Laraine Knights
For a 3 star hotel I think it was good. The whole place is lovely and clean. It has a lovely smell in the hotel and there is air con in all the communal indoor areas. The staff are helpful and friendly. The food is nice. Quite a variety on each of the meals but I think the breakfast and the lunch sittings are better than the dinner setting. On half board you are allowed water free with your dinner which is a nice touch. The pool is small and I can imagine in the school holidays it would be very crowded. The hotel is right in the beach promenade.
Artur S.
We spent two weeks at the Globales Gardenia hotel and overall, we were very satisfied with our stay. The rooms were well-maintained and clean, and the meals served were tasty and varied, with a wide selection of dishes suitable also for vegetarians. The stunning sea views from the balcony were particularly noteworthy and certainly one of the hotel’s greatest assets. The staff were polite and helpful – we especially appreciated the housekeeping team and the restaurant personnel.
Unfortunately, the end of our stay brought some disappointment. Due to a late return flight, we requested a late check-out. We were willing to move to a different room and pay an additional fee. However, our request was denied on the grounds of full occupancy. At the same time, rooms were still available for booking on the hotel’s website and via Booking.com. This inconsistency left us dissatisfied and with a sense of unfair treatment.
In summary, the hotel met our expectations in terms of standards, cleanliness, food quality, and location. However, the approach to non-standard situations, such as the need for a late check-out, leaves room for improvement and may influence the overall perception of the stay.
Paul Woodcock
Our room was spotless but are in need of some updating,
tired and dated decor and furniture, there was only one power socket available for use in the bedroom
other than that, the lack of fridge and use of a hairdryer was a inconvenience.
couldn't fault the service as the staff were great in all aspects of the stay.
very well located too
Thomas Tobin
Lovely Stay but Disappointed with No Balcony at First
We arrived at the hotel around 10pm and were given the keys to our room. Instead of a key card, the hotel uses traditional keys, which felt secure and added a nice touch. The first room we were allocated was on floor -1, which was on the same level as the entertainment area. The room itself was modern and comfortable, however it did not have a balcony and was very noisy due to the location. As our booking through First Choice stated that we would have a balcony, we spoke to reception. The receptionist was very helpful and asked us to return the next morning. By 10:30am we were moved to a new room on the 10th floor, which had an incredible view and made our stay much more enjoyable. It seems that the rooms without balconies are mainly used for solo travellers, which was a little inconvenient in our case.
The location of the hotel is excellent. It is about a 15 minute uphill walk to the station, with a small supermarket just outside that stays open until 1am, and another little shop by the back gate. For the beach, I recommend heading left where the sunbeds are available until around 7pm and there is a small beach bar. Further left there is not much more to see, but if you turn right out of the gate you will find most of the shops and restaurants.
The food at the hotel was decent quality, although the variety was limited and the options did not change much from day to day. There were not many choices for children. Dinner was served later, starting at 7:30pm and finishing at 9pm, which suited us well. Drinks included the normal Pepsi drink pumps in the evenings and fruit juices in the mornings. The snack bar was quite basic, but fresh hot dogs, burgers, chips, and pasta were available and made to order. On our first night, as we arrived late, we were given a plate of cold meats, eggs, and bread instead of dinner. It was not the most appetising, but not a deal breaker.
The pool area was pleasant but small and often crowded, with sunbeds difficult to secure. On our last day there was an unpleasant sewage smell near where we were sitting, but we were unable to move as there were no other sunbeds available. The pool does tend to quieten down after 6pm. The garden area looked nice but unfortunately was filled with wasps and ants, which often ended up in drinks, and there were no tables available.
Entertainment was enjoyable although it repeated after a week. The staff were friendly throughout our stay, and the bus stop into Fuengirola was just across the road, taking about 20 minutes. On market day (Tuesday) the journey took longer, around 45 minutes, but the market itself was well worth visiting.
Our room, although a little dated, was clean and had an amazing view which really made the stay special. The hotel only accepts card payments for upgrades such as premium drinks and cocktails, so that is worth noting.
Overall, we had a very nice stay. The staff were helpful, the views were stunning, and the location was excellent. The main downsides were the initial room allocation without a balcony, limited food variety, and the crowded pool area. With a few small improvements, this hotel could easily provide an even better experience.
Nikita Penno
The staff were all very friendly and helpful. The three of us had a lovely time this past week and we would especially like to thank Lola, George and Hernań for making our stay the best possible with lots and lots of laughter. Although one of the bar ladies could have been a tad more friendly.
All the activities around the day made our stay even better. We have definitely made memories for a lifetime here and would 100% recommend others to stay here!