Destinos de Sol Los Alcázares

We’ve just come back from a stay here. We’re in our sixties and hoping to retire to Spain soon, so this was partly a fact-finding trip. The holiday had been booked as a second choice, but what an experience. The apartments are basic and a bit old, though spotless, and the staff are amazing. Everything felt purely Spanish in a beautiful way. The food and drink were exceptional. With its old mining heritage, this place isn’t for young party animals. If you want peace, good food, and to respect Spanish people and their heritage, it’s here. The pool is pretty, and the lifeguard is lovely. It won’t suit everyone, but we loved everyone and everything about La Marienra. Gracias.

Good value for a compact, well-equipped apartment with a lounge, kitchen and two bedrooms. The pool is nice and large, though its hours are restricted because there’s a lifeguard. It’s around 20 minutes on foot to the main strip of bars and 15 minutes to the beach. A quiet lie-in isn’t really on the cards: jet flights start at 9am, then kids outside get very loud.

The pool was very nice, but you have to drive to get there. I wouldn’t recommend this holiday let. We were charged 100 pounds cleaning money, even though there was a cleaning kit, and we didn’t see a cleaner during our nine days. The room was dirty, and the fridge still had spillages from the previous guests. There wasn’t a kettle, so we had to go back to reception to get one. At arrival the staff were very friendly, signed us in and gave us a key to number 5. After driving around for five minutes, we eventually found it, but the key didn’t fit. Reception then told us they’d made a mistake and sent us to number 9.

My apartment was comfortable and the prices are very reasonable, so I’d stay again. It was quiet at night, cleaned to a good standard with fresh towels every other day, and had everything I needed. The upstairs two-bedroom place wasn’t new and had a few signs of wear, but came with three aircon units, a microwave, large fridge, cooker, lots of utensils, a big TV, bed settee, bath, shower and toiletries. There was a small balcony with chairs and a table. It’s a large complex in a good spot, close to the beaches and a short walk from the main plaza with lots of restaurants and bars. A large supermarket is next door. My apartment was a good five-minute walk from reception, and they kindly gave me a lift so I didn’t have to carry my bags. Reception was closed Sundays and shut around 5pm each day, but there’s a number for emergencies. Bike hire was 5 Euros a day, which was handy, and they also arranged my airport taxi. I had a very pleasant stay.