We stayed in Vistamar hotel and really enjoyed it. beautiful apartments- we got a free upgrade to a larger apartment and it was really nice, great views, well equipped and cleaned every day. Food really good, great choice. The restaurant is quite small so be early.

just got back from 5th trip to benalmadena.love the place.stayed at vista mar.beautiful hotel,staff very friendly,room second to none,but,the food detracts from a great holiday.if you are a veggie then great.half the time you cant tell what is laid out.is it fish ,is it meat?very limited choice and sometimes half cooked.if you opt for a stay here i recommend you self cater as they dont cater for the english diet

Vistamar – Benalmedema - Studio Attic Room 616
Just returned fro m a 2 day break and from someone who is fussy: I cannot recommend this hotel and its staff highly enough.
All staff, from reception to bar staff, to restaurant service: friendly, polite and simply lovely people who greeted their customers like long lost friends.
Hotel is incredibly clean and literally ‘gleams’.
Solo traveller so no need for large room. I booked a studio, asked for seaview and high floor – I was given an attic room which more than suited my needs. Only down side was that due to it being an attic room: the balcony wall was about 5ft high but had a ledge that could be used to stand and admire the views as well as being used as a seat. Not much sun on the’street side’ which this was on: if you want all day sun on your balcony: ensure you ask for a pool view room.
The studio itself was outstanding. Double bed: incredibly comfy – as were pillows. Spare pillows and bedcovers. Unbelievable amount of drawer space - 9 dotted around room in the bedroom furniture and a full sized chest inside wardrobe. Plenty of hanging space. Quality furnishings.
TV and with several satellite channels (English: ITV2, Ch4, 4+1, movie channel, CNN ).
Kitchen was like a small fully fitted one – with everything that you need: 2 ring hob, m’wave, kettle, toaster, plenty of pots and pans etc. I booked half board so only needed kettle and fridge.
Smart dining table and chairs and comfy sofa to sit at.
Bathroom: spotless and every surface shone. Plenty of space for toiletries , with glass corner shelves installed.
As out of season and with hotel not busy; buffet breakfast: standard breads, cheeses, cold meats, eggs, bacon, beans, yoghurts, pates, toast & fresh fruits avail.
Buffet dinner was replaced by a 4 course meal (main 2 options) as hotel was quiet. The quality of food, and the servings: cannot be faulted. Be warned – the Malaga salad is the 1st course: and it is a meal in itself. Homemade soup followed – delicious. My main meal choice was leg of lamb – which was cooked to perfection and melted in the mouth, with the following night being Pork Loin in Pepper sauce – again: cooked to perfection. Choice of sweets. You will not go hungry – I am a fussy eater and the nearest I can find fault is in the canned veg served one night – but given the quality and size of servings: I cannot fault it.
Plenty of vending machines around (3 in the ‘Garage ‘ – which is the hotel underground parking ) cold drinks, hot drinks and sweets.
The hotel as you can see from photos – is actually far closer to the sea than it sounds – the seating area above the pool gives a pleasant view of the pool and the sea. I left my balcony door open all night and fell asleep to the sound of the waves rolling onto shore: bliss.

The Commodore bar area is again, spotless and comfortable. Just off the bar is a small internet room – complete with books for travellers to exchange. A cigarette vending machine is there .
A large supermarket can be found by turning right out of the hotel, walk up the hill with the sea on your left – about 500mtrs up – just pass the petrol station on the right hand side. Sells everything and the prices are very reasonable. Staff there happy to call you a taxi.
The area is not quite my scene – however this was only a 2 day break and I could not have found a better hotel – it simply was fabulous in every way. If I should come again – I will not hesitate to rebook the Vistamar, and from a very fussy traveller: that is high praise indeed.
The staff do the place immense justice and the Hotel Owner should be very proud of the excellent service that they provide.

I stayed at the Apart'hotel Vistamar in early October 2011 as part of a Transat Holidays package from Montreal, Canada. As I was made aware from other reviews I read, the hotel is on a very steep hill but they do have an entrance through the parking garage. This was fine but you have to walk by dumpsters/recycling bins which are stinky. I had to hold my breath.

The front desk staff is great.....so helpful! They have bus schedules and gave us good directions. They speak English very well. They also let me call and confirm my excursions for free. The hotel is located next to a Burger King (good in a culinary emergency) and next to that is a small grocery store. Groceries are very reasonably priced. (**Note: they do not sell fresh milk. It's like soy milk, in a box).

We liked our apartment. We had the top floor corner room. We loved our balcony because it wrapped around the corner so we had beautiful views up and down the coast. We also overlooked the pool deck. Our apartment was very spacious with a table & chairs, 2 small couches and a separate bedroom with 2 twin beds. The beds were not that comfortable and the pillows were flat, but I guess these are personal preferences. The bed just had a topsheet and bedspread and once or twice I was cold in the night.....no blankets in the closet.

The kitchenette has a small fridge, 2-burner stove, microwave, toaster, kettle, and dishes. Bring instant coffee as there isn't a coffee-maker. We expected some things would be provided and were not.......dishsoap, dishcloths, dishtowels. Also, there weren't any tissues and no clock except the clock on the TV. Salt & pepper would have been nice too. Good thing we got some packets from "Wendy's" before we left Canada. We also did not appreciate that the air-conditioning is motion-activated. So, after a long day of touring in the hot sun you come back to your apartment expecting it to be nice and cool and it is not. And it takes a while for it to cool off. I think we only had maid service 2 times during the week. They only clean the room every 2nd day but we were not told this at checkin. I guess when we put the sign on the doorknob we did not have it turned the right way and it said "do not disturb" so we missed having our room cleaned. We just grabbed towels off the maid's cart as we walked by.

The pool deck is nice. I enjoyed the pool a few times. I enjoyed it even more because there were no kids......October is a good time to travel. Beach towels are not provided so I suggest bringing your own or buy one in the many shops just a 10-15min walk away. On Saturday nights in the hotel lounge is a Flamenco show. The one we saw was just 1 guy and 1 girl. Just what I wanted....simple and not flashy. I didn't go to Spain to see a Las Vegas-style show. Plus it was free and we enjoyed it. Off of the lounge is a little computer/reading room. It costs 1 euro for 15min of internet time.

The beach is across the street....about 10min walk. It costs 9euro/day to rent 2 beach chairs with umbrella. The beach is nice but unsupervised and the waves are big and strong at times. Be cautious. Also, the sand is not firm and there are little rocks and shells. It hurts the feet and you sink in so bring some flip-flops that you can wear in the water. There are lots of little shops all along the main drag but they mostly sell the same junky stuff. We found shops with nicer stuff further away, closer to the marina. Also all along the strip are lots of restaurants. Many have a very British menu as there are many Brits who winter in this area. All shop and restaurant employees speak English.

On Friday morning there is a great market in Arroyo de la Miel. Just get on the bus across the street from the hotel (ask the front desk for the bus number and pickup times). It's about a 20min bus ride. When you get off, just follow the crowd. Everyone's going to the same place. They sell everything....clothing, pottery, food....you name it. We also took the bus one day to Benalmadena-Pueblo, about 45min by bus from the hotel. If your idea of Spain is a white-washed town of winding streets and pretty flower boxes, look no further. It was charming.