Gran Hotel Guadalpin Banus

Jana Cavojska

I love how well everything is organized. It makes a vacation really stress-free when there's someone who immediately parks your car for you, or when you don't have to worry that they might not clean your room for 3-4 days in a row because you've missed the narrow window during which this is done. In this hotel, no matter when we left the room, the cleaning was done that day, every time. One can take their breakfast and eat it at the pool, there are no restrictions around this. During dinner, every table is well lit, and the staff remembers your choices of drinks, and preference for condiments, from the days before. The food, of course, is absolutely delicious! Some of you might read this and think that this is as it should be, but it hasn't been in other hotels, in my experience. Overall, they really put a lot of thought into making one's stay as pleasant as possible.

Georgia Guest

The hotel is currently in a very poor state, with large areas taped off and closed, giving the whole place an unappealing and run-down feel. For a supposed 5*, you would expect the service and amenities to compensate for it, but instead almost everything that would normally be complimentary in a 4* is charged extra – water, ice, even basic tea bags in the room which were never restocked. Breakfast was particularly disappointing: it’s served in a temporary setup inside a tired sports bar, with a very limited and low-quality offering – honestly worse than budget chains. I’ve stayed in other 5s in Marbella/Banus that felt more like 4, but this one makes those look closer to 6*. The rooms are extremely basic. While they provide Rituals toiletries, the bottles appear to be refilled (which raises concerns for allergies and hygiene), and the wall holder actually snapped in half when I tried to use it. The shower screen didn’t move, meaning water went everywhere, and the room itself smelled of dust and must. I also found hairs in the bed, which is unacceptable in any hotel, let alone one claiming 5*. I requested an upgrade but was told the hotel was full, despite it being strangely quiet with large areas closed – and I overheard several other guests also asking for the same. Hair dryer blew out air for 5 seconds then broke - everything is just falling apart. The only positives are the location, which is walking distance along the beach into Puerto Banus, and the fact that if you manage to get a very cheap deal it might feel just about acceptable. However, for anyone paying full price (over £800 a week), I would be incredibly disappointed. As it stands, it feels like a hotel that’s either about to close down or mid-refurbishment, but haven’t seen any work going on. Hotels like Alanda we stayed at earlier this year and they were apologetic for some construction going on but have seen now there’s significant improvements that were being made. They also upgraded us. People rating the hotel 5*s - in my opinion, must have paid a low amount and have not actually experienced a true 5* - I would say if re-rated the hotel would comfortably claim a 3*.

Nathan

My (brand-new!) wife and I came here for our honeymoon. While everything here truly is perfect, the caveat is that this only applies to what is open. The rooms (suites, especially), pool and facilities are marvelous and high-end in every way. The location is stunning. The food is amazing, too. However, the multitude of restaurants and even the changing rooms and first-floor bathrooms were not open due to some conflict with the local government. This review would be five stars if these facilities had been open, and I’m sure they will reopen soon. My wife and I will be returning!

Brandon Mullin

This hotel was amazing! The pool is fantastic. The breakfast that is included was amazing. The staff were all very nice, helpful and I couldn't fault them for anything. I would definitely come back to this hotel. Its location was great as its on the beach and its about a 15 minute walk to the main area where all the crowds are. It has a small gym too. 5 star from me :)

Milly COHEN

I booked a Superior Room with Sea View for 4 nights expecting a comfortable and relaxing stay, but unfortunately my experience was very disappointing. When we checked in at 11pm on Thurs 7/08 the receptionist said he was trying to find us a better room but that the hotel was full. The room you gave us on the ground floor was damp and felt old and neglected. The bathroom was in a dilapidated state, and to make matters worse, we found two cockroaches during our stay. What was described as a “sea view” turned out to be a ground-floor room looking directly at the coffee bar—hardly the relaxing view I had booked and paid for. The next day we were moved to a better room on the 1st floor. However I was so upset about the first night that I sent my son to sleep in the hotel and went to his appartement. Your breakfast buffet was very disappointing- the staff unfriendly and birds perching on the food. Overall, the standards were far below what was advertised and what we remembered from 2 previous stays a few years ago. Your prices are high and the stay did not feel like good value for money. I would not recommend this hotel based on my experience.