Matchroom Country Club Resort

We cancelled within a few hours of arriving, once we realized this wasn’t what had been described. It’s a condo rental, not a vacation resort, and the only amenity was an outdoor pool. The decor is very dated, and the air conditioning is only in the bedrooms. There were five of us, so one person would have had to sleep on the sofa bed.

This is a small, friendly resort on the edge of Mijas Golf course, with a lovely family feel created by the helpful staff. The apartments are private and secure, and the atmosphere makes it a good choice for a relaxing break. It’s not really suited to teenagers or young people looking for a wild time. You need a car to get around.

The place looks nice, but it needs maintenance. There were no lights, so it was very dark when leaving early in the morning or coming back late at night. The woman in charge of reception, an English woman, was very rude and talked over us during check-in when we complained about being locked out the night before. It’s a long story, but she basically said we didn’t know how to read. I’ll never come back.

The condo was spacious, with two bedrooms, a large living room and a balcony. It had a nice view of the mountains, swimming pool and golf course, and I was surprised to find a small washer and dishwasher. There’s a pool, though it was dirty during our off-season stay. A Mercado grocery store is 10 minutes away, and the main highways are easy to reach. There are restaurants around, but not within walking distance. I could park my 5-seater van on the street, since the hotel garage ramp is so winding that anything larger than a Fiat 500 would struggle. Clothes have to be hung up to dry. The general service was terrible. We were there as part of a timeshare, and the internet might as well not have existed. It was about 35 minutes from Malaga proper and 35 minutes from the airport, a long way from most major tourist spots. There was no daily cleaning or after-hours help if you lost your keys or needed basics like soap, extra towels or blankets. Each bed had one small pillow per guest and old, scratchy blankets. The furnishings were very old, like the place was stuck in the timeshare glory days of the 1970s or 80s. The TV had maybe 10-15 channels, perhaps fewer, and only about five came through well. In heavy rain, forget watching anything. It seemed to use an antenna or satellite, with less than basic cable. There was no Netflix or modern streaming, and if you’re travelling for work, you’ll need to find another internet connection. There’s a golf course nearby, but I wouldn’t recommend this timeshare or another stay here.