Hotel Costa Málaga (Adults Recommended) by Pierre & Vacances

We liked the location, and the staff were all really friendly and helpful. Our room overlooking the pool was good, and the pool area itself was fine. The hotel’s close to bars and restaurants, which is where we often went in the evening since drinks were cheaper nearby and there was more atmosphere. We also ate out a couple of nights. The hotel food was edible and okay, but there wasn’t much variety. The soup was creamed vegetable every night, for example. If we came back, we’d book bed and breakfast only. At the restaurant, the plates were cold, so the food was usually lukewarm at best. When it got busy, used tables weren’t cleared quickly, and it could be hard to find a seat. Breakfast was okay, though warm plates would help. The safe cost €21, which felt excessive. It would also be nice to have an indoor evening bar for coffee. The rooftop bar doesn’t serve it, and if it rains, there’s no other hotel bar to get a drink.

The staff were really pleasant and attentive during my week here, always ready to help. Breakfast had plenty of choice each morning, and I liked the sky bar in the evenings. A little live music one or two nights would have been nice. The pool area was shaded, which suited me, though people wanting sun all day had to keep moving around. It was an okay place for walks, so bring walking shoes. I shared a small room with a friend, and there wasn’t enough space for our things. The bathroom had no shelf or drawers, and the hair dryer cut out after a few minutes. The safe also cost €21 for the week. After checking out, I contacted the hotel yesterday morning about something I’d left in the room, but still haven’t had a response.

The room and location were nice, but I was still very disappointed with the stay. We were disturbed three nights by an under-18 girls’ football team at 2am. We complained to hotel staff and didn’t get much help. I understood this was meant to be an adults-only hotel, but that clearly wasn’t the case. There were some pretty strange people staying there too. We saw several one-night stands, and some people seemed to have brought home junkies with white powder on their noses. Probably the worst hotel experience I’ve had in all my years.

The rooftop bar was a real plus. It’s cosy in the evening, and the staff there are great. The common areas also look fresh and recently renovated. But the pool and surrounding area felt too small for the number of guests, and the hotel didn’t feel like a premium experience overall. There are extra charges for several things I’d usually expect to be included: a deposit for pool towels, a fee for the in-room safe, and even a charge to weigh luggage before departure. The rooms are spacious, but the furnishings are worn and dated. Balconies are small and mostly useful for drying swimwear unless you have a pool view. The air conditioning is noisy, and the thin walls and doors mean you’ll hear the neighbors. Breakfast was mediocre. The juice tasted more like cordial, the coffee was poor, and the rest of the selection wasn’t inspiring. The made-to-order omelets were the one highlight. The whole stay was overshadowed by bedbugs. I got bites the first night, and after a few days it became clear what they were. When I stripped the bed myself, I found bugs and traces of them. The hotel moved me to a different room, but the follow-up was inadequate. Dealing with bedbugs is a major hassle: changing rooms, cancelling travel plans, and sanitizing all your belongings before going home. I was offered just one night’s compensation as “goodwill.” Worse, the hotel seemed to imply I’d brought them along. They said the beds had recently been replaced, so it was unlikely the bugs had been there already. That’s simply incorrect and shows a lack of knowledge. Anyone who works in pest control knows replacing beds alone is never enough to solve a bedbug problem. There’s no doubt they were already there. Bedbugs can turn up even in reputable hotels, but how they’re handled matters. Professional hotels don’t blame guests and compensate them fairly. That wasn’t my experience here, and I won’t stay at this hotel again.