Essence Hotel Boutique

From the heated, spotlessly clean pool with plenty of shade to the beach just seconds away, Hotel Essence Boutique is a beautiful place to stay. It's right in the centre of Torremolinos, and one of the prettiest hotels I've ever been to. The staff made it special. Sergio and Alex at reception made me feel at home, and Veronica gave me the most beautiful massage. Everyone was warm, professional and eager to make guests feel welcome and spoiled. I also had the best mojito ever each night before dinner. I can't wait to return. Thank you so much, Sergio, Alex and Veronica, for all the care you put into looking after your lucky guests. See you soon.

We were so disappointed that we checked out early and continued our stay at another hotel. For the price, the value felt very poor, and the experience fell well short of what we expected from a 4-star hotel. The actual stay differed quite a lot from the photos. We knew we'd booked one of the cheaper rooms, but it was very small and didn't look like the online pictures. After the artificial fragrance wore off, the room smelled musty. There were ants, and the walls and furniture looked unattractive. It was also noisy: loud conversations from neighbors on their balcony woke us at night, and in the morning we could clearly hear people in the hallway. The staff were always friendly and helpful, which we really appreciated. Still, several advertised amenities disappointed us. The hammam was open for only one hour a day and had just two showers and a tiny steam room. The rooftop terrace was closed without warning, so we couldn't have the welcome drink there. We would've been fine with that if they'd told us beforehand. Cleanliness was an issue too. Some dinner cutlery and even the coffee cup at breakfast hadn't been cleaned properly. The buffet had limited choices and no labels, so it was hard to tell what the dishes were. The gym was extremely small, and anyone wanting a proper workout would probably be better off jogging along the promenade.

The breakfast buffet had lots of options and stayed open until 11, and the jacuzzis being open all night was an amazing extra. A very nice hotel if you want to get away from the crowds in Malaga. I definitely recommend it.

The location is very good, and the pool area is lovely. Food and staff were perfect at this cozy hotel. The rooms could use a little refresh, and there's no hotel parking.