Benalma Hotel Costa del Sol

Absolutely stunning hotel, a bit far out of Main part of Belamadena, bus stop nearby, but a bit far to walk, every room had a magnificent seaview

We go on holiday two to three times a year, so we’ve stayed in plenty of places, but this hotel in Benalmádena genuinely stands out from the rest. Nothing felt like an extra charge. The safe was free, the Wi-Fi was included and the all-inclusive actually meant all-inclusive. No sneaky add-ons or upselling, just straightforward and fair.

The food was a real highlight. The quality was honestly better than a lot of restaurants we’ve been to, and every meal felt fresh and well cooked. We never once had a bad plate.

The part that really made this holiday special was the lobby bar, and I want to give proper credit here. Leo and his team were something else. They didn’t just serve drinks, they paid attention. They learned what we liked, remembered our orders and before we even thought about asking, the next drink was already on the way. It wasn’t just for us either, you could see them doing it for everyone.

What stood out even more was how they acted when things were quiet. They didn’t just stand around. They kept the place spotless, stayed alert and still managed to give service at a level you’d expect in a top-end hotel. Every one of them was professional, friendly and genuinely proud of their work. You don’t often see teams like that.

Even in the restaurant, the service was excellent. You didn’t have to get up for your drinks at lunch or dinner. drinks was brought to the table, which made meals feel calm, relaxed and more enjoyable.

After years of travelling and staying in many hotels, this one has easily taken the top spot for us. The food, the atmosphere and especially the staff made the whole holiday effortless. Leo and the lobby bar team truly set the standards here.

We will definitely be coming back.

Very warm welcome from Ben on reception. We stayed 11 nights Half Board , lovely food, probably the best breakfast we’ve had in any hotel in Spain, so much choice, cant understand the negative reviews!? We normally like a lower floor, but none available, so had a grand sea view room on the 10 th . Lovely large room with comfy bed, a sofa, fridge, kettle etc and spotlessly clean., Thank You to the cleaning Ladies👏The Grand Sea View Rooms are on the 9th, 10th & 11th floors, the bar& reception on the 8th,& dining room on 7th, so bit of a different lay out, but all good. The staff were all very friendly, especially the guys in the Lobby Bar, Leo,& Carlos who served us with a smile every day, Cheers Guys🍾🍷🍷The hotel is on the outskirts, so only a bar& a few restaurants nearby, but if you just want to chill, its perfect😍THANK YOU TO ALL😍

We arrived today and wow what a hotel this is, Leo from the bar was absolutely outstanding his presence alone was fantastic, hos bar tending skills and serving was amazing we will 100% be back

We had a lovely stay at the hotel had a last minute change and were not disappointed - hotel spotless - room 803 excellent view onto beach with balcony - thanks to lovely ladies cleaning our room excellent job - restaurant and staff lovely food was good could have been warmer and on one occasion food very disappointing- entertainment overall ok but Marco de Garcia stood out as the best of the week - special mention to Carlos and Leo on the bar excellent and very friendly service. Great location of the hotel and the rooftop area was fabulous - easy access from hotel to surrounding towns and shops beach and marina will definitely return again.

Don't go all-inclusive to the Benalma food disgusting and cold drinks and cocktails undrinkable..I love my wine but it was terrible. People put up reviews saying not to listen to the food reviews that there was nothing wrong with it not true..I'm not heard to please but please take my reviews on board..Hotel very clean location not great for eating out two restaurants within walking distance...I'll say no more than Don't do all-inclusive.

Beautiful room with balcony overlooking the sea. Fabulous bathroom with shower and tea and coffee making facilities. No English TV except news channel.

Leo in the bar was so friendly and welcoming! Remebered us every time! What a champ! Hotel is super, right on the beach and food on the buffee was awesome, as long as you do not try the fish, that was always dry and sad.

A very accessible hotel in regards to the location, however the layout of it was a bit random, that you had to leave the hotel complex to get to the pool area? The family pool was busy and had a lot of palm trees which created a lot of shaded areas and you had to arrive early to get a sunbed. The adult pool wasn't an option as there was really loud building works right next door - shame! However, we did stumble across the terrace and that was a most pleasant experience. Totally peaceful with plenty of sunbeds and a couple of Jacuzzi's. This was a real gem of the place and during the day whilst the bar isn't open, you are able to take your own food and beverage - what a win! Amazing view out to sea from the terrace and then at 5pm when the bar opens, you are welcomed by a delightful attentive employee (called Iona) and enjoying drinks whilst taking in the view across to Fuengirola and the sun setting.
The hotel room was clean and adequate, we couldn't fault it and I have to say the whole vibe of the place was quite quiet too, which might have been due to us staying out of season (slightly). Sunrises are a win and everyday it was different.
Accessibility through train, bus and taxi was easy.
Buffett breakfast was overwhelming, but a good spread - make sure you check out the outside dining area, which we found on our second to last day as it is far more quiet out there!
Downside were the lifts - my god they were slow and tiny and sometimes you were waiting 15mins for one to arrive and whilst walking down the stairs is good exercise, this is not ideal for all.
Reception staff were not overly friendly, but do not let that put you off.
We would return -for sure

