after reading some of the reviews from other first choice guests at this hotel we were pleasantly surprised yes first choice guests do get the worst rooms looking onto a main road and noisy with bars and discos and a taxi rank directly opposite it is noisy but not un bearable you can up grade to a pool view for 9 euros a day
the hotel is quite seventies not as modern as some the good bits and there are a few the rooms are very clean in fact the whole hotel is clean the pool area is very nice
the food is very good with plenty of choice and never to much trouble getting served at the bar although it is outside the main hotel block

Stayed at Alta Marena for a week over christmas and really enjoyed it. The location was excellent and rooms were a very good size and very clean,plenty of clean sheets and towels.The food was very good with lots of choice there was a big gala dinner on christmas eve and all the guests were made to feel special with a champagne reception before eating.We found all staff very friendly and helpful and although english guests were in the minority we had no problems at all. There was entertainment most nights which wasnt all in german.The only thing we were not happy with was the noise from the disco across the road which went on while 6 am,for 4 nights out of the week, but apart from that we had no complaints at all.

Having recently returned from this hotel after spending a week at this hotel I will just say this hotel " delivers everything it says on the tin". If you read all previous reviews we can mostly agree with everything said(almost) but here's the warning..........if you are British and have booked with First Choice be aware all their allocation of rooms are the street ( and therefore possibly noisy and sunless) side, these are classed as standard. If you request a pool side( sunny and quieter) these rooms cost more and are not available unless the supplement is paid on booking. The mostly German tour operators take up these rooms as they offer their clients room choice. Our room no10 was situated ground level which was below street level and accessed by leaving through the main entrance turn right and and a few short steps to our room with view of sloping path access to hotel. Traffic fumes up above that the plants and palms failed to distract. The room itself was very spacious and had a huge bathroom but as we felt so vulnerable to be so easily accessed by anyone from the street we felt we had to immediately return to reception to ask to be moved....... And were we successful? OF COURSE NOT!!!!! We were told in no uncertain manner it was a standard room which we had booked through First Choice and this company takes the cheapest room allocation if I wanted a pool side to book direct with the hotel website and as they were full this week we could not even change to a room we could feel safer to be using which would have been any that we at least ENTERED the hotel to access.I did repeat visits to plead our case the following day as the air conditioning in this room did not work and we obviously were unable to get any air via opening the door during the night. But yet again I was told not possible,this time the staff sought to re-assure me of our safety by showing the security camera pointing at the door of no10....hmmm pardon me for being thick but if it's acceptable and safe to put guests in this room why the need for a camera?
I was able to lodge my concerns on our arrival day to the First Choice rep Brenda and a report was logged. So if you fancy staying here and book via Thomson or First Choice just BEWARE!!!

Sadly having looked forward to this holiday for months, the whole experience at Altamerena was somewhat underwhelming.
100% focussed on entertaining the German tourist with little or no interest for us Brits, we felt a lot like second class citizens.
Although we were put into a suite (slightly pretentious description) we were facing a noisy road, which we had specifically emailed First Choice & the hotel about upon booking, asking not to be facing the road. It appears that First Choice book inferior rooms and the hotel were not willing to assist with any move, claiming that the hotel was fully booked. Another couple we met on holiday had an awful room on the ground floor by the main entrance. Security was an issue as was their room temperature but again they were told there were no rooms to move to and also that these were the rooms FC buy.
The food was plentifull and you wouldn'y go hungry but it was very samey, tepid and unimaginative. Elbows at dawn with the Germans too; most of whom were extremely rude.
The pool area is kept clean but we had to set our alarm for 6.30am every day in order to get a sunbed. The 'myth' about sunbeds and germans on holiday isn't a myth at all.
Staff were fairly pleasant but the hotel looks shabby and tired and I think some money needs to be spent on bringing it out of the 80's.
Forget the entertainment unless you are fluent in German. ALL of it is focussed on them and from what we saw, it was pretty amateurish.
On the whole we wouldn't go back.