Hotel Alay

We decided to go back to Carihuela for a wekk there and to our delight this bar was still there. It remains a fantastic place to eat!! Excellent value for money. They offered a carvery buffet or an a-la-carte menu. Food was home cooked and extremely delicious.
The staff are very friendly and most welcoming. The bar was well stocked and the restaurant itself was spotlessly clean and the service was great. A very relaxed atmosphere and you weren’t made to feel you had to rush your food (even though they were always very busy). They also catered for children and nothing was too much trouble for the staff.
Robert even made meals to suit one of my vegetarian friends and she was well impressed.
Would still recommend this place to everyone as you won’t be disappointed – guaranteed.

We were booked through Central Holidays as part of a cultural trip called "Discover Andalucía" sponsored from Town Hall NY. They booked us for 5 nights in this horrible place as they thought; it is so representative of the wide cultural heritage of Andalucía. This Hotel was as bad as it can only be. To start with was a very unfriendly receptionist that hated his job and the foreign tourists. The lobby and everything else around was suitable for a social home or bad elderly home accommodation. You arrive in the room, that had a good view but there was a nonstop horrible loud music coming from the harbor. There was NO Air Conditioning in the room! We complained, the answer was they have turned it off and will be working at 8pm. It was SO Hot in the room; we couldn’t stay a minute more, we had to buy beach places with an umbrella to take a nap. When at night the AC could finally work, it had such an old construction that the air smelled moldy and filthy. The rooms were so bad isolated, that you could hear your drunken neighbors with their loud discussions. We couldn’t get any sleep the only night we stayed in. The food in the restaurants around is a rip-off for the fast food quality that they offer. The Most Horrible Place to be in, The Worst Vacation I have had thanks to Central Holidays! 4 stars for this hotel, this one should be demolished! DONT waste your valuable time of vacation and your money!

As on the review i have just read this wasnt the hotel we originally booked, we were advised on the saturday before we were due to travel on the wednesday that our chosen accomodation was fully booked!!
After i read the reviews i was rather worried about going to this hotel but what a wonderful surprise me n my boyfriend got! We were given a room with a view of the sea and marina which was lovely!
The pool was on the small side but being situated a 2 minute walk from the beach we didnt find this a problem although i wouldnt recommend for children because the pool has no shallow end it is all 2 metres deep!
The food i have no complaints about there was always a large variety and it was always up to a high quality standard!
The hotel is literally in the centre of everything including the 24 hour square but you couldnt hear the noise from the local bars!
The staff couldnt do enough for you they were always friendly and on hand to help!
Overall a fantasic holiday and hotel would definately go again!

This was not the hotel we originally booked. 7 days before departure our operator advised that the chosen hotel was full (although a confirmed booking a month before) and they offered the Hotel Alay as a like for like 4 star alternative. The hotel is well located right next to the marina and an easy walk from shops etc - but there is a lot of traffic and other noise until the early hours of the morning.
This is not a proper 4 star hotel - it is looking tired and need of refurbishment. The rooms are OK but in our room the aircon was inefficient, the bathroom door would not close securely, the bidet waste pipe leaked, the glass panel on the balcony balustrade was cracked, there is no fridge or tea making facility, the sheets were not changed during the 1 week stay and our view from the balcony was a derelict hotel next door which is literally falling down and covered in rubbish and graffiti. The balcony was in need of a good clean and was furnished with two grubby plastic chairs and a small plastic stool to serve as a table.
There are just two small 4 passenger lifts in the block we stayed in which caused delays at busy times - like mealtimes.
The cold food dinner buffet was quite good - but the hot buffet was very poor in terms of choice and quality. The bread rolls were consistently stale and rock hard. The staff were pleasant but had the off-putting habit of whipping your plate away the second you put your knife and fork down. A bottle of quite nice wine cost 9 euros, a San Miguel beer 2 euros and 1 litre of bottled water 1.8 euros.
Entertainment was a lonely pianist in the bar fighting a losing battle to attract customers.
The swimming pool is quite small and 2 metres deep throughout - making it suitable only for strong swimmers and quite unsuitable for children. There was no obvious evidence of chlorine in the water which may explain why I caught a severe ear infection after using it.
There is a small car park with approx 25 spaces - but most of these were occupied by cars that remained static the whole week and we were directed by the hotel to use an underground public car park 250 metres away which cost 48 Euros for 6 days parking.
Internet wifi connection cost 10 euros for 5 hours - but the connection proved slow and flaky.
Most of the guests were Spaniards - no problem with that because they are lovely people - but they are rather noisy at night and most seemed to smoke. The hotel corridors smelled strongly of tobacco 24/7.
This hotel is probably OK for a couple of nights business stay - especially if you eat out -but not good enough to claim a 4 star rating for holiday accommodation. If you have use of a car you would be better off staying in a hotel away from the sea front where prices are lower, standards are higher and parking is not a nightmare.

