanliness of the pool area. The water in the pool seemed clean enough, however the plastic overflow grating around the pool is degrading due to exposure to the sun and whist some of it has been replaced, this seems to be in response to it breaking rather than a preventative measure. The sun beds around the pool have also seen better days and also show signs of degradation due to sun exposure with some of them exhibiting cracks which could make them dangerous. In fact one of or party sat on one and it collapsed under them and luckily they were not injured. Pros - comfortably sized apartments - apartments frequently cleaned Cons - not a lot for kids No pool table No table tennis table No entertainment (which we knew) - Wi-Fi was extremely poor and struggled with social media let alone web searches - No Balls and Inflatables allowed in the pool - Pool overflow grating breaking up and possibly dangerous - Sun beds some cracking and possibly dangerous

To be clear this is not a RESORT its only apartements inside a big residence . all of the pictures are exagareted or photoshoped there is no fitness center no activity for the kids no spa no restaurant .... only a residence with a swiming pool where kids are not alowed to do anything ... there is some apartements previleged who has acces to the swiming pool who benefit from transat and towels everyday its done according to to the face of clients some has being paying more and they have been located in a far building who has a view of garbage can and abandoned park ....wifi not working, water infiltration, no sat tv , we felt like in a military base ...no apolgy not even a cup of water the staff did not do anything to make the stay enjoyable they where robot executing their objectif

We were a party of 6 ladies who travelled to the Estepona area for the Solheim Cup (Ladies Professional Golfers from Europe and USA), which was being played at Finca Cortesin Golf Course. We were delighted with our very spacious, comfortable and clean apartments which were situated close together. We had 2 x 2 bedroom apartments for the 6 of us. Each apartment had a main shower room and and en-suite jacuzzi bathroom. The apartments were very well equipped and benefitted with free WiFi and electric shutters to keep the place cool when needed. There were TVs in the master bedroom as well as the lounge. Although we were in the area primarily to watch the golf, we spent time in and around the pool which was beautiful. The resort is handy to shops and restaurants, within walking distance. Any help we needed was swiftly dealt with by friendly and polite staff. We would certainly recommend this resort.

Just back from a one week stay. The appartment and complex are very nice ,well maintained grounds. The appartment itself was well equipped and spacious .We were two up and overlooked the pool and pool bar and you could see the sea. The staff at reception are very helpfull. I broke a couple of things and there was no microwave and within fifteen minutes maintenance had arrived and all sorted. The cleaners and ground staff are friendly too.The pool bar is way overpriced for what it is. Got a tuna salad,chips and two beers,45Euros. Do not know how families with kids do it. There is a ten minute walk down a lovely road with some beautiful villas to the main road where there is some bars and restaurants and a supermarket. Highly recommend Masala Indian and Cabana was lovely for drinks. We went a walk over the bridge, which was quite daunting as theres traffic speeding fast underneath, so not for the faint hearted, and headed to the Robin Hood Inn which was closed. It was early in the morning but there is a long alley there that takes you to the beach. Not much of a beach as no one there and no sunbeds. Walked quite a bit along to the right and it is just villas and Hotels. No bars or restaurants looking out to see which was disappointing. Would recommend going into Puerto Banus for the day. We met up with family for lunch at La Sala by The Sea,a beach Club. Food was amazing and a walk to the Marina is eye opening with the Yachts and cars. Overall we had a lovely stay and it was boiling hot. The Complex is in a lovely affluent residential area but just a bit too far out for us. You need to go into Estepona for nightlife and shopping. We are used to places like Palma Nova and Playa Blanca with everything on your doorstep. If you are looking for a quiet relaxing holiday then this is the place for you.

Our apartment itself was gorgeous, spacious and had everything we needed. The reception staff were very helpful and quick to respond to what’s app messages. Not enough sunbeds around the pool, and families were reserving them all day, despite not being there for hours and the lifeguards didn’t do anything about it. They were just sitting playing with their phones. There was a little bit of mud by the pool but didn’t bother us too much. The bar/restaurant was pricey and closed early at 9pm. Not even a happy hour like most places we have been too, and the staff weren’t too enthusiastic. Nothing for teenagers at the resort (or nearby). Could have benefitted from a pool table, ping pong table or just even board games. There’s no entertainment which we were aware of but as there isn’t much in the area, it would have been nice for something a couple of times a week. There are a few nice restaurants nearby but we didn’t find anything traditionally Spanish. As a family the area wasn’t for us - it was quite a residential area and it didn’t quite have the ambience that we like. Didn’t help that there was a busy dual carriageway alongside and there wasn’t any chintzy shops to browse in the evening. We were not confident enough to hire a car, so used buses and Ubers. Most things to visit are a fair distance - Estepona town is lovely but is still a good drive. Would recommend Selwo Zoo for a day out.

This is a lovely resort, great rooms, be weary it’s very hilly and lots of steps especially if you at the back. The worst thing is the pool area, there seem to be substantial drainage issues the grass around the pool where people walk and put their sunbeds on is constantly wet and muddy, nearer the pool the water is green and smells it’s pretty awful, the concrete area near the water is never cleaned from the mud consequently mud getting into water. This is unacceptable for the price you pay. The cafe and restaurant is nice but VERY expensive, for two adults and two kids with drinks we paid for lunch £75!!!! There is a serious issue with sunbeds as there is nowhere near enough for half the residents let alone majority. Typical British behaviour of putting towels down at dawn and going back for breakfast. Nice place but badly managed and overcrowded, drainage massive problem won’t be coming back here and would not recommend.