TAK Boutique Marbella Old Town with Parking

We needed somewhere simple to sleep after a concert, and this place did the job. The room was small and no-frills, but clean, nicely decorated, and the beds were comfortable. The air conditioning worked really well, and I had hot water when I showered at 1 a.m. My friend’s morning shower went cold and then stopped, though, so maybe the heater had given up. There was complimentary coffee on the roof terrace in the morning, which was a nice extra. I travel with earplugs, so the street noise and late-night rubbish collection didn’t bother me, and I slept well. Our booking was for two beds, but we were given a room with one; staff replied quickly on WhatsApp and moved us straight to another room. Good, basic lodging with very responsive service.

We paid €85 for a stay I couldn’t wait to end. The bedroom door had no inside lock, and there were no proper pillows, just a rock-hard long bolster. The towels were worn thin, the curtain pole came down when I closed the curtains, and the shower was dirty and broken. Noise was constant: traffic outside, people talking and using the toilet upstairs, and the next room’s shower right behind our headboard. The stairs were dark and steep. A staff member was only reachable remotely via WhatsApp. It was a dreadful place to stay.

We did get a late checkout the next morning, and they let us leave our bags in what they called the “reception area.” There’s nobody actually there, though, so I wouldn’t trust it with anything valuable. Even after late checkout had been confirmed, “Estefania” (the screaming lady) knocked at 11 and tried to come in. We told her off and she went away. The night before, I’d completed the online check-in, but when we arrived there was no key and no way into the room. We waited 25 minutes for someone to come. Staff kept responding on WhatsApp, which helped a little, but the whole process felt shady and really unprofessional. Their remote check-in message had asked for my card details over WhatsApp, so I waited until I could pay securely in person. When a lady finally arrived, she didn’t speak English. She handed over the key and then called someone to say I hadn’t paid while I was right there paying. Then she shut the door and yelled on the phone for about half an hour. The walls are so thin you hear everything. We’d booked the premium “Oh là là The One” room from the photos and description on the hotel website, but got a completely different layout, view, and finish. I raised it at reception straight away and got a defensive response. They said we could leave if we wanted, but wouldn’t refund the price difference. After the long trip, we felt stuck and stayed. Later, management offered a “free dinner” and to waive parking charges, which we hadn’t known about, but those offers felt like a way to shut us up. They blamed “representative photos” instead of taking responsibility, and their tone was patronising. The room wasn’t dirty, we were randomly upgraded, and the price I paid was cheap, so we did get lucky in some ways. Still, after seeing other reviews I can’t understand how Google rates this place four stars. We’ve travelled a lot and rarely leave bad reviews, but the misleading room description, poor service, and attitude toward paying guests deserve one. What should have been a relaxing special stay became stressful.

My room was small, and so was the bed. It was also noisy where I stayed. The entrance and room were very clean, and the staff were helpful.