HOTEL VINCCI SELECCION ESTRELLA DEL MAR

Where do I start with the Estrella Del Mar Beach Club and Hotel! We got married on September 6th and had our reception for over 100 guests in the Beach Club.....it was like something from a dream! The setting was absolutely amazing as were the staff. From the minute we met Esther (Beach Club wedding co-ordinator) we knew it was the place we wanted to get married. The staff could not have been more attentive and this was commented on by the majority of our guests. Also, every bit of food - be it the canopes, the reception meal or the food later in the evening - all of it was of the highest quality. Again - our friends have not stopped talking about how great it was! The venue was absolutely amazing and arranged beautifully - and with the sun setting and beach in the background the pictures look stunning. As part of the wedding package 5 nights in the Estrella Del Mar Hotel were included - we were accommodated in one of the amazing junior suites for the 5 nights over looking the beautiful courtyard, pool areas and sea. Every morning we looked out from the balcony at the beautiful views. The breakfast was fantastic and the staff throughout the hotel could not have been more helpful. The wedding and week after went better than we could have ever hoped so a big thank you again to Esther and Jorge the general manager for making our big day so special and unforgettable......we cannot speak highly enough about this Hotel, Beach Club and the great people working there......already planning the trip back for our anniversary!

I do not give five stars to any hotel that suspects me of stealing beach towels or clothes hangers, and hence make my stay just a little more irksome than it might have been. That off my chest, this hotel does nearly everything right. Reception staff is friendly and capable at all hours, the breakfast should be taught at cuisine classes for six-star hotels, the gardens and pools are great, and the beach club and spa leave nothing to be desired. If you are planning a trip to the region, just go for it. You have all the information you need. If you are reading this as a Vincci manager, read on. Please tell your front office trainees to stop answering every request with "I tell my colleague". 'I will take care of it' says the same, without the guest wondering if he spoke to the wrong person, or if the issue will be retold correctly. Rooms facing west are excessively noisy when the balcony door is open. The busy A7, the pounding surf, the A/C extractor fans all combine to make the balcony at times uninhabitable. We booked through an engine with a really low rate, and was punished with #113 the first night. No view at all, despite the 'partial sea view' promised by the agent. The move to #208 the next morning improved the matter some, but the 'lateral sea view' was only visible from the very noisy balcony. In the room, the TV was facing the bed - not the seating group. Electric outlets were in short supply - lamps had to be plugged out to power the coffee maker, and that was before looking for outlets for chargers. Beware of said outlets if you need your phone or iPad fully charged in the morning. Some go off as you turn off the lights. Some go off when you take the door key out of the master switch. With five devices to charge, we were always three outlets short. The safe is illogical. On the face of it, using your own mag card to lock it is a good idea - but this leaves your mag card outside the locked safe, where AmEx would have liked it inside. As cards go contactless or chip-based, this will need changing - so please rethink. In the elevator, E gives you lobby level, and 0 gives you restaurants - or was it the other way around' Could never remember, and shouldn't need to. Housekeepers should check things like hand shower heads occasionally. In 113, the selector for massage, full and soft couldn't be turned; in 208, it turned easily but had no effect. Water was sprouting everywhere regardless. Kudos for the fastest-filling bathtub in Spain - five minutes was all it took. The desk chair in the picture was an optional extra. It was missing in both rooms, and had to be ordered. No charge, though. But don't let these ramblings discourage you. Get a full sea view room, and just enjoy this superb hotel at its best. You will be sorry to leave.

