Fairmont La Hacienda Costa Del Sol

“Amazing experience from start to finish”

An amazing experience from start to finish. I was so worried after reading some of the negative reviews, which I now cannot understand at all. I have travelled and stayed in Fairmonts globally, including the flagship in Banff, and so have high expectations. The hotel isn’t perfect in that there are… more

An amazing experience from start to finish. I was so worried after reading some of the negative reviews, which I now cannot understand at all. I have travelled and stayed in Fairmonts globally, including the flagship in Banff, and so have high expectations. The hotel isn’t perfect in that there are areas of improvement (more consistent housekeeping needed) however, every single staff member was so motivated to give you a positive experience that it was easy to overlook these shortcomings. The hotel is beautiful, staff outstanding, views to die for. Thank you for making our first holiday as a family of four so enjoyable

less

“Beautifully built resort with standout golf, but service and housekeeping need work”

I booked a Signature Sea View Suite and, as an Accor Diamond member, were upgraded to a Pool Villa. I was a little hesitant at first because I preferred the sea view. I wish someone had explained the layout to me to have a better understanding and expectations. Everything is built on a hillside t… more

I booked a Signature Sea View Suite and, as an Accor Diamond member, were upgraded to a Pool Villa. I was a little hesitant at first because I preferred the sea view. I wish someone had explained the layout to me to have a better understanding and expectations. Everything is built on a hillside that steps down toward the water. Each villa building has four units: two Pool Villas on the lower level and two Signature Sea View Villas directly above them, with the same footprint. Because the whole resort steps down toward the sea, the villa building in front of you sits lower, so you see the top of it. That’s why they’ve planted a privacy hedge in front of all the Pool Villas, to screen that off. The trade off is that the hedge also blocks part of your own view, so from a Pool Villa you get a partial, obstructed side view of the sea, whereas the Sea View Villas above the hedge get an open view. That said, the kids did like having the pool right there on hot days. It’s more of a small dip pool, but it was a nice way to cool down. The main pool area is big and nicely laid out, so even though there were lots of families with young children, plus some couples, it did not felt too crowded. Everyone gets their own space. We especially liked the infinity pool, which was never too busy. The beach is nearby. You can walk, but it’s a bit far, and you go down and under the golf course where it crosses overhead on a bridge. There’s also a buggy that runs to the beach club, which we used and found easy. The drivers were kind, often stopping to ask if we wanted a ride when we set out on foot, so we never actually walked the whole way. On the way back, it is definitely challenging to walk uphill but there’s a button you press and they come right over. The beach was crowded on weekends, which was because the hotel beach club sits right alongside the public beach, a popular spot for locals on weekends, so it’s the public side that gets busy rather than the club itself. On weekdays it was quiet. The water was refreshing, around twenty degrees in early July. It’s quite wavy and rocky, so water shoes make sense, especially since the sand is very dark and gets extremely hot. It’s not really the most kid friendly water, though we saw plenty of Spanish children perfectly comfortable in the cold, wavy sea. It was a touch too cold for me to swim continuously, but the locals clearly enjoy both the temperature and the waves, and it was refreshing given how hot the sand gets. It’s not the clearest water or the most stunning scene, but it’s still nice to have a beach and the beach club was lovely, offering small complimentary drinks and snacks both there and at the poolside. We tried their cocktails and were disappointed. They were weak and too small for our liking. We preferred wine of cava. A lovely detail throughout: you can see the Rock of Gibraltar from so many spots, including through the big glass windows at reception and right from the beach itself. On dining, we ate at the poolside restaurant almost every day. It’s a restaurant by the pool, not a formal one, which made it easy to just stop where we were and eat, especially coming straight from the pool or the golf. The food was decent, nothing to write home about, but they had really good kids meals. The one downside is the menu could use more variety. We ate there most of the week and by the end weren’t sure what to order. One day when they were showing the World Cup at the library, we ordered from Faro, and the pizzas and salads they brought down were good. There’s also a restaurant at the golf club called Sal Verde, which seemed popular, but honestly the food was just okay and the service wasn’t great. It was very windy there too, with things flying off the table. I expected it to be nicer than it was, so I’d probably skip it and eat at the hotel instead. We only tried those because we went out to a different town almost every day and ate out while exploring, so we never got around to the other restaurants, including the fine dining Dalmar. Breakfast was good and plentiful, served in a beautiful restaurant with an ocean view, and it was lovely to dine outside. Lots of options and good quality food. The pastries were exceptional, and the cured meats, cheeses, and spreads were all really good. The main hostess at the main entrance of the breakfast restaurant was the same friendly face each morning, remembered us, and was very attentive. Honestly she was pretty much the only one who recognized us when we arrived during our 7 days stay as none of the servers did. One surprising thing for a five star, though: the eggs were tricky to get right. Sunny side up kept coming overcooked and flipped rather than runny. We even asked in Spanish for them not flipped, but they still came flipped, so eventually we just took whatever they made. The golf is a real highlight. We played the Links course and the Heathland course. The best thing about the Links is the views, you have the water close by from every single hole, really panoramic, plus that exceptional Rock of Gibraltar view you just don’t get at other courses. The Heathland has lovely mountain views and was well kept too. Interestingly, the Links is the better known course and was a lot busier, so we didn’t mind the more laid back Heathland at all. My son went to the summer golf camp and had a wonderful week. There’s a kids club too, which is very nicely built and cozy, with a small pool and a playground. The staff, though, weren’t very engaging. It was more the kind of place where parents stay with their children rather than drop them off. No one greeted or spoke to us, so we just wandered in, sat around, and left. The space is lovely, but the staff could do a lot more to welcome families and get involved. On childcare, the hotel doesn’t offer babysitting directly but gave me a contact when I emailed ahead. That company’s pricing was outrageous, so I found another called Sara Positivo. Sara was quick and efficient and found us a babysitter right away. Carolina came and we were really happy with the service, and it was about half the price of the one the hotel recommended. The room itself is modern and comfortable, with comfy beds. One odd thing: the pillows were really thin for my liking, so I requested thicker ones, and they sent up a giant pillow about the size of a big child. It was strange they didn’t seem to have a regular, fluffy, medium pillow, just really thin or enormous. Not uncomfortable, just laughable in hindsight. Honestly, housekeeping was the letdown for us. It really wasn’t great, with things missed here and there. When we raised it, a reception manager named Miguel followed up and helped sort things out. It did improve after that, but housekeeping and maintenance need work in general. It’s a new property, but they need to look after the corners and details, because the hotel itself is beautifully built. The lobby is stunning, with a fountain feature in the middle and giant glass windows overlooking the sea. Service was the other weak spot. It seemed like they had a lot of interns and very young, inexperienced staff across reception and the restaurants, so it didn’t feel like the personalized, polished service you’d expect from a five star property. There didn’t seem to be anyone with real ownership consistently present. It was a different server at the restaurants every single day and a different person at reception every time, even though we were there daily. At luxury properties you usually get remembered and greeted personally, and we just didn’t experience that here. On a positive note, the valet team was efficient, and one gentleman in particular was very nice. He recognized us and was very personable offering local tips. Dinner is their busy time, so we learned it’s best to call ahead to have the car ready, otherwise it took a while. When it wasn’t busy they were very quick, and they provided water to go, which was a nice touch. A note on location and getting around: the resort is about an hour and fifteen from Málaga Airport, or just twenty five minutes from Gibraltar Airport. It’s not especially close to Málaga, but it was a fantastic base for what we wanted. A rental car is a must here. Over our seven day stay we took a day trip to a different town almost every day, all of the equally charming: Gibraltar, Tarifa, across to Tangier, Ronda, Estepona, Marbella, and Sotogrande, where we had dinner at the marina nearby, which has lots of nice restaurants and seems to be where the locals hang out. For food supplies, we also drove to Sotogrande, which has several big supermarkets. There’s a luxury one called El Corte Inglés, next to the Mercadona, with a great selection of ready to eat food to go, which was really handy since quick food can be hard to find in Spain. The Mercadona is great for groceries too. There’s also a smaller supermarket closer to the hotel in the Alcaidesa area, plus a café and a small restaurant right there, convenient if you need something nearby. But I’d really recommend the takeaway selection from El Corte Inglés in Sotogrande. All in all, the resort is beautifully built with fantastic golf and great pools for families, and it’s a superb base for exploring Andalusia. But the service and housekeeping don’t yet match the five star setting. With attention to those details, it could truly be exceptional.

