The Diana Park is a very good value three star hotel. We would certainly stay there again if visiting the Costa del Sol.

The hotel has a nice feel to it, seemed clean throughout and the overall look is pretty and pleasant, with an abundance of orange trees in the hotel grounds. The reception and restaurant staff spoke fairly good English, and all staff were helpful and polite. Rooms are on two floors and arranged in rows around the swimming pool and reception/restaurant area. There is a seating area outside each room (first floor rooms have balconies). Although our row of rooms was adjacent to the busy main dual carriageway, traffic noise wasn’t a problem (an important issue for me) because our room faced away from the road. I’d imagine that traffic noise wouldn’t be a problem for most people, but ask for a quiet room when booking if you’re concerned.

Our room was clean and comfortable with a good en-suite bathroom (bath with shower). A free safe was provided. As expected, no tea or coffee making facilities, and TV channel selection was poor (one or two English-speaking channels), but these are minor criticisms.

If you’re fussy, you might find fault with the self-service food. However, we were pleasantly surprised by how good it was and enjoyed our mealtimes. Half board was great value compared with dining out every night, which we did the previous year when staying at a different hotel.

Breakfast comprised a decent continental selection (hot water available for tea, but bring your own tea bags). Eggs, beans, bacon (Spanish-style) and sausages (Spanish-style) are freshly cooked for you on request. Evening meal comprised a choice of different meat, fish and pasta dishes with vegetables, chips and salad. The chef was always happy to fry fresh chips on request. A small selection of tasty, cold desserts was provided (rice pudding, egg custard, ice-cream and fruit).

We would recommend half board, but there are restaurants within easy walking distance of the hotel if you choose to go the bed and breakfast route. We had lunch twice at the nearby tapas restaurant, which was nice, but we didn’t try any of the other local eateries.

The pool was clean but cold without the mid-summer sun to warm it, but we still managed a swim. There seem to be ample sun loungers surrounding it. The car park is free and secure, which is a big bonus. There were many free spaces during our stay, but possibly not during peak season when the hotel is full. Nearby street parking is an alternative. We had a hire car so didn’t explore any local beaches by foot (assuming there are any within walking distance). If you want a hotel situated next to a beach, then maybe this one isn’t for you. There’s a regular bus service to Marbella and other nearby towns, but a hire car is probably your best bet if you decide to stay here.

Minus points: No easy access to a beach by foot; no evening entertainment on-site.

Plus points: Clean and comfortable; good food; polite and helpful staff; free parking available; excellent value for money.

The hotel took a huge effort to find. We've never been to mainland Spain before and were a bit bamboozled by the road system. We had our sat-nav but it had a bout of hysteria because of all the road works in the area, despite updating it before we left home! We were actually fooled by the address of the hotel. Our paperwork said one thing, and checks on the internet revealed another with different area codes. What we didn't realise was that the two addresses were one and the same, so as a result we got lost for 2 hours, trying to find the hotel in Estepona but which was actually 15 kms away from there nearer to San Pedro. Tetchiness was setting in at this point and our last resort was to hire a willing taxi driver in Estepona to drive in front of us as a guide. It worked a treat and we soon arrived at the hotel in dire need of the loo and a strong beer!

The hotel was in it's last week of operation before closing for the winter. The staff however, were brilliant, particularly the barman Emmanuel. A native to the area, he actually spoke English like a cockney and had an incredible knowledge of the locality. He pointed us in some good directions for places of interest.

I read with interest the reviews of some other people with regard to the food and I have to say they were right. Breakfast wasn't too bad, but not much selection. We only had one evening meal which was pretty appalling, so thereafter ate at the local Chinese, or the Irish bar. There were others to choose from but as they were all on the side of the A7 autopista, it was rather noisy to sit outside.

The hotel was located about 2k from a beach and the nearest (and best one for us) was at San Pedro. A tranquil promenade, though a bit spoiled by the occasional dog poo so it was necessary to be aware of that. The beach was clean however,and nicely shaded in places by clusters of palm trees.

Another nice beach place was Laguna Village. It was actually a snobby posh shopping centre with outlets for Escada and Ferragamo, but the restaurants and coffee shops were beautiful (and expensive) but had lovely Buddha chillout music playing all around. Next door to it was a beach bar actually on the sand with about 20 tables on the decking, and 10 or so umbrellas and sunbeds. More in our price range and very hospitable. I could have sat there all day, and certainly would have, had I not left my book back at the hotel.

A nearby place up in the hills is Benhavis. A beautiful 7k drive from the hotel, through some gorgeous scenery. The village is pretty with curious alley ways and some notable restaurants - but again, rather expensive. I guess they are all pretty special though.

Ronda is about 50k away, and we spent a lovely day there taking photos of the famous bridge, getting lost in the narrow streets, having coffee in one of the many squares and visiting the bullring. A lovely day.

Also visited Gibraltar one day, taking a minibus up the Rock instead of the cable car. The bus has a knowledgeable guide and stays with you throughout. If you take the cable car, there's a lot of walking involved and you're on you're own. Bus is better if you aren't terribly fit.

I liked the region very much and felt that a week wasn't nearly long enough to do and see all we intended. A good excuse to go back again.

Spotless functional room with excellent air conditioning.
Room did not come equipped with a fridge, but we followed the advice given on this site, requested one, and a large fridge appeared in our room later that day.
Staff friendly
Pool fine, but not much else to do at the hotel except a couple of pool tables.
Hotel right on major road, so travelling about is easy
Own transport needed, as apart from a parade of about 20 shop including bars, restaurant and supermarket, there is little worth visiting in the vicinity that could be reached on foot.
Within the parade of shops there is a very good Chinese restaurant called Guang Dong, who served us food at midnight following our late arrival at the hotel.
Even using SatNav the hotel was difficult to find in the dark on our first night, as a couple of miles before you reach the hotel there are major roadworks which take you off the SatNav route.
Only complaint was the food, there wasn't much choice, just one meat, one fish and one veg dish each evening, but as this is a small hotel you expect that, but we didn't find it very appertizing. Plentiful salads though
Breakfasts rotate every three days, each day there is one egg option, one meat option and beans.
However, overall good value for money

We booked this hotel on the last minute and travelled with our 12 year old son, afetr having a nightmare with our car hire we started to wonder what the hotel was going to be like. We arrived to a wonderful little hotel with a ver inviting pool. Our check in was effortless and the room was nice with air con included which was a god send as the weather was touching 40 every day. I have a bit of a gripe about bathrooms but no need with the bathroos at this hotel, clean and modern and the maids came every morning cleaned our room, made our beds and gave us clean towels. The food was what i would expect but if you didnt want what was offered in the hot plates you can have salad and pasta and soup, the desserts were the same each evening but you did have a choice of around 5 or 6 different things.
The hotel is situated off the duel carridgeway and is very easy to find, they offer free secure parking, the staff are very happy to help with any questions, the beach is i would say at least 30 mins walk away and is very stoney you will find nicer if you travel a little further out. I would reccomend car hire but you can still catch the bus 5min way from the hotel to Benavista, Puerto Banus and Marbella.
The hotel is widely used by the Spanish but we didnt find this a problem.
We had a lovely 10 days here and were very happy with the hotel in its entirety.