My partner and I had bee staying in Malaga and wanted to visit Marbella so I thought I would treat us to a luxury overnight stay. This hotel is certainly that! When we checked in, the staff were wonderful. They told us lots of useful things and supplied us with s complimentary glass of fizz each, and took our bags to the room. (Make sure you tip when they do this - they're doing something extra and it's the polite thing to do) The room was gorgeous, stylishly furnished, well shaded and cool. We were in the ground floor so we had a seating area that led into a beautiful green garden. The bathroom has a huge bath and separate waterfall shower, with his and her sinks. Stunning. The hotel four pools, all absolutely gorgeous and real sun traps. There are dozens of sun loungers and the sun beds add a sense something extra. There are plenty of places to order drinks and snacks from nearby. Things to bear in mind: - it bills itself as a spa hotel but use of gym and spa facilities invoked a 35 Euro per day charge, quite cheeky I think - it is remote and requires a 15-20 euro cab into Marbella - very few nearby restaurants or bars - no shops in immediate walking distance - the drinks are ludicrously expensive. Water is €4, a 230ml soft drinks is€3.50, a cocktail is €12, and a spirit single shot before you add mixer ranges from €9 to €15. Bring something with you! We did and just paid for mixers. Cheeky but so are they! I think all of the above points are, however, reflected in the price of a room. We paid 140 for a Monday night, which is a lot it's true, but in Marbella for a 5* hotel it is actually very low. This "low" price for luxury reflects the lack of nearby things to do, and the extra charges. Just head it in mind when you factor in costs and decide on this over a more expensive rival in the centre. Would recommend very highly for short stays, as we had a wonderful time. Perhaps a little isolated for long visits, but for a weekend of quiet bliss it is ideal.

Hotel is stunning, Cava on checking in and looked after throughout. Beautiful sea views and so quiet. The hotel is remote... hard to find other restaurants nearby and either a 2 hour stunning beach walk to Marbella or a 13 Euro taxi but if you are happy with Half Board the food is amazing. I am vegetarian and something different for me every night. Pools lovely and plenty of sun beds available... none of this reserving your sunbed with a towel at the crack of dawn!! Two things I would mention though, water is 4 euros at the hotel, so expensive. The hotel advertises as a spa and gym but they are cheeky... These are NOT included in the price and costs 35 Euro per day to be able to use! Totally recommend this beauty however!!!

First of all it's worth saying we like this hotel enough to have come 3 years running but you have to accept its limitations. So the hotel is in a quiet residential area. The beach is a steep hill away and although the hotel run a shuttle to their beach club it isn't always that regular. The beach club is charged for as an extra - Expensive and we don't see the benefit so stay round the hotel pool. The breakfast is a good selection but we never eat in for dinner or lunch after our previous poor experiences. The dinner time buffet is awful and the a la carte restaurant empty and soulless. We made the mistake of trying to get tapas this year about 22.00 and a dry plate of meats and cheese and some stale breakfast rolls was all they could manage. There is no one using the bars or public rooms in the evenings. The nearest collection of small bars and restaurants are a 20 minute walk away through a building site. No place in the hotel to buy small items you might need. Evening bar staff really not keen to serve and by 22.00 the place is dead. The nearest shops - just a couple of mini markets and some places selling beach items - are again approx 1.5-2 miles away. So if you like isolated and quiet it's a good spot. If you want more then have a car or stay nearer to Marbella. The positive points are 3 big fresh water pools. Nice sea views from the bedroom if you pay for them. The restaurants that are close by are really good (Masala - about half the price of the rest, the Playwright, the Beach House, Elviria Restaurant - typically £50 a head at most). A taxi gets you to Marbella in 15 minutes or the small marina at Cabopino in 10. Hotel rooms are a good size with separate walk in showers, free safe which uses any of your credit/ debit cards with magnetic strip to open, kettle for tea making, hairdryer but its tethered in the bathroom, slight elderly fridge mini bar, clean rooms although dated furnishings. 2 single beds not large king size. To has BBC world new or Us Bloomberg but no other English speaking channels - why not a satellite would be easy to organise' Housekeeping staff excellent and helpful, breakfast servers work very hard. Reception staff have very limited English. There is a hairdresser/ barber service but you have to book ahead as they come in specially to the small salon from their regular site. So in summary peaceful and a good base to explore from.