| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
JOHN & ADRIENNE HARDCASTLE from LEEDS travelled to Gran Hotel with
MADE OWN ARRANGEMENTS
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2008 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff |  | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We arrived in our own rental car, but found a huge car-park (about 50 spaces) in front of the hotel EMPTY. The hotel charges 10 Euros per day/night (EVEN FOR THEIR OWN ALL-INCLUSIVE GUESTS) Make it reasonable and they MAY get someone to use it, thus generate some input from it. At the moment it is a "white elephant" for them. We parkd just around teh corner. plenty of room FREE. Nevertheless, check in was easy as we were greeted very warmly at reception, who could not do enough for us throughout our stay. We were allocated a lovely room with a view of the swiming pool (or "puddle" would be better description, only 18 ins deep at 'deep-end' DEFINITELY no diving ha!!) Our view also had the sea directly beyond. LOVELY. There is however no shortage of space for suunbathing, loads of beds, and large lawns to find your own space and be private if you wish. Also pool bar service excellent. Our room was spacious and spotlessly clean. Alas the restaurant wasn't up to much. The food was cold and included some rather strange concoctions. Why not just stick to good wholesome food. Nevertheless, we always found something palatable and the wine waiters could not do enough. he hotel has a very "esay" feel to is, as most guests are older, thus there is no "rush and push" one sometimes finds. Entertainment was OK and didn't have to wait all night for it. Bar service EXCELLENT. All in all, a very relaxing break for us, which is just what we wanted. We are even tinking of returning, despite the poor food. The good points outnumber the bad ones easily. BUT this is NOT a four star hotel. Average 3 (without the screaming kids, I suppose that alone merits the extra 'Star')
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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janet and duncan macleod from highlands travelled to Gran Hotel with
own arrangements
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2007 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was the first time we were on the Costa del Sol and were'nt disappointed.
The rooms were spotless and the staff great the hotel is in a quiet area and right on the beach which suited us we were all inclusive which was great as the food was excelent and the drink even better.
Transfer by taxi from Malaga airport takes about twenty minutes and cost us thirty eight euros each way
this is a great hotel and with daily Easyjet flights from Glasgow.
We will certainly be back in this hotel again.
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Brown from Brighton travelled to Gran Hotel with
Octopus
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Price/quality very good. Staf friendly , best location on Costa del Sol.!!!
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purvis from oldham travelled to Gran Hotel with
expedia
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We visited in August and I was concerned having read the earlier reviews only a few days before we left.Hotel was spotless.
Staff were really friendly and couldn't do enough to make sure we all enjoyed our break. The children in kids club were 99% Spanish and our daughter really enjoyed it. The rep said he would show the children's movies in English and put Spanish subtititles up for everyone else!
She joined in with the activities such as treasure hunts around the pool and beach games. Pool was lovely to cool off in and great for all the children.
All inclusive worked for us.Staff on the pool bar worked so hard and offered crisps and nuts with our drinks.It never took long to get served at the bar
Food is mainly Spanish which we loved, and was of good quality.Mussels,different types of fish, Calamari,Salads were fresh and plentiful. Lots of fruit at all meals.
The only downer was that the evening entertainment was indoors and didn't take advantage of the great weather.
This is a change from the usual package holiday.
We travelled independently and had no rep and did't miss it.
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Tracey Gaymer from Whitstable travelled to Gran Hotel with
Own arrangements
on a family holiday.
There were 1 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Immaculately clean.
Great location - on the beach - quiet residential area
Great service from staff.
Mainly Spanish guests - great indication of good standards.
Entertainment outside of hotel nearby was low key.
Try to get a room overlooking the car park or pool - sounds odd, but if you are on the other side the view is of a massive storm channel.
Watch out for the all inclusive deal if you are on a flight leaving early in the morning, because the all inclusive credit card is switched off at 12 noon the day before.
I would certainly recommend.
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James and Maggie from London travelled to Gran Hotel with
independent
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: This hotel was tops. It does exactly what it says on the tin and is excellent value for money. It has a lovely pool, is right on the beach and all your meals and drinks are catered for. If all your looking for is a couple of days on the beach with no hassles and gentle strolls in the evening then this is the hotel for you.
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phil and karen from lancashire travelled to Gran Hotel with
media
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We were pleasantly surprised on arrival as we had read mixed reviews about this hotel. The room was lovely and clean, the views superb except for the storm drain area below.