After reading some reviews about Hotel Alay before heading off, was a bit concerned, but after checking in with a friendly staff member, who took the time to get me & my girlfriend a room which overlooked the beautiful marina (10thfloor) & not just any old side room, we were immediately blown away by the view!! Yes the decor in the hotel rooms, probably doesn't warrant a 4* (needs modernised) but the hotel in general is ok & the location is 10/10. I'd think if refurbished this hotel would cost a lot more to stay in as it's right beside the beach (2mins walk) & right on top of the marina, i for one feel we got value for money for what we paid. No problems with any staff, all seemed friendly to me, rooms cleaned & towels changed daily. My girfriend did point out a slight musty smell about the hotel, especially last thing at night, as documented in other reviews, but nothing to spoil the holiday! The pool & area wasn't great, but didnt bother us, as we went to the beach every day. The beach was spot on, although beware the waves when the winds are up!! There's plenty of nice places to eat along the marina (where we didnt leave at night) i'd recommend The Metro (italian) or American Jacks for a fillet steak. The marina's a top spot for family's & couples to stroll or just people watch, from a cafe or bar, then there's pubs & clubs for the nightowls. A great holiday & i'll defo be going back!!!

This 4 day long weekend was booked on behalf of a party of 14 people celebrating 2 40th birthdays. The hotel was not chosen from any brochure only from a selection given to us by our travel agent based upon criteria we had given them i.e. dates of travel, location and price.
Location was excellent, everything on your doorstep. The difference in price for BB and HB was £7 for 4 days so we paid it knowing full well we would probably only have breakfast. Evening meal did not look appetizing although a few of the group actually said it tasted ok.
Hotel appeared very clean (from someone who always carries antibacterial wipes) including the rooms. Towels were changed everyday.
Bar area was quite dated and bar closed at 1am every day. At least expected to be able to order drinks from reception after this time but it was not to be. Entertainment was very low key with keyboard player/singer only.
Reception staff were very helpful with arranging transport. We wanted to go to Puerto Banus for the day and they enquired about taxis in comparison to prices of a mini buss. When a mini bus was requested a 52 seater luxury coach arrived for us and collected us promptly to the times we specified.
The hotel was mainly used by a lot of golfers while we were there and there was also a wedding on the Saturday night.
Location made it for us especially for a 4 night break. Would not recommend for children. Would recommend Metro Bar in Mariner for meals and cocktails especially outside seating area overlooking boats and luxury apartments.
Age ranges of party were young 35 - 49 yr olds who like to still go out and party till the early hours. (4am was our average return to room time!)
Thinking of returning for a hen party weekend next year.

Went to the Alay hotel beginning of Sept on entering the hotel we noticed a smell which we thought nothing off. Then when we went to our room stepped out of the lift the smell was quite strong it smelled of fags there was a ash tray out side of lift. We couldn’t believe that a4 star hotel hadn’t got any fridges in there rooms every one we met was complaining about it and the bed rooms smelt as well it got worse by the time we left 11 days later. They don’t cater for English after a couple of nights it got to be the same thing and if we had not paid for half board we would have gone some were else to eat it was luke warm and didn’t look very appetising. Drinks in the hotel were expensive so we went out most nights even though there is no entertainment either in the hotel or in the bars. The pool was cold and deep we only went in once and you didn’t see any one using it not suitable for children. Would we go back to this hotel the answer is never.

Carihuela Carvery & Bar: Calle De La Luna.
We decided to try this place out as recommended by a reviewer and what a fantastic place to eat!! Excellent value for money. They offered a carvery buffet or an a-la-carte menu. Food was home cooked and extremely delicious. The staff are very friendly and most welcoming. The bar was well stocked and the restaurant itself was spotlessly clean and the service was great. A very relaxed atmosphere and you weren’t made to feel you had to rush your food (even though they were always very busy). They also catered for children and nothing was too much trouble for the staff.
An extremely pleasurable dining experience which prompted us to go back on at least 4 occasions. Would recommend this place to everyone as you won’t be disappointed – guaranteed.

