Gran Hotel Elba Estepona & Thalasso Spa

We were two couples on half board for a week in april 2006 and found the hotel to be of a very high standard. It was very quiet perhaps due to the season, The piano bar was only open for one night of our stay and we were the only occupants. The food was excellent and service too, and we found the choice of spanish french Italian Japanese and Thai choices very good. Staff were all very attentive and friendly and rooms were as expected for a 5* establishment. You would need a car as this Hotel is just outside Estepona and there is no safe footpath only the main N340 busy road (but this is not heard inside the hotel grounds) The beach was poor The indoor pool was excellent with comforable loungers with soft cushions. and wonderful views of nearby Gibraltar and Estepona Marina All in we enjoyed the holiday but would not recommend it for couples with children or teens or anyone who did not drive. it is within easy reach of lots of good golf courses and shopping centres and not so busy as the rest of the Costa del sol.

After checking out other peoples reviews before we went I just had to add my own. Beautiful hotel, lovely rooms[even comfortable beds.] Staff great can't do enough for you,sometimes they we alittle short-staffed on the weekends.Food good,but I expected it to be just a bit higher class for the money. Bar bills alittle expensive but what else can you expect from a 5* hotel. Anyone thinking of going it is well worth it. Great hotel.

First of all, I would recommend flying into Gibraltar, it is so much closer than Malaga, and car is highly recommended We were greeted with a cocktail on arrival and shown to our seafacing junior suite with balcony. I was expecting a triple so this was a result. As we walked along the corridors, sensors would light our path. In our suite was a Jacuzzi bath and a shower with powerjets, a state of the art flat screen TV which swivelled round to the touch. The touchscreen CD player also had a remote control and changed colour every 4 seconds. We had a huge balcony. Gran Hotel Elba Thalasso and Spa is not just a 5*, it’s a 5*GL. This hotel is outstanding, it’s a shame about the location, about 4 miles out of town and apart from the two restaurants opposite there is nothing else there. “Opposite” actually meant walking about 200 yards down the highway and crossing a scary bridge over to the other side and then walking along the other side. The two restaurants were Swing and Menorah. Our receptionist recommended Menorah so we chose Swing because it looked cheaper and livelier. I ordered Pez Espada and impressed the waiter. It was biggest and most tasty piece of swordfish I have ever eaten, wonderful. Making the most of our huge buffet breakfast Moet et Chandon on ice and the best buffet breakfast ever Estepona is a small, pleasant town with mosaiced, cobbled streets and long flat promenades and a harbour further down. The beach is nicer there, still brown sand but longer and cleaner than our beach in Playa Arena. We got the bus back only to discover it only goes past our hotel twice a day, so much for bus stop outside the hotel. We had to get off at the garage and walk at least half a mile on the hard shoulder of the main Costa Del sol to Algarve motorway. By the way, this road is nicknamed the road of death…..not for the faint hearted. . A walk along the beach took us one way towards Estepona until we reached a huge hole and couldn’t go any further, and the other way towards Gibraltar took us past the naturist beach. Not too many at this time of year We used the spa which was 30 euros for the use of the seawater thalasso pool, sauna, steam rooms, igloo, whirlpool, special showers and hot stones. It felt so good. City Life literally peeling off and our skins felt really soft afterwards

excellent room, very nice staff and impressive spa, highly recommendable

We (me, my husband and baby) stayed in this hotel for four nights in November. We were surprised how far it was from Malaga, and from Estepona itself. You would only leave this hotel in a Taxi, as the location is not particularly appealing, just stretches of appartment blocks. On arrival however, we were welcomed warmly and presented with a complimentary drink on the terrace where we could enjoy our new surroundings. It is, I am relieved to say, a confident 5 Star establishment, rather than a 3 star with false pretensions, and has the service and decor you would expect. It was very empty. They could probably price themselves more competitively to get more custom in quiet months like November. The Spa looked well equipped and luxurious, but that isn't our thing, so we didn't avail of it. Our Junior Suite was spacious and comfortable, with a sea view balcony and a fantastic bathroom. The champagne and well presented fruit selection was a nice touch. The outdoor pool looked nice, although it was too cold to swim in, similarly, he children's pool looked lovely too, but was too freezing to put our small child into. Although the restaurants were expensive (comparatively... you can eat the same in Spain for a fraction of the price), the food was of consistently high quality. We ate in the hotel a lot because we were able to avail of an evening babysitting service arranged by the hotel. It was worth every penny for the peace of mind, the lady who sat for our baby was lovely. Our only niggles were firstly that the outside pool wasn't heated, secondly that their attractive main bar was closed for the winter season, and the lobby bar had absolutely zero charisma, and thirdly, the beach was filthy, really quite disgusting, and finally, that the location was pretty drab. But overall, we had a very pleasant stay here. We found the service attentive and unobtrusive, and the breakfast buffet was superb.

