IBEROSTAR Malaga Playa

Just returned from a 1 week stay at this hotel. We had a really brilliant week and the staff and hotel contributed hugely to this. The hotel has a really beautiful lobby; the rooms (standard are pretty small) are really clean, as is the whole hotel- it is spotless! The pool area is fab and our 4 year old loved the water park. The pool does get very busy but the beach is right outside of you prefer a more peaceful time. Lots of pros: 1. the food was really excellent for an all inclusive. Very fresh and varied. The dining hall could get very busy but if you go when it first opens it’s not too bad. You do have to queue later on usually though. 2. The staff were fantastic. They all work incredibly hard and we’re very friendly (bar, dining, cleaning and especially the entertainment staff). 3. Lots of activities going on if you like that; also there are three different kids clubs (which we didn’t really take advantage of tbh) and the staff just looked like they enjoyed themselves immensely too. 4. Great location right on the beach but we barely left the hotel for the whole week which is quite unlike us. 5. The hotel seems very organised and on the ball. My husband and I commented that there was clearly a very good manager in charge! 6. We were worried about being away in August as thought it would be too ‘Brits Abroad’ but to our delight there were lots of nationalities and many Spanish people staying at the same time as us, which we liked a lot. Cons: pool area v busy but it was August. It was nearly impossible to get a sun lounger by the pool despite reservations disallowed as most people put their towels down before breakfast. The biggest downside was that there was only one female toilet by the pool. If you were up at the water park or even the shallow children’s end of the pool it was a bit of a pain. It didn’t spoil our stay but our 4 year old had a few panicked moments trying to get across to the loo. Overall, we loved the hotel and the staff and hope to visit again in the future.

If you want to escape Malaga and Marbella and be in a little town, Torrox is the place for you. We returned to this hotel twice (October 2017 and October 2018). This is the only resort in Torrox, a village that is blessed with great climate through out the year. Located on the beach, good all inclusive hotel for families. Kids club and entertainment were decent. The resort put on a great show for Halloween every year, which is great fun for children and adults. There is an indoor pool for colder months. Buffet restaurant provides decent enough food with theme nights. Nice villages to visit nearby.