PRINCESA PLAYA

This hotel was first class, we arrived on saturday the 20th of september 2008 for a brief stay of three nights
The rooms are large, clean and very well equipped, our sea view was fantastic
Top class hotel for a very good rate

We only stayed one night on our way through to Malaga Airport. The hotel is in a good location for the beach, the old town, and great restaurants in the old town. The reception area is very pleasant and beautifully clean. We booked through Laterooms and paid 90 Euros for a double room which for its location is probably good value for money if they give you a nice room. Our room was on the first floor, room 101, but right at the back of the hotel with a view across to other flats who could see directly into ours and vice versa. It did not matter for one night but I would not have wanted to stay in it more than that. The room is of a reasonable standard , nice flat screen television and spotlessly clean. There is a small kitchenette but not sufficiant for more than making a snack, I write this because it may be of importance to other clients. My reasons for not giving this hotel better rating or review was the parking situation. The receptionist would not let us park and then come and sort out the check-in and would not give a garage key without first having the deposit. There is no where to park outside and we were advised to unload our luggage as there is no lift facility in the underground garage. What a silly lack of trust when a client has already paid up front for the room and has shown their documentation. I was advised parking was Eur 12 per night, expensive but no choice but to pay. They then wanted Euro 10 deposit for the garage key which I was told would be reimbursed on returning the garage key at the end of the stay. So the receptionist kept the Eur 20 note and gave me a receipt. Without going into the detail, in the morning, I was told I owed Eur 2 to settle the bill, I said you need to give me Eur 10 deposit back and the man in reception refused point blank saying that wasn't what the receipt showed. I did not have the time to stand and argue the point as were already late leaving for our flight, it left a nasty taste in my mouth and I am wondering if this was 'a genuine mistake' or something that happens quite often. My final comment would be check your garage receipt carefully!

Overall this is a lovely, clean and well located hotel/appartment. The kitchen was fitted out with everything that you could require to prepare a quick simple meal and the appartment was very clean and spacious. For the value I was expecting something far more basic than this so it was a pleasant surprise indeed. There is a well appointed pool and bar on the roof of the hotel which makes for a good sun spot all day long. The only slightly annoying things about the hotel are the stairs up to the lift on the ground floor making it quite a schlap to get your suitcases from the reception desk to your room and the fact that you are not able to control the temperature of the air conditioning in your room.

overall a great hotel, unbeatable location and by far and away the best value for money on this extremely expensive part of the costa del sol. In terms of the rate we found on laterooms.com, you cant beat this- nearly all of tyhe other quality hotels in the area are at least double the cost. Most rooms have an amazing sea view- make sure you request such a room when you book. Its literally bang on the coast and extremely close to the beautiful old town. lots of nice restaurants but found that marbella is far from the nightlife capital of andalucia- 6KM away is puerto banus (walk it in the midday sun, I dare you!), and, if you can comfortably afford the €10 Vodka and coke, you'll have a great time.
Summing up, extremely well located hotel, best location and great value- only minus point is the very small pool and pool area on the top floor, but why bother with a pool when you have one of the worlds best beaches 30 seconds away from your room?

The location is the real strong point for this hotel, right on the beach and in walking distance to the old town. Our room was clean and fairly spacious - I would be tempted to pay a little more to ensure a sea view next time. We used the pool on the rooftop everyday and the restaurant was great, proving drinks and snacks. We also ordered breakfast to the room which was simple and value for money.