Stayed here for 5 nights on our honeymoon. Welcome drinks, champagne and fruit bowl on arrival. Firstly, the rooms really are stunning - very spacious, massive bed (with pillow and sheet menu).. comfortable armchairs and the bathrooms are beautiful... with great power shower. Large terrace leading to the garden with seaview (this was a standard room). Overall we found the service good esp clean/turndown service. Room service arrived within 20 mins and staff sometimes cleared away our breakfast before we'd finished it... The breakfast buffet has wonderful choice and outside seating area. The pool area is lovely but the rooftop pool won hands down in October as it is heated and has fantastic ocean views to Estepona one way and Gibraltar the other. Spa is fantastic - recommend the massages.. Didnt eat in the restaurants.. we drove to Puerto Estepona in the evenings and ate and drank a selection of harbourside eateries and bars.. recommend the Italian one, stunning food, but not the first one next to carpark, tuna covered in lard anyone?? Downs are: You need a car... also, during our stay there was a large corporate conference taking place... it was entertaining to begin with ..watching and listening to a whole afternoon of executive "games" taking place around the gardens.. but we did get "castenet fatigue" after a few hours! On the whole though, a fabulous hotel!

Great rooms. Staff were excellant, very helpful and provided quick service in 'Spanish time'. The restaurants and bars were all very good. The buffet breakfast was out of this world! The dining experiences were superb but at a price compared with other local establishments. The main pool is a superb leisure area and the proximity to the beach with view of the Med is 'spectacular'. The indoor pool and elevated sun decks also add to the experience. Ultimately there is the Thalasso and Spa for the ultimate pampering. The Hotel is not in walking distance of the Port and the restaurants there but only a five minute drive. I would recommend this Hotel to anyone who wishes to experience a quieter spot on the Costa del Sol but within a short travelling time of Puerto Banus, Marbella and La Ducquesa port.

We stayed for the first week in October. Dont understand where some of the reviews are coming from. Hotel not very busy, which might explain why our service was so good. Could perhaps understand if the hotel was very busy. Bedrooms very good, and bathroom luxurious. Turndown service was excellent, even changed the towels in the evenings as well as in the mornings. Wee chocolate in the evening was a lovely touch. We ate twice in the hotel, the first being excellent, (Paris/Roma) the second being good (Fusion) if a bit pricey. The service in the Paris/Roma restaurant was excellent, with our wine, and water, being poured for us. The beach was not very good, but I understand that the beach is not owned by the hotel, and therefore not cleaned by them. The pool area is spotless, with towels and cushions provided for the sunbeds. Reception staff were excellent, and dealt with any queries we had quickly and with a smile! Even to the point of giving us some ideas of where to visit while our husbands golfed! The only thing I had reservations about was the location of the hotel. You definately need a car. Although taxis are very cheap, and there is a taxi rank situated at the hotel, you definately need a car to go further afield. All in all, a great holiday, fantastic hotel, but remember to hire a car!

In august of 2005 I stayed for the second time at the Gran Elba. I booked this time my room through expedia and paid a reasonable price for a standard room with half board. When I arrived at the hotel i was offered a welcome drink at the bar. The room was very nice and very well equiped with nice sea view. I got the impression that the hotel was far from fully booked. Everyting was perfect and well kept. Brekfast was great. the only mino is the waiting in the hotel restaurants. The restaurants were understaffed and probably the kitchen as wel. Food served was really great and prices of wines were reasonable. This is a great hotel and well located (a car is very much recommended) but...you really need patience in the restaurant, staff however is very friendly. The outdoor and indoor pools are very nice. The nearby beach does not belong to the hotel, but you can have a sunbed on the beach. As this is not property of the hotel the (public) beach is not cleaned by the hotel. You can walk by the beach to Estepona center or into the other direction were you pass a naturist zone.

We just spent a week at Hotel Gran Elba for our honeymoon. We really liked it. The hotel is beautiful, well kept-- very clean, & very eco-friendly. Pricey, but worth it. Dinner at one of the hotel's restaurants will easily be $75-$100+ Euro for two, but very good food & service ... expect it to be a relaxing, enjoyable meal. Not rushed. Our room was nice, with an excellent Mediterrian view. Bathroom was magnificant. Turn-down service was appreciated. The spa was very nice. I would not recommend the spa-manicure, but would recommend the massages. Personally, I think $30 Euro is too expensive to use the hotel's whirlpools & saunas. The main pool was very nice. For a 5-Star Hotel they should teach their staff to understand English a bit (they didn't understand ANY English). Prices at hotel bar are much too high. Could use pool-side servers to make rounds more regularly. The beach should be cleaner. Concierge was very helpful. As was the front desk help. We would highly recommend renting a car if you want to see anything outside the hotel. Overall, we'd recommend Hotel Elba if you're looking for a relaxing getaway.