However many stars a hotel hangs above its door I never really expect it to be comparable with those at home. You can't anticipate a cross between the London Hilton and a 'Sandals/Beaches' holiday at these prices. I thought we got good value for money at Hoiday Village and would definitely go again.

The first week there were two adults in our party and the second it was just me and my 3 boys age 10, 6 and 4. On arrival the whole place looked huge but we quickly orientated ourselves and it turned out I didn't have to tie the kids to my bikini strings after all. The hotel feels very safe for children and I liked the fact that keys were required to go in and out of the complex, security cameras were all over the place and life guards seemed attentive.For me it was a bonus that you couldn't wander from the hotel straight onto a beach and since there was so much going on for the kids on site, it didn't much matter that we were a bus ride from shops and bars.

Enough has probably been said about the rooms which I thought were very modern and comfortable. Ample space even when we were 5, certainly more than we've had elsewhere. Beds were made, towels changed and bins emptied daily, even though we were self catering. Though it wasn't cleaned, it always looked tidy when we got back after breakfast. Our room also faced the railway line (and we could also see and hear a distant donkey who could bay for Spain). However, we went to bed tired enough that neither particularly bothered us. When we were occasionally troubled it was usually by other holiday makers. (If you're inclined to drag the balcony furniture around at all hours of the morning do be aware that it wakes the whole neighborhood as does running down the corridors to your room and a baying a laugh louder than the donkey on your balcony at 4 in the morning...grrr if I ever find that woman). Anyway...

As we were 5 they wouldn't let us book all inclusive for some reason so we were supposedly self catering but I didn't cook once and found the restaurants and snack bars adequately met our needs. In fact the kids tried all sorts of new things at La Perla buffets which I thought catered for all. (They now think the Spanish have round fish fingers but really they've developed a taste for squid). Bar drinks and snacks from the shop weren't particularly cheap..you can think UK 4* hotel prices here, with the exception of the 2 euro a glass wine, which to my uncouth palate was perfectly acceptable.

I thought hotel facilities were fabulous and improving all the time. We all loved the beach club, which in parts is magic for the kids (pirate ship, tree house and fountains) and has some nice grown up touches (check out the adults only jacuzzi massage beds). We never found the on site pool unbearably busy and usually managed to get a sunbed and mattress without getting up at dawn. Parasols were coveted though and reps were reasurringly helpful in redistributing parasols from groups who took more than necessary and those who bagged them at 6am and never turned up til 4. Nonetheless they were trying to resolve this problem with a ticket system as we left and they were expecting more parasols to be delivered anytime.

The odd tiles were still coming off the pool floor but the kids loved diving for 'treasure'. If they got a scratch or two on their feet they just got a plaster off the lifeguard and jumped back in. Nobody died.

By the way, if you see hunky guys in black T shirts with cylinders on their back, around the pool, don't be misled(as I was) into thinking they're selling diving courses. The canisters are full of sun cream or oil and they'll spray you down for a few euros. Dippy me only twigged this on the last day.

Ents staff and reps were working their socks off as far as we could see and were doing a great job. It didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated that so many 'extras' seemed to be around at mini disco, aqua arobics and the like. The kids club and wavelenth staff were outstanding. Aptly named, Jolly Jill and company seemed perpetually cheerful and very insightful. Kids had a ball at their sessions which were imaginitive and fun. My children also got a lot from the extras like soccer school, swim kids and stagecoach, all of which I thought were staffed by motivated people who had the necessary kid skills to bring out children's abilities, whilst ensuring they enjoyed themselves. I thought they each offered value for money and would highly recommend them.

My only very minor gripe, as this seems to be the case pretty much everywhere ,is that facilities for those with late flights aren't so great and I got told that late checkouts are just not possible at the moment as they're fully booked. For those wanting to freshen up after the checkout time of noon,you'll be told there are rooms on spa level but this amounts to one shower for men and one for ladies ..lots of clean towels though and toilets. If its busy there are more showers in the toilets by the pool and we managed ok there.

Relax, enjoy and have a great holiday. We did and I'm sure you will too.

On arrival we were gob-smacked at the size and standard of the place, we thought that all our Christmas's had come at once. We had a mini adventure finding all the places listed in the brochure and loved the view from the room which overlooked the pool/sea and Beach Club!

The room itself was excellent, with two showers, two wash basins, a great big balcony, extra large beds etc etc. You could literally swing many cats around the place, if you are that way inclined!!! The fridge was stocked up daily with two coke, a fanta orange, a fanta lemon, and two bottles of water. just make sure that you empty the fridge of these contents so as to get the full re-stock the next day (skinflint, i know). The rooms were tidied but not really CLEANED.

