Stayed at this hotel in October 2011 for 7 days. I shared a room with my wife and 10 month old daughter, with my brother, my parents, and in-laws having another 3 rooms.
The hotel makes out to be a beachfront hotel, however, this is not the case. The beach is a 90 second walk away, with some rather nice villas between the beach and the hotel. However, the hotel does have a "beachclub", which is a stone wall away from the sand, but does charge for loungers. Having said that, we stayed by the pool, on the free loungers instead!
The hotel isn't huge, with around 170 rooms, split into a V shape, with the pool and exit to the beach being in the centre of the V. The rooms are over 4 floors, with only one lift per wing, and so getting around wasn't the easiest with a pushchair.
The rooms are good European standard. Those travellers who have stayed in similar priced Asian resorts will be disappointed. Standard bathroom, aircon, comfy beds, 28 inch flatscreen and little seating area, with very large balcony with sea views an added bonus. Minibar is pricey, but they don't mind if you secrete your own stuff around the recorded content.
We had 3 rooms on all inclusive tariff, with one room being half board.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the main dining room, in our case usually proceeded by drinks in the bar (including premium spirits, wine etc).
Meals, again, were a good European standard. Buffet style, with plenty of choice for seafood and meat eaters (but what else do you expect from Spain), much nicer than some Hotels around that insist on serving English food with HP sauce for the geriatric British invasion. The waiting staff were exceptional, and very friendly - more so as we were speaking to them in pigeon Spanish, and they were besotted with our daughter, even when she left a bomb site of food all over the place after every meal.
Again, those used to Asian buffet breakfasts will be slightly disappointed, however, this is probably due to the fact that they simply have to pay staff in Europe!
The evening entertainment (out of peak season) consisted of several different Spanish ladies warbling along to backing tracks in the Bar, not my sort of thing really.
Port Banus is a 15 min stroll along the prom to the port and shopping centre, and Marbella a 10 min bus ride (1 Euro and change) from just outside the north Exit of the Hotel on the main road.
What else to say about this place. Nicest I've stayed at in Spain, including the like of La Manga resort. Not up to Asian all inclusive places / 4-5 star resorts. They have a Spa on site which is apparently good (mother in law). Let 2 of us have free drinks for a week even though not on all inclusive package, because the other 6 were. Lovely staff (except one guy), and they have a waiter that looks like the doppelgänger of a young Hue Lawrie.
- Occidental Coral Beach Marbella
- Occidental Coral Beach Hotel Marbella
