Hotel Encinar de Sotogrande

“Beautiful hotel with friendly staff, just a shame it's in Sotogrande. ”

I would like to say, despite all the big talk from other hotels in the area, this small but very friendly and cute hotel is my favourite. I am from Florida in the U.S. and am used to staying at some very grand hotels but Encinar is just so cute and even more welcoming, I would advise anyone visi... more

I would like to say, despite all the big talk from other hotels in the area, this small but very friendly and cute hotel is my favourite. I am from Florida in the U.S. and am used to staying at some very grand hotels but Encinar is just so cute and even more welcoming, I would advise anyone visiting Sotogrande to stay here. That's the good news. However, my rating is just for the hotel and not the area. Other than the great golf courses, there is nothing about Sotogrande that fits the descriptions you read about in the magazines or Google or the advertisements by the realtors. In fact much of what they say is untrue. In particular, although Hotel Encinar is peaceful, Sotogrande, in general is a very noisy place. I have stayed in the hills where building work, cranes and heavy vehicles cause a lot of unwanted noise, unbearable noise that seems to never stop. Much worse than that is in the port where my friends live. They have two houses they are trying to sell and cannot sell because of the continuous noise from the very loud machinery that is used by the gardeners who are relentless, starting at 8 every morning and going on and on all day, every day of the week. Sure they make it look pretty but it's not worth it, the noise never stops. My friends are fraught with stress due to this and the other noise from the private swimming pools all around the resort that are full of screaming children playing with inflatables. No one every does anything about it. The security is just 1 car that goes around but there is no security on foot. They are not able to take their young children even for a walk as most of the roads are built only for cars, there are no sidewalks, only drains or the road (where cars and motorcycles speed) to walk in. The summer in Sotogrande is unbearable now because they have booming, ear-piercing music from live concerts and DJ's that perform from midnight to 6am all through the summer. This place is anything but tranquil. The bars and restaurants are nothing special and there is nothing else to do but play golf. There are no places of interest. You can't get out anywhere without a car, there are no trains and barely a bus. Don't believe what you read about this place. Maybe sixty years ago it was OK but it's now become unbearable. All the people from Marbella descend in Sotogrande for the concerts then hundreds and hundreds of people walk around the beach and streets in the early hours drunk and looking revolting, doing things that make my stomach churn. I feel very sorry for all the property owners who thought they had made a good investment and are now driven from their homes by the downfall of this place. This year was the worst yet. I was talking to some business owners in the nearby village who have had to move away due to the influx of people and the unbelievable noise. Next year, I shall be staying in Malaga and driving down for the golf. I

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