Hotel Don Ignacio ★★★★

"Worst hotel I've been at. Looks nice but that's it. The staff does absolutely nothing and seems to be young summer workers. The staff in the breakfast is suuuper rude. If you come even 1 min early, they ask you to go out and wait but they are not ready until 8 either... They have loud music outside every night and every second night a live band that plays very late. Not relaxing whatsoever. The breakfast is really bad. Pictures look fake, not at all like the actual breakfast. Fruit looks like it's old and tastes like fridge. Bread is not fresh and very stale. Juice tastes toxic and water in the machine tastes like chlorine so it's probably from the tap. And no soundproof room at all. I hear every step, every conversation, the cleaning staff when they start their cleaning around 5. So music keeps me up until after midnight and then vacuum that wakes me up at 5. I'd never return here even if it was for free."

Cortijo Los Malenos ★★★★

"El Cortijo de los Malenos has been, for me, a place to truly disconnect. I would especially recommend it out of season, when you can enjoy even more the silence and calm that this place offers. At this time of year there is no daily housekeeping service or breakfast, and far from being a drawback, for us it was part of its charm: a space designed to rest, connect with nature and enjoy complete privacy. There is also the option of staying in an apartment. The bed and pillows feel like an embrace, and the quality of the towels is simply outstanding. It is located just five minutes from Agua Amarga, with all necessary services, and very close to stunning beaches such as Playa de los Muertos or Cala de Enmedio, as well as restaurants like La Chumbera, where the red prawn tartare and the steak tartare with bone marrow are, quite literally, unforgettable. The location is ideal, allowing you to move around easily without giving up the tranquility of the surroundings. The cortijo is a wonderful combination of peace, nature and art. During our stay there was a sculpture exhibition, which was the icing on the cake. Listening to the silence, surrounded by such a beautiful setting, has been one of those small luxuries that are hard to find. I would especially like to highlight Aurora and her team, whose service has been exceptional. They are not constantly visible, but they are always there whenever you need them, with immediate, warm attention and a truly exquisite sense of customer care. A place I will definitely return to to rest, breathe and reconnect."

Apartahotel Vistamar San José ★★★

"We love this Aparthotel and return time after time. It's fabulous value for money and has views like you wouldn't believe. All the staff are absolutely lovely and so welcoming and helpful and they all seem to like each other which makes the atmosphere very friendly. We cannot find anything bad to say about it. Sue and Donald"

Hostal Boutique Bajío

"Lovely little Hostal in a quiet traditional village, San Jose is very close by and just a few minutes in the car and there are some beautiful surrounding areas. Hostal was clean but basic as you would expect, beds comfortable. Staff friendly and helpful. Ate lunch at the Mexican restaurant attached to Hostal and the food was really good. Wouldn’t recommend the breakfast as the options are limited."

Apartamentos Julio Visconti

El Dorado San José ★★

"Good location and great views. Room ok , clean and with a small fridge but did the job however the air con unit did leak quite abit (might just be a one off). Swimming pool lovely. We didn’t eat at the hotel so can’t comment on that. We would stay here again."

Complejo Turístico Los Escullos Cabo de Gata ★★★★

"If you're looking to get away from it all in a place with incredible scenery and beaches then Los Escullos is perfect. It is pretty remote so do your big shop before you arrive as the supermarket is good but basic.Nearest good shop is the Spar in San Jose. Site is spacious, reception and staff are all friendly. Toilets and showers spotless. Washing machines work fine and washing dries in half an hour in the dry heat! We've been travelling for months and this was our favourite site. Restaurant food is fine. Lovely little village La Isletta down the road with sea view bars. 20 minute walk to the beach or 3 minute drive. Will definitely return."

Hospederia Rural Los Palmitos ★★

"All fantastic. Fantastic staff, Angel and Inma are special, available and hospitality women. Wonderful breakfast. Charmful, clean, comfortable structure. They also made us park the bike inside and on the cover."

Boutique Hotel El Tio Kiko ★★★

"My wife and I had great expectations for our holiday at Hotel Tio Kiki as it had been recommended by good friends. We arrived and were very impressed by the hotel, the location and the views of the sea from the hotel. We made our booking directly with the hotel and it turned out that the room we had booked - a double sea view room was not the room we had seen on the website and the room on offer was a bit cramped. Fortunately, the receptionist was able to offer the room be believed we had booked was in fact was designated as a suite for the 4 or the 6 nights at extra cost. We were delighted with this and we made good use of the facilities of the hotel. We were less impressed with the room that we were given for the last two nights of our stay. The transition from the suite to the room was not smooth as communications between the cleaning staff and the reception staff did not work out. We were left waiting for several hours to use our room and found it had been cleaned and was ready shortly after breakfast. When we mentioned this to the Director, Javier Altieri, that evening, he asked rather rudely if we were complaining. We said we were not complaining but thought it best to bring it to his attention. He replied that we should just accept that the hotel may not come up to our expectations....this hotel is by no means a bargain at E200+ per night in June. The room (no 14) we were given has an electrical switch box – and it was making a loud, irritating whizzing noise. As it was already quite late we went to bed but found it very difficult to sleep. It either meant turning off the electricity so no air conditioning or having the continuous whirring noise. The following day after a sleepless night, we asked if this could be repaired and Mr Altieri explained that a technician would be called and the problem would be solved. When we got back in the evening, the problem had not been solved. Mr Altieri came up to the room, at our insistence, to assess the problem and agreed that it was noisy . He added that a technician had come but we had put a 'no disturb sign on the door' which he later agreed was not true and that the technician would have to be called again, as it was now 7.30pm. We were rather irritated that the work had not been done properly and Mr Altieri suddenly got very angry with us. He shouted at us, saying “you have been complaining about everything since you arrived here”, "why can't you just enjoy your holiday" both statements certainly not true. He continued to shout us in a very unprofessional tone and walked off saying we would have to wait for the technician to come. After waiting for an hour, the technician had still not arrived. Mr Altieri had gone and the receptionist asked us to stay and wait. We said we found this unacceptable. We were not offered a new room, nor any recompense or given apologies for the previous sleepless night. Most upset, we paid our bill, packed our bags and left under a dark cloud. Mr Alti"