Hotel Griego Mar

2 readers found this review helpful

After reading the reviews before I went to Spain I wasn't looking forward to staying in Griego Mar. But the reviews here are very mixed and after returning I can now add my review.
The hotel reception was nice and the reception staff were good. The guests there were a mix of spanish and british. Our room was on the 4th floor and the stairs were the best option as the lifts were so slow in working. They were also filled with lazy spaniards too idle to walk down a couple of floors to their destination.
Our room had 2 single beds, a TV and bathroom. The bathroom was clean, as was the rest of the room. The only complaint we had about the room was the very small balcony and that the outside light didn't work. On looking at other balconies in the evening, it would appear that none of the balcony lights worked. The beds were ok, more pillows would have been nice as the pillows supplied were very flat.
We decided not to use the room safe as it would add to our costs. And in previous experience abroad, we used our suitcases to store any valuables while we were out of our room. I can now say that we came home with our camera, ipod, mobile phones etc.
The dining room was chaos. Spaniards have no regard for queuing or moving out of your way. This spoilt the holiday for me slightly. The decor was horrible and looked like a school dinner hall. The breakfast was okay. We had a choice of cooked breakfast items, cereal, yogurts, as well as hot drinks and fruit juices. Fruit was available too but this was tinned fruit laid out. Fresh fruit would have been better. The layout of the dining room was a joke. Tables were too close together and machines for coffee and tea were all over the place. People were getting in each others way just getting around the various stations to get things before they sat down to eat.
The pool area looked drab and outdated with dull grey slabs for a patio area, and didn't look inviting at all. The pool itself and the area could not accomodate half the hotel population due to its small size in comparison to the hotel itself. We didn't stay at the hotel during the day as we weren't AI.
I have no idea why people go AI due to the many restrictions in place, and these are not just applied to Griego Mar. We used the hotel purely as a base as we wanted to see the resort and what it had to offer.
If you go to Torremolinos, I would recommend Griego Mar for acommodation. We only used it for B&B. Torremolinos is a lovely place with lots of eateries to suit all budgets. I would recommend a vist to Tiki which is expensive for the resort but well worth every penny. If you enjoy walking, 45 minutes will take you into Benalmadena which offers lots of watersports, shopping and eating and drinking.
Il Forno in Benalmadena is worth a visit, the staff are very friendly and between them are fluent in English, German and of course Spanish. We visited Il Forno about 3-4 times. Sometimes for lunch or a quick drink and evening meals.
Back to Hotel Griego Mar. I would go back and stay there, but not for any longer than a week. And don't go AI. Go on holiday to discover the area and what's on offer.

2 readers found this review helpful

this is the second time my family and i have been to this hotel and all i can say is why is everyone complaining? the hotel is clean, the staff are very friendly, the food is good and the weather is great. the last time we went here my youngest child was only one but he could run about in the games room at night this time he was 5 and loved being able to go to the little swing park at night. my older son was 14 this time and my friends daughter was 12, believe me if this hotel was as bad as everyone is saying our holiday would've been a nightmare, but it wasn't. one of the bars does close at midnight but pepes bar remains open until 2am so if you wanted to stay up late then there was plenty of oppertunity to do so, but as there was so much to do in the costa del sol during the day the chances are midnight is gonna be late enough for you. i like this hotel and i will be going back.