As all-inclusive virgins, we were particularly concerned about the standard of food. There was no need, as the food was very good, with various ranges to cater for all. We thought the poolside bar was great, with pizza, hot-dogs, ham and cheese toasties, bacon and tomato toasties, chips and nuggets etc. We will be booking A/I from now on but can only hope that it will meet the standard set at the H/V.

The entertainment was mainly aimed at the young or young at heart. Needless to say i loved it! The Reps worked tirelessly and we thought they did enough to keep us entertained throughout our two week stay.

A few of the staff were pretty dis-interested, but the majority were quite pleasant and tried at least to remember the order of service at the bar, even if some holiday-makers did their best to get served first. This led to the introduction of an A/I que at the entertainment bar, which i thought punished the A/I guests, although it stopped the bad feeling at least.

The location could have been better, but the bus service is right on your doorstep and the taxi's are reasonable. You've got Benalmadena one way (Costa marina is great) and Fuenguerola, Torramalinos, Malaga etc the other. Either way is great for dinner and an evening out.

All in all we would love to return to the H/V and probably will over the next couple of years. I would definately recommend this hotel for A/I guests, but not quite sure on the Self Catering side of things!

Enjoy your stay folks, i'm so jealous.

Just returned back from a 1 week S/C holiday. I'm not going to repaet a lot of the points already said so will keep it brief.
Hotel clean, plenty of towels every day if needed.
Rooms quite spacious with fantastic A/C (it was 38-40C every day we were there so we needed it).
Unless sat by the pool never heard the trains, not a problem.
The Beach Club is excellent as it is and is due to be extended again for next year. I could never understand why it was always so easy to get a sunbed here while the main pool was always packed. Now i've read here that the A/I didn't cover these bars i'm even more glad I went S/C. We went with a 5 year old and he loved it at the BC. As long as he stayed where we could see him we were perfectly at ease to let him go and play in the top pool area. It is very shallow and there is always a very attentive lifeguard on duty.
The soccer school was very well run and was probably the highlight of my son's holiday. Also you get let into the BC before anybody else if you are desperate to secure a parasol & matress.
On that note though on our last day we did get a letter saying the hotel were introducing a scheme where you pay a deposit of 25 Euros. This gets you a ticket which you hand in to get a parasol and matress. I'll leave it to someone else to explain if this works or not as it was my last day I never used it.
Entertainment is repetetive unless you are under 10, still can't get that Mimic Man song out of my head! The hotel does host probably the worst act in Spain called "Star Comedy" who were on one night, so bad they were almost funny. They also totally under promote the live bands in the Irish Bar, which is an excellent venue. They start at 11.45 p.m. and the bar is strictly for over 18's so if you can pack the kids off to bed then give it a whirl.
I was glad I went self-catering as I felt less inclined to stay at the hotel to get my money's worth than I would have done if A/I. Dined out every night in either Benal or Fuengirola so can't comment on the food. Had a couple of meals by the pool at lunchtime and they were OK.
Bus stops right outside the hotel to Benal & Fuengirola, less than 1 Euro each way. Buses are a bit hit and miss but generally on time. Either get a proper copy of the timetable or make a note of it on your way back from the BC as they are not to a regular pattern. The earlier the bus you get the more likely you will get a seat.
When getting on the return bus back from Fuengirola I would recommend not forming an orderly queue, just go for it. If you are polite, you'll probably be the only one and end up standing all the time. Still the journey's only about 15 mins and the bus has got A/C so not too bad.

The Hotel was excellent
The room was very good, we booked self catering but only used the kettle a few times and never needed the cooker or toaster.
We paid for the half board package. We found that a hearty breakfast would see us through to the evening meal.
I looked forward to breakfast each day, the bacon was typically Spanish, but the rest was great, you could do your toast to your own taste, and there was even fresh bottles of HP sauce avery day.
The choice of food in the evening is very good, although my daughter would have liked steaks to have been available. The combinations you could have on your plate was almost endless.

The location could be better I suppose, but if you want to go into the hot spots there are plenty of buses and taxis were reasonable, always ask for the price.

We thought the Hotel staff wer wonderful, I tried to practice the little Spanish I know, and always received a warm smile and freindly conversation.
The Perle Restarant staff were also excellent, if sometimes a little swift clearing your plates. They did have a lot of guests though.
The set up in the restaurant is very good, you find a table, order your drinks, and get your first course, by the time you return to your table your drinks were
waiting.
Previous comments mentioned that food wasn't labelled, but you could usually tell what it was using your eyes and nose, and there was always a member of the catering staff nearby who could help if they could.
The beauty of this place though is that you could always put a bit on your plate and try it, and as was usually the case find you want to try some more.

The Hotel is still very new, and staff are going through a learning curve, which is flattening out now, I feel it will improve still, but already they are learning to put up with us Brits. For example, one poor soul one evening was cooking pancakes, which were very popular. It was extremely hot and my wife was in the queue and commented that no-one offered a word of thanks, and when my wife did the cook looked up and showed his appreciation, with a nod and a smile.