less

“Disappointing for a Fairmont.”

Definitely felt like a Fairmont with cleanliness and grounds and facilities but the food service was a 2 at the most . All the servers looked confused and lost and the service was slow . Breakfast food ingredients was amazing. It was definitely Fairmont style for choices , but the service was horr… more

Definitely felt like a Fairmont with cleanliness and grounds and facilities but the food service was a 2 at the most . All the servers looked confused and lost and the service was slow . Breakfast food ingredients was amazing. It was definitely Fairmont style for choices , but the service was horrible. We waited so long for coffee. We waited so long for water which should be just part of being seated at table, but it wasn’t. We had to ask several times We went to the beach and sat there for hours waiting for a chair and by the pool we waited forever for a drink. We went to the adult pool and there was no choice but wine and beer there was no bar service. Fairmont is a great brand, but the service here is subpar.

less

“Rowdy pool area, average food. Nice views.”

Just average. The suite was very nice. Comfortable bed. Nice views. Food in all the restaurants was rather hit & miss. Chiringuito was best in our opinion. We had children in our party but, be aware, there were hoards of children running riot in the pool. No apparent adult supervision at all. P… more

Just average. The suite was very nice. Comfortable bed. Nice views. Food in all the restaurants was rather hit & miss. Chiringuito was best in our opinion. We had children in our party but, be aware, there were hoards of children running riot in the pool. No apparent adult supervision at all. Parents did not seem to care. Almost impossible to swim. There is an infinity pool which would be perfect for adults and easy to separate from the main pool. It would make this hotel much more appealing. Won’t be returning. Better options along the coast.

less