Aqua Apartments Bellamar Marbella

The location made getting around easy: the waterfront is only a few minutes away, and the old town is about a 5-10 minute walk. Parking was convenient, and we even found a gym next door that let us join for the week for 30 euros. We had a lovely stay. The apartment was much more spacious than we expected and spotless, and the team were incredibly helpful throughout. With a cot and high chair ready when we arrived, it worked brilliantly for our one-year-old.

We came as a group of 13 and split across three rooms. The staff were friendly, the rooms clean and modern, and the cafe was lovely and very reasonably priced. We ate there nearly every day. The pool was never very busy, and the apartment felt secure, so we'd book again. It is right by the beach and very central in Marbella, but the road noise was noticeable when we sat on the balcony with coffee. For more quiet, book a couple of streets back. There were plenty of shaded spots, which was lucky because only four umbrellas were available. The sunbeds and umbrellas could use an upgrade; they have seen better days.

The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the apartment had a fresh, modern look. We got around Marbella easily by Uber, and using the mobile app to unlock the doors was simple. Connecting to the wifi was just a matter of scanning the QR code on the room poster. They were responsive on WhatsApp from the moment I paid, usually answering my questions almost immediately. We stayed for three nights for my birthday last month, and aside from one hiccup, had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend it. I had asked them to replace the twin beds in the second room with a double, and they confirmed they would, but it hadn't been done when we arrived. I messaged them, and they fixed it the next day. My friend wasn't comfortable that first night, which was a shame since we were only there for three nights. Otherwise the service was excellent. One tip: booking through their website worked out cheaper for us than using a third party.

There were plenty of restaurants nearby, and the beach was just a short walk away. We booked the penthouse with the roof terrace and were pleased that everything exceeded expectations. The apartment had a terrace BBQ and hot tub, so there was lots of space to relax and keep entertained, plus an amazing pool downstairs. We'll definitely come back.