This is a long review..but please read as it is a true and frank account of the hotel and area!!
My boyfriend on I went here Sept 2011 for my 25th birthday for four nights..
Firstly Torremollnos is a fab place for young people if you like dining out, clubs, bars etc..So that bit I would not change. However..
We got a taxi from the airport to the hotel..That was our 1st mistake, as the train station is right across the road from the airport, however as it was dark, we did not see it.. train fare is only like 3 euros one way, and only about a 15-20mins journey. Whereas we paid 20 euros in a taxi.
When we were in the taxi we saw great views, lovely houses, clean pavements, bright lights, fab town centre, nice looking hotels...Then..we came to Los Arcos.. and our faces dropped..I wanted to cry and my boyfriend was already complaining before we got our suitcases out the car.. The outside looks out-dated and just plain old dirty..the balconys were like 1metre long, so there was zero point of having them.. when we came to reception we honestly was waiting for about 15mins for a member of staff to check us in. in the end we had to search for him and when he came..no apology, no smile..nothing.. and it took him about 15mins to actually check us in. the only good thing about the hotel was the fact that it had a lift..
When we came to our floor, there was no lights, I had to use my phone light just so we could see the key hole.. The room, oh my word..1st thing that hit us was the nasty toilet smell..the carpet was washed out and stained. there was even the name 'Tom' burnt in the carpet.. the glass window to the balcony was broken. there wasn't even an old tv or radio in the room. the room was tiny.. the bathroom just stank, the shower was full of limescale.. lets just say the room was vile.. the next day we even had to go out and buy our own bathroom supplies. they don't even change the towels and they don't provide an iron.
we paid for half board..they only do breakfast and dinner..but having said that u wouldn't want to eat anything there anyway. i'm not a fussy eater, just give me something that will fill me up and i'm cool.. but the food there was vile. they don't even write little signs by the food to say what it is, especially when they have meat dishes, it would be nice to know exactly what ur eating, and alot of the dishes you couldn't even make out what it was. and when we asked the only 1 member of staff that was hanging around, he didn't even know what the dishes were. and when he asked the cook what the meat dish was, the cook didn't even know, he just said 'meat' and that was it. after that 1st night, we just ate out for all our meals. which was ok, as the food in the town was fantastic, however quite expensive.. spanish tapas food, was suprisingly expensive, considering the euros and pounds are basically the same amount these days.. just to give you a clue, in five days we spent about two hundred pounds on food and soft drinks alone. TIP- be careful when buying alcohol on a night out, as because you don't pay until you drink the drink, you get the bill and nearly have a heart attack.. in town i ordered a double jd and coke and it came to 11 euros, whereas when you go to Benalmadena (turn right out of the hotel and keep walking straight for about 20-30mins), you get like 2 double vodka and orange juice for about 5 euros. N.B. the Madena is a much more 'happening' place.. lots of bars and clubs for young people in 1 circle, cheap and cheerful. N.B.. there will be quite a few promo ppl, physically dragging you to their bar/club, but thats what they do, so don't be offended.
We would travel up there for breakfast as well, as there are lots of cheap and lovely english breakfasts around... that reminds me, one thing I did find strange was that not many staff in resturants and cafes speak English. I know we were in Spain, but when a place shouts out about what a good tourist destination they are, you would think at least there would be more English speakers around..and if you want an English written menu in most places you have to get it yourself in a dusty out cupboard.
The walk into the town centre was about 20-30mins. A nice pleasant walk in the warmth, however if you have walking problems u might want to get the bus, as after five days of walking 3hrs each day, even my knees were getting shattered. the beach is just a 5min walk away just across the road from the hotel..the beach is lovely and longso try and walk all the way down (it'll be a long walk tho)..TIP- if you want to chill on a sunbed, don't just go to the first man to see because the prices vary. however if you don't mind laying on the floor, just bring ur own towel, and its free.
If you come out the hotel and turn right, there is a nice big supermarket, where u can buy anything..beyonce perfumes was selling for 15 euros.
All in all I had a fab holiday.. but that was down to the area, and the many thing syou could do there. I would go back to Malaga, just definetly not at Los Arcos..not even if it was free to stay there..
- Los Arcos Montemar Torremolinos
