Everythiing about this hotel is wonderful. The staff were fantastic and the food was EXCELLENT!
We will definitely return.

This hotel is part of a small group, hotel tries to be eco conscious and on site there was even a small veg allotment, beautiful gardens, with lots of plants lablled etc. Got a great sea view room even tho through booking.com I hadn't paid the extra for it ... felt v lucky to be able to sit and watch the suset each evening at 8.30 from the balcony. Went in September weather was heavenly, v warm and light until 9pm. Hotel is just above the beach, you go through some gardens across a small road and down some steps - takes 2 mins. Huge wide beach. Hotel pool was lovely, gardens and plenty of sunbeds. All spotless. The breakfast buffet and dinner were high quality ..plenty of choices, incl for vegetarians .. although labelling could be improved. Soups were tasty, 4 diff types of fish show cooked each noght, as well I thinkas 4 types of meat, plus various hot dishes / stews etc. 6 or 7 different types of cheese and fruit and brilliant choice of salad. Cava incl at breakfast. Wine not expensivw 13-15 euro a bottle at dinner. Plenty of outside tables .. we ate outside every meal. Hotel entertainment far better than usual... flamenco show that was actually good! Amazing dancing. Also 2 v good singers/ guitar players. The area around th hotel is nothing special - other than the beach ... but with a car if you are keen on bird watching you can v easily see some great birds ... take the road towards cadiz and just as you get close you'll see the salt pans near chiclana .. pull off onto the service road and theee ... 150+ flamingos, herons and a spoonbill! Lots of waders on the conil beach. cadiz is a good day out. The room has a small fridge so you can keep your sherry chilled for the sunset drink on return!

We've stayed in this hotel before, back in 2007 and have also stayed in its sister hotel, Hotel Fuerte Conil in 2003. So when we decided to return to Conil this year for our holidays, we decided to go back to the first hotel, Hotel Fuerte Conil which we liked better because it's less impersonal and the pool and garden areas are nicer. However, when you try to book on the Fuerte hotel website now, there isn't any choice as to which hotel you can book, they've rebranded both hotels into the Fuerte Conil Costa La Luz Spa and it appears to be pot luck as to where you get your room. So that was slightly disappointing, to not be placed in the hotel of our choice. But as we'd stayed in the Costa Luz before, we knew it would be good, and it was.

A couple of niggles though. The website says that airport transfer is available. It isn't. They book a taxi for you and it's very expensive - 90 euros coming in and 76 euros going out. You might be better off getting a taxi from the airport if you're not hiring a car. However, when we arrived at the hotel, the receptionists were wonderful and quite surprised that the taxi driver had charged us so much for the fare and we were given the nice surprise of a room upgrade from a standard room to a junior suite. The rooms are fine, standard hotel rooms, clean, big bathrooms, balcony. The breakfast is good too although since our last visit in 2007 the hotel, and Conil itself, is much more popular than it was and breakfast was very busy indeed, lots of people wandering around with their plates, etc. The evening entertainment was a bit cheesy too, to be honest.

This is a nice hotel though, and I would stay here again but my first choice would be the Fuerte Conil because it just seems a bit more friendly than the Costa Luz, less impersonal and bland. The pool was nice and special mention goes to the ladies who worked on the front desk who were very good indeed. Some of the carpets were being replaced on our last day in the hotel, which was a good sign as they were looking a bit worn and in need of some TLC.

Another thing is that the hotel, and Conil itself, is very much enjoyed by Germans and as an English guest you get spoken to in German by the hotel staff because they assumed we were German. It wasn't a problem, just a bit sad that Spanish staff were speaking German instead of Spanish to the guests.

After having visited Conil twice before in 2003 and 2007, we've seen a few changes and a couple more hotels in the village. But on the whole, the vibe of the place hasn't changed at all., It remains robustly Spanish as a resort, truly gorgeous and a very relaxing resort for a holiday.

Conil de la Frontera was the 4th stop on our 5 location holiday in Andalucia and the place we knew least about. Ditto the Hotel Fuerte Costa Luz, so we were just a little apprehensive before we arrived as to whether we had made a good decision. The answer became very clear, very quickly that we had not made a good decision we had made a fantastic one.

First, the hotel. Well, it was rated 4 star but it was certainly not as plush or luxurious as the ones we stayed at in Malaga or Marbella. However, what it lacked in plushness it more than made up for in charm, fantastic service, comfort and an indefinable extra something that sets some places apart from the rest. We were given a family room for the 2 of us which was very comfortable with good beds, a strong shower and a nice balcony overlooking the pool and hotel grounds with the beach and sea about 300 metres away. The hotel is beautifully laid out in very well maintained grounds overlooking the stunning beach of Conil. Breakfast served on the balcony overlooking the flower gardens with the herb and vegetable gardens in the distance (the hotel places great store on sustainability), made a perfect start to the day. There is a main swimming pool and 2 smaller pools for children and a very nice spa which we enjoyed. There are various eating possibilities but the one we enjoyed most was the outdoor Tapas bar - everywhere the service is friendly but also professional.

Second, the beach. This is reached by a winding well made footpath which is very easy to walk down (and up). The hotel has a dedicated area on the beach where sunbeds and shades can be hired for €7 per day. The beach itself stretches for miles - it is broad with yellow sand and a firm area for playing games when the tide is out and it is cleaned every night. My wife and I thought it was one of the nicest, most family friendly beaches that we have visited for years and wished we'd discovered it when our children were growing up. There are several restaurants around the access to the Playa de la Fontanilla and several Chiringuitos and bars at the back of the beach - all serving excellent fish, seafood and tapas (and super Spanish wines) at very reasonable prices.

The town of Conil is well worth visiting and it can be reached either by walking along the beach or by a clifftop road.

One last point - during the 3 days we spent at the hotel we did not come across another English guest; indeed the only native English we heard was during a walk around the town. We almost never go back to the same hotel but we may well make an exception in this case.