Gran Hotel Costa del Sol

“A balanced review with suggestions”

Hotel room facing the canal side; great view and morning sun. No smell or odour from the water but appreciate some may not like the view. A pool facing room would enable evening sun but at risk of hearing music from the roof top bar. The room was clean, bright and in working order. Water in the fr… more

Hotel room facing the canal side; great view and morning sun. No smell or odour from the water but appreciate some may not like the view. A pool facing room would enable evening sun but at risk of hearing music from the roof top bar. The room was clean, bright and in working order. Water in the fridge on arrival and everything cleaned perfectly. Cleaners came daily and were very pleasant. Sheets, towels replaced when required. No noise from neighbours but sound travelled in from the corridor. The corridor carpets could do with replacing. Three lifts which were quick coming. Pool- as other reviews state, its a shallow pool so no swimming but great to dip in to cool off and very kid friendly. There was a queue for beds as people wanted specific places but we went various times of the day and got a bed no issue. Lifeguard one day did put signs up for folk who put towels down to hold beds and left them for an hour. I thought this was a good method to deter people who bed hog. The sunbed area is on grass which is pleasant but can get muddy with overuse. A suggestion would be to pave the area which would be easier to clean/maintain. Parasols arent movable but solid and pretty to look at. No faffing when the wind comes (we had 2 very windy days). Sustainable and reliable shade. Beds can be moved as the sun moves across the area. Good space between beds and didnt feel overcrowded. If paved you could easily get more beds in. Bar/drinks - generous measures, good choice and worth going AI. Drawback listed below about outdoor drinking 730pm onwards. The indoor evening entertainment is a little like a working mens club so ideally for families only and no vape/smoke areas. We went out most evenings as wanted to drink in the remaining sun. Each room is able to obtain a large bottle of water per day for free from either bars. The pool bar gave free crisps and peanuts throughout the day Food- overall the food quality and variety was good however a suggestion would be to revisit the hot plates as they dont keep the food warm. Loved the waiter service with lunch/evening meal and again generous with drinks for this. I think my children would've struggled to find a lot to eat but a good 6-8 options, as well as salads, grill and desserts. The meals had a variety of meats and a lot of casserole type meals. Pasta and toppings too. Quite stodgy meal options but definitely some new meals to try. Overall ok but would def work on keeping food hot. Breakfast offered a lot of options and although I dont go abroad to have a full English - frankfurters or chorizo didnt hit the spot for sausage options. Great pastry selection. Chiros were great but pancakes maybe a good option also? Snack bar in the main restaurant opens x2 during the day but we didn't access this so cannot comment. Snacks like pizza and toasties are available at the pool bar but incurs an additional cost. Kids entertainment- I didnt take my children on this holiday but there seemed a lot of activities indoor and out for them with two females who engaged well with them. There was a daily aqua zumba class, water polo and bingo took place some days also. Staff tried to get adults involved also. Drawbacks - there is one male/female toilet by the pool. It is reasonably well maintained considering the usage of 80-100 people during the day. There are toilets indoors by reception but that's a little walk in a wet bikini to reception for. Would really benefit from more toilets if space permits? -The 2 outdoor toilets also service the evening roof /chill out bar which means going downstairs from the bar area and into a dark corner to access the loo at night wasn't grear. As a female and knowing the gate to the beach was open, I would say this isnt an ideal scenario and I didnt feel particularly safe. Better lighting? A toilet in the roof bar? -No iron loan option -No shower facilities for post check out guests who dont leave until later -No outdoor drinking spots after 730. Pool bar closes 730, indoor entertainment area is indoors unless you head to the roof bar where you've to pay. When you spend a lot on AI to then spent €30 on 4 drinks isn't ideal. Again no vape/smoking options if you want a free evening drink. However the chill oit bart is a lovely bar with good views, and had good entertainment/music but not every night. Unsure on music noise for poolside rooms. There is adequate space outdoors by the pool to put some chairs/tables to have outdoor entertainment. I appreciate in bad weather the indoor option is better. Staff- I've seen reviews about rude staff which i would agree with but they really do work extremely hard. None stop really. The male staff were more rude than the female overall. In their attempt at trying to keep the queues down it means they dont have time for small talk but some were unnecessarily abrupt. The older male at reception however I felt was most rude to me and a woman he served in front. He was however very pleasant to my male partner??? The younger male and female receptionists were incredibly kind, welcoming and helpful. Cleaning staff were brilliant, hard working and very engaging. Did a brilliant job. Positives - location! Its a great spot near the sea and a short walk into the centre. -Nice local restaurants nearby in both directions. -Generous alcohol measures -Clean sun beds -Immaculate and well maintained room with no sign of wear in the rooms. Overall Perfect location, clean rooms, good drinks options. Some areas of improvement but overall a nice place. We paid for AI but evening drinks charges meant we spent more than we intended to.

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