The resort is a lovely quiet residential area, extremely clean and well landscaped. The town centre just a few minutes away is immaculate. Buses are incredibly cheap ( one euro to Fuengirola or Marbella)and frequent.
This is a quiet resort but with plenty of friendly bars and good restaurants,Indian one near hotel was excellent. Avoid time-share touts near hotel.
We would not advise the all inclusive because you will probably want to go out quite a lot as the food and entertainment are typically Spanish (as you would expect)and unexciting, drinks in the hotel bar are expensive but much cheaper in the local bars.
We thought it was an ideal place to stay and would recommend it as it was quiet, safe and clean but only a short distance away from the razzamatazz of the big resorts.
Do visit the beautiful village of Mijas in the mountains - stunning. Book any excursions at the travel agent in the town centre or at the bus station in Fuengirola - much cheaper than through the hotel and visit the magnificent Alhambra Palace near Granada.
Most staff were pleasant and helpful.
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martin Millar from Kilkeel travelled to Gran Hotel with
x-cape
on a family holiday.
There were more than 6 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel cleanliness;
absolutely superb. previous writers have mentioned a change of management and all I can say is that they must have made a difference!
This has to be one of the best 4 star hotels we have ever stayed in! The staff were all friendly and efficient. The rooms were of equal comparison to any
like hotel in U.K.
The food was excellent with every taste catered for.
You were met at the door by the restaurant manager who arranged for a table for your group. Drinks orders were taken immediately and all you had to do was choose your food from the varied display at the buffet.
The location is quiet but there are plenty of lively night-spots within easy reach if that is what you need.
The hotel is right on the beach and the pool is small and shallow which is fine for youngsters.
The staff were fantastic - we had a birthday among the party and the restaraunt manager could not have done enough to ensure the timely arrival of a cake especially made by the chef.
Entertainment was good with all the usual disco, archery, shooting etc.
I would certainly visit this hotel again.
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brian freeman from peterborough travelled to Gran Hotel with
findspainroms.com
on a friends holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Visited for long weekend and found everything about
the hotel exceeded my expectations.
The room was spotless and very well equipped the food was varied and of very good quality.
The staff were always as helpful as possible and went out of there way to make our stay as pleasant as possible.
There was "entertainment" every evening catering mainly for the Saga guests who where in the majority. (It was February after all)
In short I have no hesitation in recommending this hotel.
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Bill Rogers from Liverpool travelled to Gran Hotel with
Independant
on a singles holiday.
There were 1 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Arrived middle of January found hotel to be nice clean.
A bit remote. Food in general was very good ,drinks if you were only on halfboard were expensive. Cheaper to go out found resort a bit quiet for my tastes too many estate agents.
Very easy to get bus to other areas would go again
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Peter & Carol from Essex travelled to Gran Hotel with
Orchid
on a Couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We booked this hotel before reading the many bad reports about it on this web site. We contacted Orchid Travel expressing our concerns and were offered 4 alternative hotels but as we wanted the area of Mijas Costa we stuck with our original choice. We need not have worried - we asked for a high floor and got 5th out of 6. The request for extra pillows was sorted with the minimum of delay.
The food in the hotel was towards the Spanish taste rather than the British - but the hotel is in Spain isn't it.
The hotel was kept clean and tidy with maids working throughout the day.
The staff were all very good with the stars being the restaurant and bar staff where the service given was second to none.
The entertainment gave us a cabaret spot at 9.30 each evening and for Spain the standard was varied and good.
Although we travelled with Orchid we chatted with the charming and knowledgable Saga male rep who was quite happy to give us the benefit of his experience and amongst the bits of info he gave us was that the hotel management had recently changed and things were on the up. With this in mind perhaps recent reports should be considered rather than those prior to Oct 2004.
We would give it an 8 out of 10.
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Shaun Lippiatt from Bristol travelled to Gran Hotel with
First Choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We had a week half board, which did not entitle us to any sort of drink with our evening meal, including water.
We did find the hotel to be reasonably clean.
Food was always luke warm and of a very average standard.There appeared to be no means of keeping food hot once it was placed on display.
As we went in the first week of November there was not a lot to do in Mijas and we spent everyday travelling on the bus, not ideal for children especially in the evening.