3 readers found this review helpful

The griego mar hotel is great and i dont know why people think so badly of it!! we stayed at the griego mar for 10 days. 2 adutls and three chidlren aged 13, 13 and 3.
Staff
the staff are really friendly at this hotel and will do a lot for you. the entertainment staff are great and the kids loved them and especially the mini disco dances. the maids always made sure the room was tidy and we always had fresh towels.
Rooms
rooms are basic but clean and spacious, the balconies are fairly big. there was a double bed, a single bed and a camp bed. the airconditioning doesnt work very well in the rooms but thats not that bad as you dont spend much time in the room.
Pool
the pool isnt very big but everyone can fit in it, you have to get up early to get a sunbed and the cleaners are always washing around the pool side. also you are NOT allowed LILOS in the pool so dont make the mistake we did and took 2
Entertainment
the entertainment is very good and there is always something going on in the day whether it is aquaerobics or darting. the entertainment at night is very good as there is a mini disco and binog everynight. there was also a reptile show, magician and comedian. there is a kiddies club everyday and at 15:00 there is a disney film on in english.
Food
the food very nice. for breakfast you had the same basically everyday but that was fine, you had four different types of cereal plus a continental section. you also had bacon, beans, eggs, hash browns, mushrooms, sausage and then there were coffee and tea machine and juice machines which were very nice. for evening meal it varied from pasta to pie but there were chips everynight. there was also a kiddes snack bar open in the evening that had chips, sausage, beans, burgers and nuggets. for lunch there would be pasta, salad, chips and meats.
there is also a shop in the hotel, pepes bar which has karaoke nearly every night worth going to, there is also a library, internet access which came in very handy a there is a television room.
overall i had a fantastic time at this hotel and dont listen to what people say about this hotel it is one of the best i have been to. i hope to return to this hotel next year !!!
10 out of 10!!!!!!

1 reader found this review helpful

Me and my husband have just returned from the WORST HOLIDAY WE HAVE EVER HAD.
When we arrived as we were waiting to check in we got talking to 2 women who were waiting to check out.They told us to make sure we got a safe as they had had all their money stolen by the cleaner and been stuck there for 3 days with no money, the hotel didnt want to know and neither did the reps.
We arrived at 11.30am and were told we couldnt have a room until 2pm. We got given our bands and went off to explore the hotel.
We just couldnt believe the state of it, reception was quite nice but thats where it ends. The pool is too small for the amount of people staying at the hotel, its dirty and alot of the tiles on the bottom of the pool are missing. The restaurant is a free for all. The food was HORRIBLE, we always go AI and have never been fed such crap. Your lucky if you get a table as its far too small again, ive also never been anywhere you have to queue at a bar to get a drink with your meal.
The room we got given wasnt any better, the toilet was black inside, the patio looked like it was about to give way as it was all cracked and above all cracked at 1 end and a big hole at the other.
In the morning you have to queue early for a sunbed and wait until they are unchained, 1 side of the pool only has sun for a couple of hours.
We only had 1 nice meal all week everything else was just awful, we had to eat out which is not on when you have paid for AI.
The bar is tiny so you have to wait ages for a drink. The place was full of rude spanish who did nothing but stare at your chest!!!
Entertainment was crap and mostly in spanish.
When we booked this hotel we were told it was close to the beach, but actually it is 15-20 mins walk and no good for any1 with walking problems as you have to go down about a million steps to the beach.
The staff were rude and unhelpful, the whole place smells of mould.
We usually stay as the beach club hotel but thought we would try another and now wish we hadnt. If you have booked this hotel CANCEL IT or change it to the BEACH CLUB.
I would NEVER EVER go back to griego mar, thank god we were only there for 1 week and we didnt take our kids. Oh and another 2 familys had money stolen from their room while we were there.
Torremolinos is a beautiful place so please dont be put off the place just stay elsewhere.

1 reader found this review helpful

Too many Spanish, but we were in Spain. I really dont understand why people would write such negative comments about the hotel. i think some people just forget that they are on holiday and should just enjoy the sun and the time away. The resort is lovely, the hotel does exactly what it says on the tin...fairly basic, but clean and friendly. The Spanish Kids are really rude and fat and there was not much eye candy around the pool. There was a massive variety of food every day, and if you are unable to find something that you like...there is something wrong with you. Its a cheap and cheerful holiday in the sun.....what more do u want. For these people who find it necessary to write really negative comments regarding the quality of the service they receive - I suggest they dust of the cobwebs in their wallets and spend a few more quid on a holiday to upgrade - cos if there gonna go cheap, there gonna get cheap service!!! get a life!!!

