Elba Estepona Gran Hotel & Thalasso Spa

Good location, nice room with a comfy bed and big bathroom, we paid extra for a sea view. We were bed and breakfast, the hot breakfast options were very limited and not very warm. The other breakfast choices were good with no wait for a table, lots of staff clearing away. Around the pool many of the sun beds are old and saggy. For a 5 star hotel we expected mattresses on the sun beds, they were uncomfortable. Our biggest disappointment was that I emailed twice to inform the hotel that we were celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. There was no acknowledgement of this. No spa voucher or even a bottle of fizz. Reading other reviews I can see other guests did have their celebrations acknowledged and had spa vouchers. So there needs to be more attention given to guests as individuals, reception staff were disinterested. Loved estepona so we will return to the area but will select a true 5 star hotel next time.

My first, and hopefully last review - my wife and I stayed at Elba post wedding. We entered the hotel with $1000 in cash, stored in individual congratulations cards, given to us as wedding gifts to start our new lives in the US - when we got home, all the cash was gone - but we still have all the cards. We weren't looking for compensation, as we know once it's gone, it's gone, but how the hotel staff handled the situation was appalling. Not only did Clara defend her staff, but attempted to convince us that we had misplaced the money - apparently a thorough investigation was conducted, and non of the housekeeping team, or employees have seen or handled the item - OBVIOUSLY! Which staff member in their right mind would simply own up to it - the naivety is beyond me. BEWARE - the safe instructions don't actually match the safes in the room therefore you cannot use them. My wife and I were targeted as newlyweds, and I sincerely hope the Elba employee who has stolen the money needs it more than we do. Stay somewhere else.

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!

Excellent hotel. The buffet breakfasts and dinners were very good, beyond expectations. Our room was clean and the hotel staff were very friendly and helpful. The taxi service was good and came as soon as reception phoned them. The indoor pool was useful as the weather was not too good during the first couple of days of our stay.

Fabulous 5* Hotel on the outskirts of Estepona. Staff very professional and friendly and always greet you when you pass. We stayed in deluxe garden room with a super king size bed and a large bathroom. All cleaned perfectly each day. We paid €13 extra each night for the a la carte for 7 out of our 8 nights. Which we felt was well worth it. The buffet offers an extensive choice catering for all tastes. Pick your fish or meat and it is cooked in front of you perfectly. Nothing at all wrong with it we just felt like being served! The breakfast buffet offers many choices. We loved the honey dripping from the honeycomb. The pool area and surrounding gardens are planted beautifully and well maintained. The pool and the area surrounding are cleaned daily with great care. Only one niggle. The internet continually drops out if you can get on it at all.

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