As a student visiting Spain for the first time, I was extremely excited to spend two of the ten days in a-supposed-four-star hotel right on the beach. When my tour group and I arrived on a Thursday afternoon, we were immediately reprimanded for our "indecent behavior" in the lobby of the hotel. We were warned that if any incident were to occur during our two night stay we would be immediately removed from the hotel. It was made very clear to us that, as American teenagers, we were looked down upon by the hotel staff. Needless to say our first impression was all but great.
After an incident free first night, my roommates and I returned to our room after a quick trip to the bank to find our room key was not working. We located one of our chaperones and headed to the reception desk to see what the problem could be. When we arrived there was a very large, rowdy group of British men crowding the desk.
The men were not dressed in accordance to hotel standards, but not a word was said to any of them about their appearance or their drunken behavior. We waited in line for thirty minutes before finally being tended to, only to learn that our key had been changed because they had checked us out of the hotel, when clearly we were to be staying another night.
We awoke the next morning to pack and get back on the bus to travel to our next destination. Halfway through the trip I realized my, brand new, digital camera was not in my handbag. I asked my roommates and one of them said that she had taken it out of my bag and had accidentally left in on the bed. I notified our tour guide, who in turn, called the Alay, and was told that the camera had been found, and that they would ship it to me back in the states. The only condition was that I was to pay the shipping fee. I agreed and gave the hotel my home address.
When I returned to the states, I called my tour guide to make sure the hotel had sent my camera. She called me back and said that the hotel was now claiming that they no longer had the camera. Even though just two days earlier they informed my guide and myself that they had it in hand and were going to ship it to the states. So, in conclusion it seems that in the two days time, someone on the hotel staff took my camera and is now calling it their own. I will never again stay in this hotel, nor will I recommend this "four star" hotel to any of my friends.

I thought we’d booked for half board but discovered we were only B&B - we were so glad. The rules and regulations in the Hotel Alay reads like something from school - even mentions calling the police if necessary. Lots of warning too about safety (which was probably useful).
Our balcony was grubby; the table on our balcony was a stool and the chairs could have done with a good scrub to get the dirt from them.
Can't understand why they have carpet tiles on the bedroom floor.
The decorative top cover on our bed was removed the day after we arrived and hung over one of our chairs (I suppose it wasn’t to be used by us, and was only for show on our arrival).
Our room was spacious and clean, although a spot of blood from my husband’s leg stained his bottom sheet; the same sheet was used as my top sheet, next day!
Towels were changed every day.
Food was OK, though predictable and eventually boring (glad we stayed for 7 nights and not 14).
We didn’t find the staff friendly; in fact one of the waiters was downright rude to guests, didn’t smile - frowned a lot - gave people objective looks (unless you were female and Spanish - then you’d see a different side to him - he wait on you hand and foot!). Cups, glasses and plates were cleared away from us when we hadn’t decided we’d finished eating or drinking.
No fresh fruit, in the form of whole apples, whole bananas, whole peaches, whole oranges, was to be had. There was a variable selection of sliced melon, dried prunes, figs or raisins, even tinned fruit, but not a bowl of fresh fruit. I often like to have a piece of fruit about twenty minutes after my breakfast but there was no chance of that in the Alay - you couldn’t take it out with you.
Men are not allowed into the dining room wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, although women are. My husband was reprimanded - others weren’t allowed in (this was at breakfast time).
One day you have to state your room number on arrival at the dining room, next day you don’t. One day you are shown to your table - the next day they look at you as if you're daft waiting to be shown to your table!
No food bought outside the Alay can be taken into the Alay.
Ice machines are situated on two floors - you need your room key to obtain ice - no kidding (who is going to their steal ice?)
The day before we left, a reminder was popped under our door to remind us to settle any outstanding payments at Reception before we left. However, they did not remind us to collect our 10 Euro refund when we returned our safe deposit key.
As suggested by previous feedback, the Alay is probably best suited to local business people, because there is no atmosphere at all there. Lots and lots of cleaning goes on in the reception areas but no-one uses it.
We pronounce the name of the hotel "A-LAY". Spaniards pronounce it "A-LIE". I'd say the Spaniards are correct - it's definitely not 4 star and don’t let them tell you otherwise.
Fabulous position in Benalmadena - couldn’t argue about that - visited and stayed in the Pez Espada previously - wonderful hotel - Triton - marvellous - Alay - give it a miss if you can.