I own a 1 bed time share at Club Bena Vista which was bought very recently on abit of whim. This is the first year we visited the resort and I was very pleasantly surprised. The rooms are very comfortable and have everything you could possibly need and more and the gardens are extremely well kept. The apartments are set on a busy main road however, we stayed in one of the Sagitario blocks and barely even noticed it.

There is plenty to do and see in the area with Marbella, San Pedro, Puerto Banus, Mijas, Casares and Gibraltar to name a few close by. There are also trips over to Africa that you can take if you so wish. The resort is only an hours drive from Malaga airport and is very easy to find.

There are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants nearby which are all very reasonable and offer delicious food. You have to try Choritos which is on the corner by the WimPen office (we went 3 times it was that good!) and the homemade Bailey's cheesecake at Tiffany's is just to die for!!

We had a fabulous week there and cannot wait to go back next year..

We went to Club Bena Vista for Christmas, with our children, we were going to spend two weeks there, we only stayed 5 nights, because we were broken into when we went out for dinner. They took all the Christmas presents which I had only finished wrapping before going out. But what really upset us was that they had managed to get into the safe, In hindsight I wish I had taken a photograph, it was unbelievable. They came in through the patio door, and there is a security gate, but this did not stop them. Nothing of value was taken from the unit, which made us feel this was an inside job. none of our clothes, just the gifts and lap tops, and a bag to carry all their loot. This was supposed to have been a special holiday for us as we were celebrating our 25th anniversary. What a wonderful memory, so beware, don't take anything of value to Club Bena Vista, There is no security patrols on the grounds, anyone can just wander in.
I have rated Club Bena Vista as poor from a security point of view.
The 3 bedrooms have single beds, and not in the least bit comfortale
The beach has to be the ugliest I have ever seen.
Oh yes, and should you have any problems, don't expect much help from the police, when my husband reported the breakin, they didn' even bother writing down his telephone number correctly.
Forwarned is forarmed

If you ever get a chance to go to Southern Spain, stay at Club Bena Vista. I rated the cleanliness a 4 only because there were dead bugs still in the bathroom and bedroom. I rated the rooms a 4 because the single bedroom had twin beds (that were very hard) and for a married couple that wasn't the best. There was a pullout bed in the lounge but there wasn't much room on either side to get out. You get to the beach by crossing the footbridge but it's not a very nice beach. No worries though, the other beaches are in close driving distances and lots of shopping and restaurants are there too.
Now that that's out of the way...on to the best part!
Ana greeted us when we arrived (a few hours early) and we had to wait about a 1/2 hour for our room to be cleaned. So we went to eat at a restaurant named Grumbles. Quaint little English restaurant and highly recommended. The food is good and the prices reasonable.
We went back to the office an hour later and our keys were handed to us. Upon entering -after learning how to unlock the door by one of the cleaning ladies - we entered into a Spanish apartment. Very pretty and with everything we were going to need for the stay (yes ladies, they do have a hair dryer!). The kitchen was equipped with an oven, small fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee maker (although you will need your own coffee) and an electric tea pot, plus eating utensils, dishes and such. We had a garden patio which was absolutely wonderful any time of the day. A bottle of wine was waiting for us on the dining room table!
There are plenty of eating places and all within walking distance. Review the map you are given of the complex and you should do just fine. There are 2 mini marts - one of them English. But if you are doing a lot of shopping it is best to use the super market 200 meters away. I heard it was cheaper there. You will need bottled water - one is waiting for you in the fridge - because the water has too many minerals in it.
Ana was very helpful with all our questions and she told us of many places to see very nearby. She even helped us with the language so we could understand the road signs! There is another friendly lady that works in the office and we talked to her for a few moments while booking our bullfight tickets but unfortunately I didn't catch her name and that was the only time I saw her.
Also, read the book they have in the apartment for you. It has a lot of excursions listed as well as pertinent information about your apartment.
They do have a computer for your use at the office but I never used it so not sure about it's speed and such.
If you need to do some laundry they do have a washer you can use but don't take too much because it's small. And there is not a dryer, you have a clothes rack on the patio (at least we did with the garden patio).
There are 2 banks nearby as well with ATM's. I would suggest using the first one because it didn't show a bank charge.
The weather was nice but we asked a swimmer about the pool and he said the water was very cold! And we found out the sea is too!!
There are a lot of towns to see and most are under a 30 minute drive time.
If you want to see a bullfight we found a bullring in Benalmadena. But if it rains the day before know that the bullfight has been canceled. We found out the hard way - we waited for the bus for 45 minutes before deciding to go on our own - but sat at the Bull Bar for 5 1/2 hours enjoying Tapas and visiting with the owner, Pam, and her friend. So the trip wasn't a total bust after all. We found out the next day that Ana had tried to tell us but she put the note in the wrong apartment! We got a good laugh out of that. We're glad she made the mistake!
Ana also told us of the open markets. They are a must but the best one we found was in Alegeciras (on Thursday). There is plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit and many kinds of meat and fish! All cheaper than the markets on Costa Del Sol although the one in Estepona (Wednesdays) had more clothes.
I know this gives more than just the hotel review but it's nice to know about the things around the hotel to make your stay even more enjoyable.
Oh, and while you're there, if you've never seen it, on Friday night enjoy the English bowling league. It's in the same complex so you can walk there and enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine while watching.
This was our first overseas trip and we really did not want to go back home! We were trying to figure out how we could stay another week! With the beautiful scenery, the wonderful smell of flowers along the walkways and Ana and her willingness to help (and she has a great smile too!) it was the best trip we have ever taken! Would highly recommend Club Bena Vista to anyone!

Nice apartments but matresses were hard and difficult to sleep on. There were 2 pools and one could be heated but when I asked to get it heated I was told it was only heated during winter. There were no activities on site and no facilities other than pool or bowls (which you had to pay for). This resort would only suit those wanting to lie all day at pool. There were a few nice restaurants nearby but not much entertainment except a karoake in a nearby restaurant which wasnt bad. Been to much better resorts with either better facilities or more entertainment laid on.