Rooms were spacious and very clean. Great service in bar from Folian and in dining room with Kate. Food was excellent and great choice.

Stayed one night. First impressions the paid for parking was easy to get to. The check in staff member was okay until I asked about the parking and showed him the ticket and asked about free parking. He got all prickly about the price of it, telling me and my husband the cost and that we had the option of paying for it now, or when we checked out. That we could pay at the end of our stay or at the ticket machine. We only asked about free parking and didn’t mind paying for secure parking but he acted like it or we were going to be a problem over it. He was very aggressive which left us with a poor first impression. I guess they’ve had push back from other guests because there are signs outside saying free parking. He was also very unhelpful about pointing the way to get to our room or how to get to the restaurant, spa, pool, bar etc. We asked someone else who showed us where the lifts were and we figured out where to go for our meals and where the spa and pool was. We also had drinks in the lobby bar but unfortunately didn’t find out about the rooftop bar until after we were home.

Next is a confusing lay out. The hotel is built on a side of a cliff. The lobby is located on the 8th floor. The hotel is 12 stories, so there are 4 floors above it. Our room was located on the fifth floor so we had to go down three floors. Along the corridor you have windows on one side that look out onto the ugly underground parking. To find your car, if you parked underground, you’d have to take stairs from your floor to get to your car, which was no good if you had luggage. There was no straight forward way to get from your floor to your car without stairs involved unless you were on floor seven or took the elevator with your luggage to floor seven where there were no stairs involved to get to your car but you still had to wheel your luggage outside around the building and back through another door and into a lift to take you to the level you parked your car at. Not ideal! We ended up moving the car outside so we had easier access with our luggage when loading up.

The room we had was nice and comfortable with a great view of the beach. The A/C was fixed at 19c. We would have been more comfortable had it been set at 18c. There was no way to adjust it but we managed with putting the room fan on as well. Wouldn’t like it though for more than one night.

We went for half board and we feel this was a mistake as the food selection wasn’t up to snuff. There was no seafood available when my husband had fancied a prawn cocktail. Outside vegetarian, all there was for dinner options were meagre portions of pork, beef, turkey, chicken and fish. I ended up mostly just having sweets for dinner. Breakfast was of poor quality and selection with an odd mix of paprika flavoured sausages and rice, odd tasting greasy bacon, pancakes and french toast without maple syrup. Terrible coffee. The only good thing I found was cava and orange juice and the freshly made omelet was very good.

Pool area is locked up quite early. We came down after having an early dinner to find there was no access. You have to pass by a small outdoor toilet block to get to the pool area and it reeks. We came down the next morning and laid on the loungers for a moment to enjoy the poolside in the shade of the palm trees, wish we could have spent the day there as it felt really relaxing but we had to check out and get to the airport.

The clientele is mostly older. Not really a place for families I think. Though the small pool area (which is also open to the public for a fee) has a kid friendly slide with gangway ropes, it feels separate from the hotel as it’s located a fair distance away.

Overall it wasn’t as good as our hotel stay at the H10 Estepona Palace Hotel, which worked out to be only €10 more for the same amenities - one night, half board. I couldn’t manage for a week here and be happy but I could at the other hotel.

Views are nice and some interior spaces are good but overall it was average at best.

The hotel was great. Spotlessly clean.
The staff were all professional and attentive
Food was good and plentiful
Drinks were great. Having Victoria Malaga as the draft lager made my trip .
The hotel is right on the beach with a small supermarket and 2 restaurants nearby. The pizza restaurant is fantastic.
If you want something more lively this hotel probably isn't for you but you can get an uber or a bus into town if that's your thing
Overall a great 5 day break and would definitely go back

Absolutely wonderful hotel.
I stayed for 3 days with my son (18) and it was all brilliant.
We stayed All Inclusive, and I don't understand the negative comments on the food - the selection is huge and it does vary day-to-day. Breakfast particularly was a feast!
The staff were almost without exception lovely - one particular lady in the bar didn't seem particularly happy - but everyone else (cleaners, waiters/waitresses) were a delight to be around.
The drinks options are pretty good with some cocktails included in the all inclusive package.
The room was really nice, gorgeous sea views.
The location is peaceful and felt quite secluded - there's a shop a 2 minute walk away, but nothing else...which is exactly what I wanted.
The beach is the hotels and has a bar next to it for more free drinks.
The gym was surprisingly good with enough to keep you fit and counteract the amount of food you'll no doubt eat.

