Elba Estepona Gran Hotel & Thalasso Spa

Really wanted to like this hotel as some bits were very good but too many niggles to give it any more than 3 stars. Location - transfer from Malaga airport took around 1hr40mins as hotel sits on the edge of Estepona. There’s a small Aldi just across the road and a BurgerKing but not much else. Coastal path is literally outside with a small beach. Nice walk to the harbour that takes around 40 minutes, or get a taxi for €8. If you want somewhere quiet then this is the place for you. Also we were all inclusive so didn’t need bars/restaurants close by. Estepona town is a little further €10-12 in a taxi. Old town is fabulous and great to walk around. Full of character, colour and interest. Check In - all very efficient and a cold glass of cava was more than welcome after an early morning flight and the girl on reception took her time to give details about the hotel. Room - Very spacious and classical in design. Bed comfortable and large. Bathroom also large with a very nice shower. Plenty of room for clothes. Fridge, safe were ok. Small balcony with table/chairs and a great view down the coast to Gibraltar. The air conditioning was not good and virtually ineffective. The ceiling fan also had problems making a loud knocking noise. Reported to reception and told maintenance man had visited and fixed but no change. Took two further phone calls and visits before it improved. Power sockets weren’t great either. Only one out of three worked. Again took three visits from maintenance and we still couldn’t use the one by the bedside. WiFi very inconsistent and gave up with it in the end. Cleanliness - generally good but some areas could do with some maintenance. Tables/chairs needed repainting and some of the sunbeds needed replacing. Food - buffet style … breakfast with good choice of fruits, cereals, breads, pastries etc. Lunch and dinner buffet quite similar in style with a good choice and included live cooking with 3 meats, 3 fish. Tasty fresh salads were delicious and always different mixes/combinations. Fresh prawns, mussels, crab gave a real sparkling of seafood. Restaurant - had the opportunity to go a la carte and chose the Paris/Roma restaurant. Food was delicious and very nice setting overlooking the sea. Pools - nice pool area with main pool ideal for swimming. Also a smaller indoor pool. Numerous sunbeds so absolutely no need to reserve and 99% of guests stuck to this. No poolside service so yep I had to walk to the bar. Life can be tough ha ha. The one negative … on our last 3 days the hotel started maintenance on the outside rendering near the pool so a constant banging and drilling. Not good when you are trying to relax. Entertainment - quite varied but obviously down to personal taste. Some entertainers were ok but lacked a little energy and sparkle. Would have liked something a little more lively. One exception was Remi Lefox singer/guitarist who played rock/soul. Really enjoyed his music and talent. Drinks - we

I got an opportunity to visit the hotel on a school trip and we were welcomed by the Assistant Manager, Clara. She was incredibly kind to show us around the hotel. The hotel is so inclusive because it accomodated couples, solo travellers and families. They serve a variety of cuisines too which is absolutely amazing! The location is perfect. The seaviews are jaw-dropping. I totally recommend this hotel because it is the best in Estepona!

I can only say that this hotel just kept giving from arrival at reception with a very nice Cava to wonderful staff , the most beautiful views , our room (s should I say omg stunning) the food and service second to none it was our 25th anniversary and the reception treated us like royalty with a little spa surprise that we had not expected the restaurants were fab as were the lovely staff the warren of hallways to our room was a trek but each corner has something to look at not to mention the beautiful architectural ceilings

Elba Estapona is a lovely hotel with excellent staff (special shout out to Nicoletta and Nicole who are just delightful people) , and we had a great stay but the following points need to be addressed to meet the five star rating: Hotel rooms need to be updated including paint work, furniture and USB charging points need to be fitted - which is now common place. TVs need to be updated to allow guests to access Netflix’s etc. Also, some British channels would be great as you currently can’t access any. The Swimming pool is great, very warm and a great size but it has tiles missing, black mould and algae in the grout and the bridge is just old, wonky and a slip hazard. The outer section of the dining area is a haven for birds and they peck at any of your food if left alone and a warning should be made to guest to not leave food uncovered. We however really enjoyed sitting outside. The sun loungers round the main pool are old and are not comfortable- once again, not what you expect from a five star hotel and they should be updated. We stayed on an all inclusive basis and at first we were delighted to not wear wristbands but everytime you ordered a drink, or sat down to eat you have to say your room number and the waiter has to input it to a PDA which takes time and ends up being a right palaver. It would be better to give all inclusive guests a card or a wrist band to show. It was great to use the spa facilities and we loved the sauna and steam room but also this needs to be updated as it looks very tired and some of the spa showers didn’t work and the igloo wasn’t cold and rarely had any ice. Upon checkout we were told that we could use the spa to shower / change before leaving but the showers in the spa are open with no screen/ door. The lack of privacy was not expected and should be addressed to meet the five star rating. All inclusive includes a ‘free minibar’ according to the leaflet provided upon arrival but we were shocked to be charged for the Pringles and Cashew nuts. The leaflet needs to be more clear and reception staff need to provide clear instructions as we questioned this during our stay. We walked into Estapona a couple of times and took a taxi too /€7 - what a lovely town. Having said all of the above we still enjoyed our stay. The food was excellent - great variety and quality, the beds were comfortable, the spa is great and the overall vibe of the hotel is relaxing and friendly.