My wife and I have just returned from a short break (5 nights) at the Vista de Rey. Firstly, the location is not Benalmadena; it is at Torremuelle. It's like saying the the hotel is in London. It could be located at Chelsea or West Ham but it's in London. Benalmadena is the postal district, and I do not believe that either the hotel or travel agencies are trying to deceive.

The hotel management has recently changed and I fear the standards, supported previously by good reports, have changed as well. Unfortunately for the worst.

We had a Studio A room which we found comfortable. For "Self Catering" facilities, it did lack a few essentials. Equipment consisted of a 2 ring hob, refrigeration, filter coffee machine, kettle, 2 slice toaster and cutlery/crockery for four people. Basic items such as a tea towel or cork screw are not provided. When booking, there are no options available to request provisions, ie, tea bags, coffee, bread, and milk for example, to be brought in for your arrival which, quite frankly could be paid for when you checked in. A five minute stroll down the hill from the hotal will take you to O'Toole's Kwik Save. 10 minutes to get back to the hotel with your load. Kwik save is open 7 days a week - until 8pm weekdays and Saturdays, 4pm Sundays.

The room was not cleaned during the course of stay. The floor in the lounge/sleeping area had obviously been brushed but the surface was gritty. Towels were not replaced and I found these to be very thin and small. If you were using the terrace pool, you would he hard pushed to dry your bath towel in time for your morning shower.

All rooms have a balcony overlooking the terrace pool. It is in fact, very attractive but I can only surmise that both the terrace and the pool could very easily get over-crowded during the busy summer season. The pool is quite small and over-crowding could be hazardous for young children. I would think twice before allowing my grand-children to use the pool during the busier periods.

Due to our stay being so late in the year (November), many of the usual facilities were not available and I cannot therefore make comment or fairly proffer an opinion. The games rooms was available (for those who enjoy a game of poole) and the reception area bar was open from 0830 until 2300 every day. "Very Light" snacks and coffee can be obtained as well as a limited assortment of beer and spirits. (Watch prices though. "Carlos I Brandy will cost you €8 here - everywhere else I went, the price was €5.50. "Carlos III is €3.50, the same as other places) The laundrette, self service, was also available but we did not make use of this amenity. No other facilites were available.

My overall opion of the hotel was "I could have stayed in a hostel, received the same services/facilites at a lot cheaper price". The truth is, it is not a case of "I could have"; it is a case of, "I have".

For us, this holiday at the Vista de Rey had two saving graces. First was the railway. Torremuelle Station is literally 'across the road' from the hotel entrance. Trains are clean, cheap, comfortable, and on time. (Honestly, it's true. trains can be cheap, clean, confortable, and run on time). They run every half hour with Malaga 30 minutes away to the East and Fuengirola 13 minutes to the West. There are numerous other towns in between that are worth visiting, but at this point, I would have to suggest that this is not idea for a family with young children. There is invariably a lot of walking involved, particularly at Malage, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, and Torremolinus. Torremolinus, incidently, has a lift back up to the town centre (centro) which costs €0.50 per person.

The second 'saving grace' has to be the "El Mirador Restaurante" in Torremuelle. This is located in the town centre. Walk down passed Kwik Save to the roundabout, under the bridge to your left and the restaurant is just off to your right. The set menu is three course meal at €14.95 per person. The selection is quite extensive. If, like me, you enjoy red wine, go for the 'house red' - it is a superb Rioja; light, fruity but well bodied. Not weak and watery like many of the cheaper French wines. The restaurant is own by an Iranian (please put prejudies aside - I served in the Middle East with the RAF many years ago. I learn there are good and bad wherever you go) Ramin, the owner moved to Spain in 1980 and became involved with the restaurant business in 1986. The food is absolutely superb - well presented, well prepared and extremely enjoyable. The proprietor's English is impeccable - talks it better thun what we does. We talked about "best restaurants" on the flight home. Our top eateries, were the Portugese Restaurant in Malaka, Mayalsia, followed by the El Torrando in Barcelonette, Barcelona.
Consensus:- The "El Mirado" beats them both.

Depending upon your personal point of view, a hotel is a facility to satisfy neccessity or a place in which to live in luxury for a short period of time. Our view has always been that a hotel is a place to sleep, bathe, and hang a change of clothes whilst on holiday, ie, to satisfy neccessity. To this end, I would recommend, with reservations, the Vista de Rey. This is a hotel for people who take the attitude of "deal with it", "sort it out" - don't whinge. Do not expect service on a silver platter. This is ideal in the "out of season" period for people of my age group (in their 60s) and suitable for younger people (20s/early 40s) who need and deserve space to 'let their hair down' during the summer season.. It is not, in my opinion, suitable in any way for families with young children. I really do feel that there is a safety issue.

Whatever, enjoy your holiday. If there is a problem - deal with it. Don't whinge - despite all the blogs - who picked the damned holiday anyway?