Worth going for a cheap and cheerful holiday.
2 Adults aged 43 and 44 and 2 Teenagers aged 17 and 18.
Security at all times in hotel so you no your safe.
Hotel has a shop and internet access and pool tables.
Rooms wer spacious and kept very tidy by the maids.
Hardly any plug sockets though.
Beach quite far away took about 30mins the first time to try and find it as not many signs showing where it was! But once u find a way you will get there in about 10mins.
Go left at water fountain then just look for lots of steps by the shops then go all the way down, its nice there though but a bit stoney in water and gets deep quick.
Sunbeds on beach 4 euros 50 each. Peddle boats on beach 15-20 euros depending on what one you have, they also have a banana boat and other water ride games.
No kids pool in hotel just one big one.
People sit down by the pool at 8 in the morning for a sunbed so get one quick if u want one.
Food not bad but not that great either...
..Breakfast same everymorning just bacon eggs beans etc...some cerieals they wer ok.
Lunch and dinner not much choice but fills you.
Getting ur drinks is easy but gets a big queue at night.
Water park worth going to, not many rides but good day out as theres not much else around to do.
Lots of shops and bars walking distance from hotel.
Entertainment at night at the hotel is ok they have a mini disco for kids then play bingo then a show, the magician is good.
Weather was good all week even though online it says was meant to be raining it got up to a maximum of 37 degrees in september!
Was a very good 1 week stay but couldn't stay for 2 weeks as there isn't much there to do.
Would recommend this hotel for anyone it was that good and even children and babies didn't mind there wasn't a pool for them they wer too happy in there big pool to care.
Would probably go back to this hotel but there is other places i would like to go so maybe in the future.
So don't worry if you are it isn't that bad for the money you pay, unless you have payed way too much, good place to go and to stay.

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed at the Griego Mar from 24th August to 2nd September, two adults and two children age 2 and a half and 9yrs. Upon our arrival at dinnertime the reception area was very busy with new arrivals checking in and we were told our room wasn't ready. We were given our all inclusive bands and were told to have some dinner by which time our room should be ready. The staff did appear to be rather flustered and slightly abrupt. We had lunch then went back to reception to sort out our room which turned out not to be ready for another hour or so. I wouldn't have been so bothered by this but with travelling early morning and being up half the night and having a young child it was a bit of an inconvenience as we just wanted to get our heads down for a couple of hours. The room we were allocated was a bit on the small side consisting of a double bed and then a double bed settee for the children, there was a large wardrobe space and a TV which had an english BBC channel. We had requested a room on a low level but got put on the 7th floor so we had to keep the patio door locked all the time to stop our young child from going out onto the balcony. The bathroom was a nice size and had a bath and a shower. The towels in the bathroom were changed every day by the maid service. The hotel says the rooms have air-con but to be honest it was more like a cool fan blowing into the room rather than actual air-conditioning. The lifts at the hotel were always very busy as they were quite small so you did have to sometimes wait a short while to jump in one. I had read other reviews of this hotel that said the lifts were always breaking down but on our stay they were all working and I never saw one broken down. The food at the hotel was really good I couldn't fault it at all there was something for everybody and it was of a really good standard. A couple whom we met there had said that they had been all inclusive all over the place including the carribean and the food they had had on previous holidays was not a patch compared to what they were getting at the Griego Mar. We enjoyed all our meals. We never struggled to get a table and the staff who worked in the dinner hall were all very pleasant. There was something different served up every meal time and a chefs special at T-time and you could eat as much or as little as you wanted. There were also loads of sweets to choose from, so much so you were spoilt for choice. There was a snack bar near the pool area which sold excellent pizzas which if you were staying at the hotel all inclusive you could buy for half the price of a non all inclusive guest. From this bar you could get ice pops and ice lollys during the day for the children as part of the all inclusive package. In the evenings this snack bar was the main bar for getting your alcoholic drinks and soft drinks for the kids. They even do milkshakes and we used to get warm milk for our youngest child. The staff here were always very friendly. The pool area is very small for the size of the hotel so it did tend to get very busy and the majority of it is in the shade from dinnertime onwards apart from one side which gets the sun all day through to the evening. Evening entertainment at the hotel is mainly for the kids but they loved it. It started at 9.30 till about 11.30pm. My older son spent the majority of the evenings with his new found friends in the large games room which seemed to be the meeting place for all the kids stopping at the hotel, as it was situated next to where the entertainment and bar area is you could always keep your eye on them. The hotel itself is situated in what appears to be a residential area. Aqualand is a ten minute walk away and if you walked the opposite way it was a five minute walk to all the shops. We used to walk down to the shops and beach but as we never found the lift back up (its a steep walk down to the beach) we jumped in a taxi a couple of times which only cost a few euros. Overall we enjoyed our stay at the Griego Mar, we thought we got what we paid for as far as the room was concerned but were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was at the hotel. Don't be put off by some peoples reviews, I wasn't looking forward to going after reading some reviews but really the hotel is OK especially for families and we thought it was great for a cheap holiday.