We found the staff to be pleasant and the chambermaid was excellent and kept our room spotless.
We spent most of the day out of the hotel but the evening 'entertainment' was awful.
In summary this hotel should never be a 4* and we would not recommend anyone to take a holiday there.
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Adam from Manchester travelled to Gran Hotel with
Alpharooms
on a friends holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: On arrival at this hotel, my room was filthy and looked like it hadn't been cleaned since the last occupants left. The ventilation in the bathroom didn't work, and my toilet seat was in two pieces. We informed the hotel, who said they would sort the problems. I never actually got to see the toilet seat fixed.
The hotel food was very poor being cold and not having a very big selection. I didn't stay in this hotel long and so don't know if it would of got any better. Although first impressions were poor.
The location of the hotel is nice, its right on the beach front and is a lovely quiet area.
The hotel staff on reception were absolutely useless. When I reported that one of my party had cut his hand in the pool, the basically didn't care. We informed them that small children where playing in the pool, but they didn't even check it out, or close the pool. Everyone else was nice to you, especially the man at the pool bar.
I never actually saw any entertainment in this hotel so cant comment, so thats why it gets a three. Although not actually sure whether there was entertainment of not.
I would not return to this hotel, as it had too many problems.
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McClean from Aberdeen travelled to Gran Hotel with
Expedia
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I could not fault anything about our holiday. The staff were excellent, the food was varied and of good quality and the drinks on the all inclusive were freely available. I loved the fish and the salad dishes were delicious. I did hear guests who complained about the food and saw that they lived on chip butties the whole time I was there but I assume they lived like that at home. I had read previous reports about this hotel and this did not match what I found at all.
On speaking to one of the local restaurant owners, he did say that the hotel had gone through 'teething problems' but he stated these had all been resolved as far as he knew. We certainly had no complaints.
Our room was beautiful and very comfortable. Only thing to watch out for is opening the patio door at night as mosquitos get into the room. My wife was badly bitten several times.
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les & val from chester travelled to Gran Hotel with
orchid travel
on a singles holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: After reading some of the previous reports we were a bit concerned on what we would find at this hotel.
The hotel was very clean the food was good quality and varied.
The location of the hotel was good with good local transport only a few minutes walk away
We found the staff friendly and helpful the entertainment was average if you could stand the smokey lounge area
There was no problem getting all inclusive drinks at any bar
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Duncan Frost from High Wycombe travelled to Gran Hotel with
Expedia
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We stayed in the hotel for 10 nights all inclusive and found the hotel nice and clean and food to be good.
Drinks in the bar good choice and now that pint glasses have been introduced had no probelms with plastic ones.You pay extra for certain cocktails but some were included on all inclusive.
Now the downsides the entertainment was pretty poor most nights Bingo,Quizzes and crap shows with two people in dancing about on stage!. The comedian Franky Brown was good for one night best bit of entertainment we saw.
The room was nice had two probelms on the first night my 2 year old son was having his bath let the water out when we had finished and water came up the drain and flooded the bathroom with a nice sewerage smell with it. Then the next night water was dripping through a small hole in the ceiling above the bath assume from the room above, But i have to say all small maintenace probelms and the staff we good and sorted it out within 24hrs. The chambermaids we good when they did clean the room but for two days are room was left un-cleaned probaly because my son was having his nap in the afternoon when they wanted to come in but no explaination or a knock at the door to say we will come back later.
The sandy beach was lovely and nice clear blue water if you do use the sun loungers be prepared to pay for them 6 euros for the day with matresses.
We had a good holiday and even with these small probelms would go again and i would give the hotel an 8/10.
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peter johncock from burgess hill travelled to Gran Hotel with
orchid travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: I thought the hotel was good value for money. I have stayed in other 4 star establishments which have been worse. Food good and plenty of choice.
Staff very friendly and very helpful. No restriction on number of drinks issued and at meal times often asked if we required more.
Pool area quite good with plenty of free loungers, plus own section of beach with loungers.
Entertainment a bit poor though, expected better.
Very Spanish and hotel did seem to favour the Spanish.
Bedrooms very clean and hotel generally quite clean.
Cannot understand where those people were staying who have complained because I saw nothing like that. I have traveled extensively both socially and on business and always stay 4 star or better, and this was not bad.
