Costa del Sol Glamping Village Fuengirola

The glamping pods are fun, and the place is clean with great facilities. The pool is good for the money. But the front row of pods sits by a busy main road, basically like sleeping in a tent beside a dual carriageway, and we got no sleep. If you book a pod, I’d choose one at the far end or upgrade to a cabin. The restaurant staff were often incredibly miserable. They ignored us at the bar or table, complained they were overworked, and acted as if ordering anything was a big deal. The young man at reception was great, and the girl with glasses serving later in the restaurant was very nice. The entertainment team did their best and were all nice. We might stay again if the restaurant gets some friendlier staff. You need a car. Parking is free but limited. There are the usual free spaces for electric vehicles, though we never saw any electric vehicles parked there. When we used one because the car park was full, security left us a note. It’s a 45-minute walk to Fuengirola and 15 minutes to the beach, with a bus stop outside.

The pool area was good for little ones, with sand, a shallow toddler section, and a slide for children aged 10+. The pool isn’t heated, but the water was fine for short swims in late October. There were still plenty of loungers in sun and shade, even after locals arrived for Halloween weekend. We stayed at Costa del Sol Glamping Village in a Neri bungalow with its own bathroom. It came with shampoo, shower gel, and a small washing-up pack, which was a nice touch, though they didn’t replace the toilet paper. The lodge and setting were lovely and quiet before that weekend. There’s a sports field, a small toddler playground, and lots of children’s activities, though we didn’t join in. The restaurant food was decent, a little pricey but expected for the area. It’s about a five-minute walk over the bridge to the beach and Fuengirola promenade, close to Sohail Castle and a BP station for essentials. The launderette was handy at €5 to wash and €3 to dry, though it got busy. The bungalow had almost no storage in the kitchen, no oven or air fryer, and nowhere to hang coats or store jackets and shoes, despite room for a wardrobe. The breakfast bar stools were narrow and too tall, with hard edges that dug into your skin. Everyone in our group struggled with them, including an older person and a toddler. We booked the spa for 45 minutes at €14.40 each. The facilities were basic but fine, though the sauna only reached 70 °C and the jacuzzi was lukewarm. We finished using them on time, then spent a little longer drying and dressing in the changing room. Nobody told us that changing time counted toward the 45 minutes. A cleaner briefly looked in but didn’t say anything. When we tried to book again the next day, the receptionist was very cross and said we were “banned” for overstaying because the cleaners “couldn’t clean.” We apologised and offered to pay for the extra time, but she refused and said she’d contact her manager to “decide what to do with you two.” She never followed up, although the charge appeared later anyway. We felt humiliated instead of relaxed. Being reprimanded on holiday over something that could have been sorted out with a conversation was demeaning. A waitress also chased us once to check whether we’d paid. We had, and she could have checked before confronting us. It was embarrassing and unnecessary. Apart from Antonio the gardener, who was absolutely lovely, most staff seemed uninterested or unfriendly and rarely greeted guests. After the spa issue, the receptionist became openly hostile and we felt uncomfortable for the rest of our stay. There’s a lovely setting, a good location, and family-friendly facilities, but management and customer service need serious improvement. It’s a shame we were treated that way, because the place could have made for a wonderful stay. We’ll definitely be back to Málaga, but sadly we won’t stay at Glamping Costa del Sol again.

The park is very well kept and clean, a little way out of Fuengirola’s bustle but close enough for a walk along the seafront. It’s also well placed for getting to Mijas, Cala de Mijas, and Marbella. My partner and I loved our first holiday together, and we agreed afterwards that we wouldn’t have changed a thing. We’d looked at different hotels nearby before finding this by chance. I like having my own space and the freedom of a villa holiday, and the glamping village reminded me of the Eurocamps I spent childhood holidays at all over Europe, just a bit more intimate and upmarket. I’d love to come back with a large family.

The campsite was spotless, and most of the staff were friendly and quick to respond. We got fresh towels several times, though we didn’t get clean bed linen during our 12 days. It’s well placed for getting around: the beach is a five-minute walk away, and several cities are within a half-hour drive. Our Leo bungalow sat a little higher up, which gave us more privacy. We hadn’t realized that meant climbing about 15 steps every time with the buggy and our one-and-a-half-year-old son. The pool isn’t heated and is open only from 11am to 5pm. It shuts right on time, which is a shame on a sunny day when you’ve just come back from an outing. Having a car was useful since the campsite is just outside Fuengirola, but parking was a real problem. Our car had been on the street since 9pm when we were woken at midnight and told it couldn’t stay there. My friend moved it, with the parking attendant’s permission, to an electric charging space inside the campsite. We had also displayed our disabled parking card. At 1am we were woken again and told the car couldn’t be there either. Meanwhile, we saw cars in disabled spaces without a card, and others parked double. There is a parking attendant, but he clearly wasn’t doing his job properly.