Gardenia Park Hotel

Just had 2 weeks all inclusive here & it was the 2nd worst all-inclusive holiday we have ever had.
The bad points are as follows:
1. Food was always only warm,
2. Food choice was very poor & repetitive,
3. The bar, waiters & cleaning staff were very miserable,
4. The hotel was over run by Spanish guests,
5. The staff caters for the Spanish & do not seem to like anyone else,
6. Leave your sunbed or seat in the lounge & the Spanish will take it whether your towel is on bed or someone is still sitting at your table without asking,
7. The pool is too small for the hotel,
8. There are only 2 lifts & they will not work with more than 5 average adults in them,
9. The Spanish guests are loud & ignorant,
10. English & Spanish kids run wild in hotel with little control from adults,
11. This is a family based hotel & not really for couples or people wanting a quiet holiday,
12. The staff do not stop people sitting in restaurant with wet bathing clothes on so you get your bottom wet when sitting on seats,
13. The area along the sea front is dirty with dog waste on the paths & on the beach & the paths are in a poor state of repair.
The good points are as follows:
1. The evening entertainment was better than most all-inclusive hotels,
2. The entertainment staff were friendly & put on some good evening shows & activities through the day,
3. The cleaners come in every day to make beds & change towels.
If you want to eat out, go out the rear of the hotel & turn right there are lots of little bars selling food only minutes away. We used The Geordie Oasis for food which was good & hot but the place could do with a lick of paint.

Returned from holiday last week, this hotel is well worth a 3 star grade. Very clean very good food, something for everybody, pleasant staff overall a very good hotel.
If evening entertainment is important not so good and is quite a way out of resort centre but bus service very good and cheap.
Pool area pretty basic but clean and nice garden area to sit in. All rooms seem to have sea views and gate opens on to promenade.
There seems to be plenty of activities for those who want to get involved. We booked the week before with local travel agent after searching details on the internet, paid £ 300 each and we think that it was good value.

Holiday was great, rooms are basic but very clean, the food is good, and the staff are very helpful, it was booked on a late deal for the money we paid it was excellent value.
The hotel is walking distance from Fuengirola, close enough to all of the amenities but far enough from the noise.
We had a half day trip to go and see the dolphins on a glass bottom boat; this was well worth the money.
We went on a day trip to Gibraltar, don't book this at the hotel go to the travel agent on the promenade is less than half price.

My Wife and I and 11 year old son have just returned following a week’s holiday at
The Gardenia Park. I would recommend this holiday unhesitatingly to most people,
especially those with families of any ages.
The Hotel itself is in a superb location at the side of the sea and the rooms are spotlessly clean. The Swimming Pool is very good and the staff efficient and friendly although not all have a strong command of English.
The Lager is San Miguel and the spirits are generally locally produced and I have
certainly had worse in England!
The food was good most days and some days were excellent. There is a bit of something for everybody whether your tastes are plain or a little more exotic.
If you have already booked this holiday I am sure that you will enjoy it.
To anybody posting an unfavourable view, I suggest that you stay at home in future!

This was the first holiday I have booked online, all by myself. I feared the worst.
I only paid £800 for 2 adults & 1 child. We had a great time.
The hotel was clean & tidy at all times. The food was very good for the money we paid. What do people expect at a 3* hotel? Gordon Ramsey cuisine!
There was activity for everybody day & night. The water polo was brill & it helps you to get to know other guests. The location of the hotel is excellent.
Just outside the main centre but a lovely walk in to burn off some of that bacon & eggs!!
All in all we had a fab time & for what you pay - you won’t get better than this hotel. Believe me.

Me Hubby & 2 sons enjoyed our 2 weeks stay at the Gardenia Park in July, that we booked again & went back in Sept same year for another week.
The staff were great, the reps put on some great entertainment. The hotel was great, lots of beautiful gardens, across from the beach, a room with lovely views & clean, how wonderful.
The food was good, the only fault was there was not much variety on the sweets side, the surrounding areas of the hotel were really nice, a short walk into town, local bars, everyone were so friendly.
Lifts need updating, but overall a fantastic value for money holiday.