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STEVE from SOUTHAMPTON travelled to Gran Hotel with
ORCHID TRAVEL
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Just got back from a week all inclusive at this hotel with my wife.
The hotel was continually being cleaned from 7.30 in the morning until late in the day. Rooms were left immaculate after the daily clean. Toilets within the hotel though left a lot to be desired at times but, as I saw cleaners regularly go to them I think the onus should be put on the disgusting way some guests leave them.
Not keen on the small plastic cups that were given out by the poolside bar, each glass seemed to hold less than half a pint. Although no comment was made to anyone about how many times you went for another drink. Also some ashtrays on the tables outside would have been nice as some guests seem to think it is acceptable to put their cigarettes out on the floor.
Hotel food was adequate, I have stayed in many 4* hotels and had far worse, various meat, fish and vegetarian dishes were on offer during lunch and evening meal. Not once was any dish duplicated during the week. My only complaint was that the food could have been hotter. I have paid good money in restaurants abroad and had far worse.
I felt the location was ideal for our needs, in the morning we would visit neighbouring resorts and in the afternoon lay on the beach. Mijas is ideally situated between Malaga and Marbella and an excellent bus service is approx. 5 mins. Walk from the hotel.
The hotel staff were very friendly and helped us with our every need, ringing for taxis before we discovered the bus route, giving us 2 bottles of wine with our evening meal if requested. Always available to answer questions on best ways to get around / where to go.
Entertainment seemed to be on offer throughout most of the day but we never participated/stayed up for the evening show so I cannot really comment further.
One point that is worth mentioning is that on the 4th day our bathroom floor started to fill up with water when both taps were on, I rang reception and 10 mins later the maintenance guy came and sorted the problem, he rang the cleaning staff who immediately came and recleaned the bathroom - good service in my opinion.
We travel away approx. 10 times a year so I feel I have good comparisons to make against other places we have stayed. I would give this hotel a good 7 out of 10 and will return next year.
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Marie Cascarino from Inverness travelled to Gran Hotel with
Orchid Travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel I thought was not very clean. The bar area in particular was dirty. When things were spilled they were not cleaned up immediately or efficiently.
The food was dire to say the least. It was lukewarm and half cooked with much the same everyday. When you came down for lunch and dinner you baulked with the smell of the restaurant.
If I was spending £400 on a holiday I would expect something more than blancmange and Angel Delight for dessert. Okay if you are on a liquidation diet. On the day we arrived we had lunch and the plates were dirty. In the morning the sausages were certainly not cooked. I thought that you would have got more than bulk bought peanuts and crisps for snacks/
We ate out on the last two nights of our stay as we couldn't face eating there.
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Anne McLellan from Airdrie travelled to Gran Hotel with
Orchard Travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Too much to put down - Please please take heed of the reviews for this hotel if I had read them before I booked then I would have been somewhere miles away from the Gran Hotel Costa Del Sol.
What can I say, well excrement on loos for several days, dead fly in my water, raw food and not so nice staff.
The all inclusive is a joke and there is meant to be storm drainage at the back of hotel which we had a nice view of but this was in reality a sewer. So needless to say we never had a nice quiet night sitting on our balcony.
Do not go here even for free as you will only regret it and wish you had spent your money elsewhere.
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Anne Allan from Aberdeen travelled to Gran Hotel with
Discount Holidays
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Honestly dont go to this hotel it is absolutely awful.
We went there on the 1 August 2004 for one week and that long enough believe me.....
The public toilets were absolutely appauling blood and excrement on two cubicles for 3 days, no toilet roll and absolutely no cleaner to be seen for the whole 7 days.
Food awful, they even had a power cut mid week forgetting to tell any guests. Food was always cold, hot food displayed next to salads. When you asked even being all-inclusive for a drink it was like asking for the earth. Dirty dishes always left on your table until you had left the table. I did not find the staff helpful one bit.
Entertain very very poor and boring.
The pool area buckets were never emptied, pool bar closed earlier than it should have done. Also this week the bar ran out of plastic cups, then got other taller thin ones, the beer starting frothing so they said no beer. We had earlier observed them rolling kegs down from reception to the pool bar, no wonder they were frothy eh..... You would think nothing else would happen until...... the pool started emptying, they never even noticed that we had to tell them. As my husband said they pinched the pool plug to sort the electrics in the hotel.