I loved it and will 100% be going back.

Lovely hotel.Room was very clean. 7th floor with a great view. Terrace was pleasant to sit on . Shower ( good pressure though) was over bath which we are not keen on but towels are replenished regularly which we appreciated. Decent hairdryer. Efficient air conditioning plus a fan.

Food we were half board - we enjoyed most of the food which we felt was of a good or very good standard. Always invitingly fresh looking, The dining room was not too busy at the times we went. Lovely views.
The orange juice was not good however. Drinks were expensive compared to other hotels we have experienced in Benalmadena.

We used the family pool despite being 2 adults and never had any bother finding a sun bed and umbrella. The pool area does need a bit of a refurbishment and I have to agree with the comment from another reviewer regarding being somewhat like a cage. The little bar area had only one choice of ice cream / lolly which was disappointing.

The setting is lovely beside 3 little coves with sand if you prefer that.

We might return but only if we were travelling for a few nights and wanted to lie in the sun. The location is somewhat awkward if you want to explore.

Bus 103 goes to the Arroya from right outside the hotel. 120 to Torremolinos .
If you want to go to Mijas it’s train and then buses or 2 buses.
The train station is nearby but up a very steep hill.
There are few shops in the area. Arkwright has everything though if you forget anything. Things are reasonably priced in that shop - 5litres water is available for €1.50

Lovely clean hotel with beautiful outlook. Food is plentiful, if a little repetitive, but overall good. Some staff very smiley and helpful, others less so

Beautiful place to relax and chill. Thankful for kind and fantastic people Leo,Victoria and Darling, they always happy have good vibes. Recommend this hotel. I’ll back soon is impossible ♥️

Very pleased with the service,a special mention to KO who made are nights at the bar very pleasant 🤗 well done ,the only problem we found was although we had paid for all inclusive we could not have a drink to enjoy the rooftop bar and we're told that they didn't have Bailey's though the bar downstairs was well stocked 🤔

We had an incredible time at this hotel! One of the highlights was definitely the breathtaking views (whether you were relaxing by the pool or enjoying a meal)… the scenery was simply unforgettable.
The entertainment team kept the energy up all day with a variety of fun activities for all ages. Every show and event was well-organized and full of good vibes. Our absolute favourite was Ale always smiling, full of energy, and made everyone feel welcome. She truly made our experience extra special!
Highly recommend this hotel if you're looking for great views, great fun, and unforgettable memories!

Just got back from a visit to hotel Benalma. A last minute get away for myself, Mrs and our 18 month old little boy. Reading the reviews we was hesitant at first due to location and people moaning about the food but we are soooooo glad we ignored this and stayed at the Benalma. We can’t fault our stay at all. We have stayed in other hotels around Benalmádena and paid a lot more money and none came close to our stay at the Benalma. The staff made an effort with our little boy every time they see him, playing with him, tickling him and high 5s. The hotel is spotless through out, smells amazing and is so modern. The beach is lovely and the family pool was perfect. All inclusive food at hotels are pretty much standard, meat potatos salad but the Benalma tries its best to offer a variety and every day was different. It all tasted lovely. Only thing I’d say is a little more offering for children would be better but that’s a minor issue if one at all. We honestly had a blast. The location a tad quiet but the marina is a 9 euro taxi away. That being said we didn’t really need to leave the hotel. The drinks were of a good quality, high end local alcohol which they was selling at the airport. Not the cheap made up stuff most hotels offer. No caps on all inclusive you got exactly what you asked for.

Genuinely a really nice experience for us and if we ever visit benalmadena again we would most definitely stay at the Benalma.

Thanks for making our stay so welcoming and fun!

Bar man Leo is an excellent bar man and very pleasant and efficient a credit to your staff
Rooms we were disappointed no air conditioner working smell from drains and noisy we did ask to be fixed but nothing happened
Some other staff can be very sharp and it can be a bother to serve you
Life guard at main pool very rude and not friendly at all other than that good hotel food was pretty good