First things first. Found the holiday on Expedia with flights. Booked the flights (me and the Mrs.) £60 cheaper direct (with Monarch) and got the same hotel for the same price but fully inclusive instead of half board as Expedia offered - lesson learnt.
Hope this review seems fair. Nice resort - I've been here before. Hotel was OK...well, OKish. Maybe I am tainted by my honeymoon in 5* all inclusive resort in Cuba last year which included 4 days of indigestion because the food was so damn good!
The hotel is aging a bit. We had a room on the 5th floor. The lifts were small (3 of them and only 6 people - 450kg max. The lift even weighed the content and wouldn't move if it was too heavy!), so there were some long waits.
The rooms was OKish. Clean. Very clean in fact. Smelt a bit stale when first entering. The bathroom had been refurbished in the last 2 years.
The shower was good, but took 30 minutes to fill the bath! I needed the bath to relieve a badly aching back - something incompatible between the bed and my back!
I think almost all rooms have a lovely sea view - the hotel is just across the road from the beach! Nice balcony.
There is a lounge to spend wet days in with a bar and also evening entertainment, which was OK, very Spanish, but we were in Spain!
The restaurant was OK. The food OK...adequate. Maybe I was spoilt last year. I did begin to think about my previous holiday strategy of going room only then enjoying local restaurants to increase variety, but my Mrs. was pregnant so thought of keeping everything close.
A few criticisms - hot plates were too hot, most plates were cold. Food was a bit bland and "functional". Probably not the greatest "all inclusive" content, but the holiday wasn't expensive.
All in all, an OK holiday. Now here's the best bit - *** top tip ***
Fuengirola and especially this hotel are very easy and cheap to get to from Malaga airport. Walked 5 mins from the airport to the train station. 30 minutes on the train (Fuengirola is the end of the line).
In fact, 2 stations from the end - Torreblanca station - is 5 minutes walk from the Gardenia Park - no taxis required. It was even OK for my pregnant Mrs to walk! Warning - Expedia show the incorrect location on their map. The train cost less than 2 Euros per person each way and run every 20/30 minutes!
There is plenty of advice on the web as how to find the train station in Malaga. Basically go up to the departures level (top). Out the exit, turn right and walk to the end with the car park on your left. Cross the road at the zebra crossing and walk through the end of the card park and the red "C on its back" symbol for the railway can be seen.
You have to walk along a walkway across the main road. A suitcase with wheels would be of use. A taxi to Fuengirola would normally costs 40 Euros!
Enjoy!

All Inclusive: means all inclusive. You can get it all without money in your pocket.
The weather: between 22°C and 28°C...winter in Europe...but not in Spain.
Service: perfect.
Food: excellent - do not forget your not at home -in Gardenia Park you have the choice between meat-fish-pasta's etc, if you can not adapt yourself to a Spanish way of having lunch or dinner, please stay at home.
Accommodation: "noisy" rooms, but clean. Nice garden, clean swimming pool (in & outside), sauna, Jacuzzi etc.
Location: excellent and very close to the beach.
Clients: "war veterans"!! But nice and gentle people-British and...Spanish. One day, we will have their age!
We paid only 245 euro/person/5 days/last minute. Stay home if you think you earn better.

The hotel is at the "end" of the resort but the walk along the promenade was very pleasant.
The rooms are spacious and ours had a balcony overlooking the sea which was very pleasant, especially the warmth of the winter sun as it set late afternoon.
The whole place was very clean. It was the first time I had seen cleaners on duty in the "public" toilets during the evening.
The food was fine. Nothing very different but a choice of meat, fish and pasta every day. The drinks certainly tasted as if they were full strength, so no complaints there.
At the weekend the hotel got VERY busy with Spanish people. [Not sure if it was a local holiday] this resulted in the restaurant becoming very busy and at some times people had to wait on tables to become empty.
I would not have enjoyed it if this is what it is like when the hotel is full, and I do not think that it was actually full at this time!
The garden area was used for sunbathing as the pool was not yet getting the full sun. The areas around the hotel were well managed and clean.
I would recommend this hotel if you are happy to be on the outskirts of the resort and enjoy "promenading".

My wife and I have stayed at this hotel twice and it offers good value for money.
The only thing that is wrong, is the children that seem to run riot. Most parents there let them do it - found you could not relax near pool so we went to the beach instead.
We found the food very good and most of the staff helpful. We would go back again.