It does not matter how many times you complain they are not interested. We even asked our holiday rep for a complaint form which we were promised but surprise surprise she could not find one.
So take my advice DO NOT GO THERE...
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Sharin Cunningham from Glasgow travelled to Gran Hotel with
Viva Holidays
on a family holiday.
There were 4 adults and 1 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 08 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel was an absolute nightmare from start to finish!
The staff were a miserable shower of people with no manners whatsoever! Especially the ones in the restaurant! I felt like asking them what the problem was but they could not speak a word of English so there was no point! We went all inclusive and were made to feel like we were asking for something for nothing when we asked for drinks of juice along with our dinner! At one point we asked for a jug of cola as there were five in our party and the waiter nearly had a fit! Shouting no no no as if we were being greedy or something!
We didnt even bother going to the bar - we went once - stayed for half an hour and left! Talk about miserable - I thought when you paid all inclusive that meant you could drink for free! Its not worth the hassle and the embarrasment in this hotel! You are made to feel like a second class citizen because you are asking for more than one drink!
The pool area was fine during the day because we were quite happy to sunbathe and relax - but again if you felt like a drink of juice or an ice cream you were frightened to go and ask incase they told you to get lost!
Dont ever book this hotel for a holiday because it is an absolute nightmare and I am so glad to be home!
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John & Helen from Newcastle on Tyne travelled to Gran Hotel with
Saga
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Although the hotel is fairly new we found it to be very basic. The bedrooms were comfortable but the public areas a huge disappointment.
Only ten minutes to walk into La Cala proper and a good selection of restaurants here.
The hotel was average when it comes to cleanliness, the food truly 3rd rate. We found the staff generally seemed to think we were a nuisance and most people we met were of the same opinion.
Entertainment 5th rate - no effort being made in this department - seems a bit strange for a hotel promoting itself as a resort.
We liked the location which is right on the edge of the beach which is long and ideal for morning and evening walks.
Come back ? never, never, never, but La Cala is great we will find somewhere else to stay next time.
We saw an article on another forum which mentioned self catering places shown on the Tourist Information website and we will probably give that a go next time. I've had a quick look and it looks very promising but cannot comment yet.
www.calademijas.com.
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Williams from Rochdale travelled to Gran Hotel with
Saga
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 04 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Gran Hotel La Calla Mijas Costa.
A pleasant enough hotel, with good sized rooms,side sea view balconies and providing typical Spanish food,with enough variety to suit most people. I especially enjoyed the freshly cooked meats and fish dishes.
Poor swimming area, consisting of a shallow, walk-in play pool. Certainly not suitable for adults.
A large lounge with a games area at one end and restricted views of the,"Entertainment", for a lot of the guests.
Bingo in four languages took up the time from 9.00pm to 10pm and later. Entertainment was generally poor, with little opportunity to dance.
An hotel which was not suitable for Saga guests.
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Jill Gibb from Peterborough travelled to Gran Hotel with
Saga
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 03 2004 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We have just returned from the Gran Hotel Costa del Sol after a two-week stay. We enjoyed the break but were not particularly impressed by this hotel. It is uninspiring architecturally, as noted by a previous contributor, and is tucked away down a side street. The hotel is long and narrow and built at right angles to the beach.
The rooms are of a good size and comfortable with nice bathrooms. Each room has its own private balcony. Ours overlooked the carpark in front of the entrance and we spent the odd moments observing the parking skills of other guests below! Parking spaces were at a premium in March. What would the situation be like in the height of the season?
Rooms on the opposite side of the hotel overlooked a wide muddy stormwater drainage channel.
The food in the restaurant was boring and repetitive, fish and chicken, chicken and fish! It certainly wasn't hot. We discovered the trolley with the heated plates (medium, warm or hot) two days after our arrival. It was situated in front of a pillar and set back from the buffet. What a pity that we hadn't noticed it earlier! Cold plates are stacked on the end of the buffet and are intended for salads. Chips are available at both lunch and dinner but otherwise small children are not well catered for in the restaurant.
The large lounge/bar area is well furnished but the smell of stale smoke is overpowering at all times here and elsewhere in the hotel, apart from the restaurant and bedrooms. Non-smokers beware!
As noted by the previous contributor, the windows throughout the hotel are filthy. When do they get cleaned?
