Hotel & Spa Benalmadena Palace

Just returned from a week in Benalmadena Palace. Overall the hotel was great, kids disco was great and our two loved it. We were self catering so never sampled the food there, steep hill to get to hotel, but not a problem for us two. The main gripe was the design of our 'studio apartment'. The ceiling slopes down, so my husband (who is 6ft 4") couldnt stand up straight to use wardrobe and safe. Poor design. The rooms could do with being a bit cleaner and the bedding looks a bit 'tired' and grubby!
The kids club needs to be more secure as i overheard a mum complaining to staff that her 4 year old son, who she had booked in the kids creche, had been found wandering round the pool and had 'escaped' from the kids club!!!! The staff were friendly and worked theor socks off, overall a good holiday and we would recommend the hotel to others .....especially hobbits!!!!

5 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a weeks stay at the Benalmadena Palace, I travelled with my husband, son aged 5 and grandparents.
We were on a half-board package, holiday was booked as a last minute deal through Airtours so can't grumble about the price, on arrival we did enquire about upgrading from half-board to all inclusive but price was extortionate we were quoted 1700euros for 6 people!! Food was very good & plenty of choice even for the fussiest of eaters!
Two happy-hours 5:00pm-6:00pm in the snack bar and again 8:00pm - 9:00pm in the main bar, kids entertainment started at 7:30pm, followed by the adult entertainment at 10:30pm, my only gripe was when the kids entertainment had finished there was a long period (approx 1-hour) before the adult entertainment started and seemed crazy to put a bird / reptile show on at 11:30pm at night which was aimed at kids! Entertainment programme definately needs to be looked at!!
Outdoor pool was freezing most prob due to time of year & my son was most disapointed as blow-up boats / toys etc were banned in the pool so the kids soon got fed up, we visited the indoor pool a few times during our visit which was fine but not the same as being outside I suppose.
All in all we had a very enjoyable holiday with the family, don't listen to the other reviews about the walk from the hotel, yes it is steep but as previously mentioned there are shortcuts via the garage and its not as bad as people are making out, we managed it every day with 2 pensioners & a 5-year old in tow!
On a final note some of the staff need to have a few lessons in customer service mentioning no names but all in all an enjoyable stay.

hotel on big hill meal the same eveytime and cold children show on from 8pm to10.30 adults show very poor

1 reader found this review helpful

Having just returned from a short break at the Benalmadena Palace I would comment that the Hotel and especially the grounds are nice. Problems arise with cleanliness in the rooms (Not cleaned every day and lots of dust under beds etc.) and the lack of heating. This was turned off in the rooms on 1st March regardlesss of the weather which was decidely chilly in the evenings so having an apartment was not necessary when it was too cold to sit in it.
Staff were very pleasant and in general the food adequate but unimaginative and at times poorly cooked. As we had taken a very low cost break it was nice to have sunshine during the day and a place to sleep but I would certainly not rate this as a four star hotel. The cabaret artiste had to compete with several TV's showing football matches and a considerable amount of noise which was sad as she had a really good voice.

4 readers found this review helpful

just back from a week in benalmadena palace ,hotel was very nice , we were on the 2nd floor at the back of the hotel above the mini golf ,it was so quite , throughly enjoyed it , so if you go to benalmadena palace ask for 2nd floor room 208 studio was ample enough room there was 2 of us, bathroom has a bath with a seperate shower cubicle didnt go much on the entertainment but all things considered i would book again

4 readers found this review helpful

just came back from the benalmanda palace lovely hotel everything you need is in the hotel beach 5mins down the road lovely park just 15mins walk disco bar can get a bit full in the summer months put you can get a taxi for 7 euros in to the town .

5 readers found this review helpful

Benalmadena Palace exceeded our expectations although we did go out of high season (early June 2010) there was plenty to do for the children of all ages. We had a teenager who was able to join in all the sporting events and a younger child who joined the kids club and was entertained day and evening if required. The hotel accommodation was large clean and quiet. The restaurant was fabulous, all varieties of food available for everyone it was freshly prepared beautifully presented and plenty for everyone.We would definately recommend this venue and hope to go back next year. The only downside was the Hotel was at the top of a steep hill so if you wanted to go to the nearby beach or shops it was quite a trek up the hill to get back to the hotel so probably not suitable for elderley or unfit people. Taxis were available easily though if needed for outings.

6 readers found this review helpful

The Palace offers decent, clean accomodation with a good range of facilities. The outside pool area was smaller than expected but lovely and clean with a life guard on duty at all times. Our apartment on the 5th floor was well equipped for self catering and had the quietest air conditioning ever!
However, there was two major negatives about this accomodation. The kids club was a security nightmare - kids and adults walking in and out without challenge, doors and gates left open. No signing in of kids, no register etc. I, and many other parents refused to leave our children unattended as a result. Indeed, when I first went to the club to look about, the one girl working there didn't speak to me never mind asking what I wanted. I simply wandered around both the in and outdoor play areas and then, when leaving, a young child attempting to follow me out of the club without the worker doing anything to stop her. The child then proceeded to complain about the girl running the club, how she was simply sitting in toilet all day! Things didn't improve when two staff were in attendance, they simply sat about talking among themselves and did nothing to interact with the children, nor did they offer any of the advertised activities. When quizzed, they simply shrugged and said the advertised timetable wasn't currently being followed but would be implemented at some point later in the season! Thus, kids were simply left to their own devices.
Finally, the hill is defo as bad as some say (the thought of climbing the hill on our return was enough to put even my hyper 6 yr old off from leaving the hotel!). Its also quite far from the resort centre, especially the main Marina area.

10 readers found this review helpful

The hotel was excellent, the service was fantastic and the staff were very friendly. Our room was cleaned everyday to the highest standard, and the food was great. Plus the bar in the evning was very nice and well priced.
Everyone that's moans about the hill, you clearly are just lazy!! Using the car park entrance also cuts out a big part. It was a fantastic holiday, and I would recommend to all..

3 readers found this review helpful

Just back from a week at Benalmadena Palace. Hotel too out of the way and on very very steep hill. Spent quite a lot on taxis. Food just ok, quite repetative and canteen like.
Definately not 4 star. Tiled areas on pool side etc. were grubby, which I expect by the end of the season will be a lot worse. We asked for a high room which was exactly what we got. The seventh floor are based on the roofspace and our bedroom did not have a window just a sloping roof which you had to manouvre round the bottom of the bed, we also had a small veranda which had concrete 4feet all round. A lot of children and children's entertainment which is ok if you can get away and relax somewhere separate which you can not at this hotel as no drinks or coffee being served in reception area.