Hotel Maribel Sierra Nevada

We had a lovely Christmas stay, though there’s room for improvement. The reception, valet, and taxi teams were polite, quick to answer our WhatsApp messages, happy to help with our huge case, and acted like nothing was too much trouble. The ski hire staff were friendly and helpful too. Our room had gorgeous decor, comfortable beds, and plenty of included drinks, cakes, and snacks. The outdoor pool was warm, the cocktails were good, and the bedroom view was great. Being able to ski to and from The hotel was convenient, though it may be hard for beginners. One breakfast staff member was especially helpful and friendly. The restaurant service fell short of reception’s. It was very slow, mistakes were made with food orders, and staff didn’t seem too concerned about delays. Even when the restaurant was nearly empty, we sometimes had to go to the bar to order drinks. On Christmas evening we ordered two steaks and bernaise sauce. One steak and the mashed potatoes arrived very cold, so we sent them back. Fifteen minutes later, the steak came back likely reheated in the oven and well done instead of rare. They also brought red wine jus and called it bernaise. We sent that back too, but it never arrived after another ten minutes, 25 minutes in total. My husband had finished his meal long before. Staff only seemed apologetic when we said we wanted to leave, and hadn’t told us how long we’d be waiting. It was really disappointing. Room service arrived quickly, but the pizza was expensive and not very good for a hotel of this standard. The spa is small but nice; the outdoor jacuzzi is quite cold compared with the pool, and there’s nowhere indoors to lie on loungers. Bathroom amenities felt average for the hotel’s standard and price. There was also a cigarette and rubbish on the balcony during our three-day stay.

I’ve stayed at plenty of amazing hotels, but Maribel’s care and attention to detail really impressed me. We came as a huge corporate group, and they looked after every client wonderfully, from the food to what felt like unlimited shuttles around the city. Being able to ski straight from the hotel made it even better. Thanks to the Maribel team for taking such good care of us!

We expected service comparable to Marbella Club Hotel, since we visit Marbella regularly and it belongs to the same group. Instead, our family’s Christmas stay was deeply disappointing. The hotel is well located, but at this five-star price the service felt like three-star quality, so it just wasn’t worth the cost. Lunch and dinner service was unacceptably slow. The menu lacked inspiration and the food was average at best, especially surprising in Spain, where good cuisine is the norm. The restaurant staff seemed disorganized and poorly managed. At one point our food sat on a tray behind our table for over ten minutes, and I had to serve it myself.

Christmas dinner was ruined for our whole family because the restaurant changed the rules without warning. My family and I had dinner at Maribel at 5pm on December 24th with our tea-cup chihuahua. The staff welcomed us and everything went normally. Based on that, we booked Christmas dinner for everyone the next day, December 25th. Only then were we told dogs weren’t allowed. The hotel is dog-friendly, yet the restaurant accepted our booking without disclosing the restriction and changed the rules at the door. There was no warning, explanation, or consistency. I see that as incompetence, not a policy. This wasn’t a misunderstanding; it felt like disinformation, arrogance, and a complete lack of professionalism. If rules change day to day, guests need to know before booking, not after planning a holiday around it. Until management fixes this chaos and trains staff properly, I can’t recommend this place to anyone, especially families.