There is a surgery off the main reception area which is used by a visiting doctor. It is also used by an excellent lady masseur who is able to deal with all aches and pains by appointment. Some comfortable chairs and sofas in the reception area would be a real bonus.
If future guests use hotel facilities like laundry or fax, PLEASE KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS. You may well need to produce them when you check out as the staff are not always accurate with their accounting and this will avoid embarrassment.
There is a unisex hairdresser, Paula Styles, just around the corner from the hotel. There is also the main Post Office nearby but don't bother to send cards to the UK. Ours took two weeks to arrive, three or four days after our return.
Coach trips to various paces of interest can be booked
at the hotel. Our favourites took is to Gibraltar and to the Alhambra Palace in Granada.
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Jonno from Manchester travelled to Gran Hotel with
Med Hotels
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2003 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The bar / resturant staff are a total waste of space! Although you pay to be all inclusive, you feel like THEY are doing YOU a favour to serve you a drink! If you are all inc, you are a second class citizen! Pool is tiny, a 6ft adult will find it very hard to actually swim. No way is this hotel a 4*. 3*, maybe, just.
Overall, it was a nice break. Mijas is cool, great irish bar! Hotel makes you want to go home though. DO NOT BOOK!!!!!
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Dave Hudson from Blackpool travelled to Gran Hotel with
first choice
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2003 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Hotel was too much out of the way down a little dust track of a road , entertainment was very poor we felt at all times there was one room missing , only allowed one drink at a time and a beer in a little plastic cup, we felt discriminated because we were on an all inclusive holiday when half board guests were getting better treatment of the hotel. The food was very very poor all we seemed to have every night was fish did harry ramsden own the hotel or something.
The pool area was poor too very shallow pool good for kids but not for adults , and at night when we were peckish no food was available to eat as stated in the hotel description , we were overlooking half car park half a old house not the sea views the brochure says overall a very poor hotel i can't believe its a 4 star lucky to be a one star hotel.
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Newson from Middlesex travelled to Gran Hotel with
Aspen Travel
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 07 2003 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel was very nice and very clean. It hadnt been open for very long when I went there.
The food was very repetitive and boring.
The hotel staff were quite rude and didnt seem to understand the meaning of 'All Inclusive'. There were sevral disagreements when ordering drinks at the bar, they were telling us that we could only have one drink at a time which meant that each member of our party had to go to the bar seperately - Very Pointless!!
The entertainment was poor. the childrens disco went on until about 10pm which we thought was far too late as by that time all adults were bored!!!Overall I enjoyed my holiday but feel that the management had a lot to learn if they wanted people to return!
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Tracey Bonavia from Gibraltar travelled to Gran Hotel with
Gib Sun Club
on a family holiday.
There were 2 adults and 4 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2003 |
rated the Gran Hotel as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This hotel was crap to say the least. We got there when the hotel first opened and they were still placing furniture in the rooms. We arrived at noon and did not get a room until 5:30 in the afternoon. In between they gave us cold fish in tomato sauce and a salad, we had no choice on what to eat. When we got our room, there was no hairdryer installed in the bathroom and the cables were hanging off the wall, no fridge, no TV and the room was filthy. We decided not to make a big issue out of it and try to enjoy our holiday. However, we made our way to the pool and found it to be a kids paddle pool (certainly not for adults - water just went up to my hips!) The so called "Chiringuito" serving ice cream all day for kids was closed and did not open during all the days we stayed at the hotel.
Food was awful, all we had to eat every day was croquettes and chicken and chips, lots of boring cold salads and fruit emptied out of cans in front of our faces! Most of the time food was cold.
Well, after a boring day trying to solve the problems in our room, shower time came, I showered my daughter and son, then my husband had his shower, when it came to me, halfway along my shower the water got cut off and had to go to dinner still wearing my shampoo on my head! - This might sound funny now, but it was very stressful at the time. We did not have any more water until the next afternoon.
We made a complaint and we were offered 2 nights as compensation, which, thinking that all the teething problems had been solved, we returned 3 months later
and still having problems. The antenna on our TV had to be re-installed, still no fridge in the room (but the cupboard for it was there), hairdryer was installed but not working - and then there's the food, well, if you like croquettes every meal, every day of the week, then this is the place for you.
Take my advice, stay away from this hotel! You don't need the stress!!!
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