1 reader found this review helpful

I have just returned from a weeks holiday at Griego Mar. I had read the reviews before I went which were very mixed.The hotel itself was very nice, the reception was big airy & very clean.The staff in the bar, dining room & reception were all very friendly & pleasant. The food was excellent and there was never any bother getting a table in the dining room.Anyone who couldn't find something they liked to eat must be really fussy as there was a better choice here than in any other all inclusive hotel I had stayed in. We arrived on a Tuesday & before we left the following Tuesday we had a look at the menu which was outside the dining room & it was not the same as the previous Tuesday. I didn't find the food repetitive at all. There was a great choice of drinks & you could get as many drinks as you wanted to at one time.The all inclusive drinks finished at 12 but they usually served them until 12.10 and if you wanted a drink after that there was another bar that served until 1.30.
The rooms were very clean. There was fresh towels every day & the girl cleaning the rooms was always smiling & happy.
It was hard getting a sunbed but there was no need to be there before 9 as the beds were chained up until then. Unfortunately part of the pool area was in the shade after 3.
The beach was a lovely walk away.We usually walked down & got the lift back up which cost 50cents.
The only thing I could find fault with was the entertainment. It didn't start until 9.30 & sometimes finished before 12. It was a bit boring for the adults but the children all loved it.
I would definitely go back there again.

The rooms in the hotel are spacious, clean and comfortable, TV with various europeon channels including BBC1. The all inclusive was excellant there was plenty to choice from food wise including fresh baked bread, which was fab. There was always a full salad bar and a range of hot meat dishes, pasta, cooked meats. The hotel has a couple of bars, not sure we found them all. One round the pool serves tea/coffee and alcoholic drinks free all day up until midnight. The cocktail bar was nice to sit in in the evening if you dont want to watch naff entertainment this is in the AI as well. (Not a critism of the entertainment as I dont expect it to be a broadway show, but have learnt a spanish kids song!). Plenty of sunbeds although a bizarre way of saving them (they are locked up at night) so early morning people put chairs where they want their sunbed with their towel on it and then change them over when the subeds are open. There are not may umbrellas and around the pool can be cramped with sunbeds. But if you dont need to watch a child in the pool the sun terrace is nice and there is another area on the other side. The only down side for me was it was a fair walk into torremolinos, although we only stayed for five days so did not get into the bus routes etc which I am sure there was. Would I go again, Definately, the walk down to the beach takes 15-20 minutes and can be quite steep in parts. Although we did come across a lift up the steepest bit, ask in the hotel I am sure they will give you directions. PS we did not have to give up our AI band when we gave up the room which was a bonus, but the courtesy room leaves a bit to be desired.

1 reader found this review helpful

Reading the rest of the reviews i wonder if i stayed at a different hotel, as the Griego Mar i stayed at was good value for money, The food was above average so were the all inclusive drinks,
Ok the rooms were pretty small and could have done with modernising but clean and tidy
Ok yes the pool area is not ideal but i was not after staying by the pool all week we always got a sun bed,
The hotel is close to the beach if you catch the lift to the beach 0.5 Cents per person turn right on the main road across the road at the bottom maybe 500M from the hotel
One thing to note is the play area be careful with your kids near the swing its a death trap the slide is right next to the swing and the kids run straight in front of it