Hotel Best Benalmadena

Positives Clean. Plenty sunbeds no matter what time you want one. Beds are so uncomfortable we both woke up aching after restless nights. I was sleeping on top of the spare pillows. Safe included free of charge but have to ask for it. Towels available from Spa for €10 refundable deposit. Pool opens at 10.30 as breakfast finishes so sunbeds aren't reserved. Negatives Animation team and entertainment are all in Spanish so if you wish to join in you'll struggle. Animation uses a head set and insist on shouting directly into the mic and its deafening. Flamenco night was a loud stamping of feet. Staff although polite speak little English. Tried to ask what the spa included as well as if the cabana beds had retractable roofs (gate was locked so couldn't go and look for ourselves) and we had to give up as we couldn't understand each other. Never known an all inclusive charge for so much as extras. Ice cream there are about 4 inc, rest is extra. 3 snacks inc rest is extra including chips. Hubby had a hamburger which looked like raw mince when he bit it so he left it after that. He was poorly for 2 days though. Spoke with others who said the same. Food is again Spanish based. Food I would say should be hot (leek and potato soup, mussels) served from fridge bar! Hot based soup was look warm. Pineapple juice on the fridge bar along with milk and chocolate milk but no glasses nearby. Ended up eating out. The hotel is about a 45 minute stroll from the marina area so its quite away from everything if you're looking for somewhere quite lively then look closer to the other end. So much to see and do down the other end.

This hotel offers stunning views, friendly staff, all inclusive (until 23:30), barely functioning air conditioning, one plug socket per room, and lifts that would operate better if they were hand cranked. My now-husband and I arrived on 18 Jun 25 for our wedding and were immediately overcome with the views. They are stunning. The reception staff who checked us in were extremely friendly and helpful. The rooms We had a large room that was mostly ok, but the toilet wasn’t affixed to the floor properly and the air conditioning was not powerful enough to reach the whole room. There was only one plug socket available for use in the room which is very frustrating nowadays. If you do decide to book here, you’re better off booking smaller rooms as the air conditioning works decent enough for the smaller rooms. The food Having looked at previous reviews prior to arriving, I was trepidatious about the food (especially being all inclusive). The food is standard hotel fare. Nothing special. I had the added benefit of knowing a lot of people staying in a few different hotels in the area and it’s very clear that the sickness was not limited to this hotel and not everyone who was with us at this hotel got sick. The pool The pool area was grand and well maintained. Keep in mind to wear flip flops/sliders as it does get slippery. No inflatables are allowed at the pool. The entertainment Nightly entertainment was popular, we were just too busy to engage with it most nights. The staff The reception/pool/bar/restaurant staff are phenomenal. Can’t fault them. The lifts/elevators When we arrived one of the lifts was stuck on the bottom floor with the door open. Not a great start. Unfortunately, not long after checking in, I got stuck in one of the lifts for twenty minutes. The emergency call button worked to call reception, but they couldn’t hear me. Thankfully I had enough signal on my phone to call my dad who helped me to get out. The staff at reception offered me spa vouchers for the inconvenience which I was told I could use for anything the spa offered (including the VIP loungers). As this was our wedding week, we didn’t have the time to use them until the Monday, but when we went down to use them we were told we couldn’t as the spa had been drained until Wednesday. We asked to use them for the VIP loungers, but were told we couldn’t. We paid the €18 to use them as we had already had it planned that we would. Since we were checking out on the Wednesday, we wouldn’t be able to use them. We queried this with reception, and, after a lot of back and forth, we did get the money back but we shouldn’t have had to fight for it.

Four out of our group of five fell ill during the stay. Must have a serious problem in the kitchen. The hotel needs a major refurb as very dated and in poor condition but in the meantime someone should look at fixing minor, inexpensive aspects. The pool area needs some TLC. The bar area is like a canteen, with bad lighting; the curtain on the stage hangs badly. They also assume that everyone is deaf with music blasting and nowhere to have a bit of peace. The water in the smaller pool was cloudy the day we arrived and put us off so we didn't use it at all. The other pool, also small, is far from inviting. In the evening screens are erected around the pools and the area looks derelict. The lifts are a joke, be prepared to wait. The only thing we enjoyed was the sea view. Also, on our last day they changed the opening times for the restaurant without notice. I'm afraid that I can't recommend this hotel and I would not stay again.