We would love to return in the future, but may try one of the other Holiday village locations first.

Never done this before but had to report this is the worst holiday we have ever had! Returned today (very relieved to do so). Rooms good and clean but first choice hols. completely misinformed us of location. We asked to be relocated (at enormous cost) but the other place was even worse. All inclusive and self catering together DOES NOT WORK! We felt like 2nd class citizens. No way 4*. No porters, no waiter service, really hard work. Thank god for the car. We ate here only the first and last night out of necessity. Last night food came up cold. Ridiculously expensive shop in the hotel. Triple the price of the supermarket down the road. The whole 2 weeks felt like we had been completeley ripped off. No beach to write home about. Be warned!

We have just returned from the Holiday Village in Benalmadena. We did enjoy it and here are our reviews.
Good Points:
-Rooms were spacious and comfortable.
-Beach Club was fantastic,a lot of people complained that the B/C was not part of the A/I but we were quite happy to pay for drinks there and felt that if it had been part of the A/I it would have got too busy because people who stayed round the hotel all day for the free food and drinks would have also used the B/C.
-Reception staff (particularly Jose.M and Carlos) were very friendly and nothing to much trouble for them.
-La Perla restaurant wwas very good with lots of choice. The Mexican and Italian were also excellent.
-Sunbeds not too bad to find considering how busy it was.
-Cleaners worked 24/7 to keep the hotel clean and they certainly had their work cut out due to some of the kids who seemed to think that the lifts were their own personal litter bins after leaving cans, slushes and food in the lifts.
-My sister and I enjoyed the entertainment (i am 13 and my sister is 8) but my mum and dad found it boring and preferred to stay in the piano bar.
-Healh spa is fantastic if you fancy getting out of the sun for an hour or two. There is a large cold pool, sauna and a turkish bath which is all free if you are on A/I.
On saying all that we would not return to the Holiday Village during August for the following reasons:
-The loacation is dreadful, we like to go out for a walk at night after tea to a nearby bar
but there quite simply isn't anywhere to stroll to. We did go into Benalmadena and Fuengirola a few times, the bus service was chaotic we only managed to get the bus once so we stuck to getting taxis and over the fortnight the 10-13 euro fares got expensive.
-The pool at the hotel is very disapointing. I thought the water was awful and lots of children were catching eye and ear infections. My sister had to visit the doctor because she had got conjunctivitis. You were not allowed inflatables which to me made the pool very boring.
-My dad was not happy that you had to queue at the bar for about 20 minutes to get a drink. The bar closes at midnight and it didnt matter if you got in the queue at the bar at a quarter to midnight because at midnight they stop serving. The waiting time to get served was ridiculous because of people ordering large rounds of drinks to last them until after midnight.
-My mum and dad were cringing at some of the kids behaviour in the hotel and felt sorry for what the staff had to deal with of some of the brits. We saw boys trying to deliberately damage the mini golf course. We saw some kids climbing in the ornamental bowl in the fountain using glasses from the bar to throw water at each other. We saw some kids shaking the electric lamposts so hard that the light went out and there was a fight among a group of kids that security men had to sort out.
We did have quite a relaxing holiday but we would not consider going back during the busy periods of the year.

Got back from the Holiday Village on 1 Aug and had a fantastic time. Must admit we were a bit concerned before we went because we had read other peoples comments but decided to go with an open mind and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The Hotel is extremely clean apart from some holidaymakers leaving a mess. The railway line/trains didn't cause us a problem at all - trains are very quiet. The Beach Club is a great place and will be even better next year when the wave pool is built. May be there will be access to the beach via the Beach Club next year? Walking along the footbridge didn't cause us any problems - it is very safe. The number of hotel staff was increasing in our 2nd week - a little bit slow in first week. Majority of them very pleasant but some a little miserable - but you get that wherever you go. Evening entertainment could be a little better. The Reps did a great job - 'Grease' was brill. Our 13yr old son went on 3 trips with the Wavelength Club and had a fantastic time. Our daughter didn't join in any clubs but still had a fab time. Swimming pool is great - not too deep. However, a lot of holidaymakers with cut toes during our stay. 25 euro deposit for parasol - which turned out to be a good idea. Plenty of lifeguards. Daytime activities for kids great. Reception staff very pleasant and helpful. Food in restaurant great. All in all an enjoyable holiday.

Being only 17 I have to say that this resort was awful in many ways. The only thing that I really enjoyed was going home. The hotel had to many people for me really to settle. My mum enjoyed it but my brothers and dad didn't. Some positives would be that the food was alright and the health club was probably the best feature however I didn't discover it to the last day. The location was terrible having to get a packed bus and on most occasions I had to stand which was very uncomfortable considering there was no air conditioning. The swimming pools where mainly based at children as the depth didn't drop below 1m 35. The pools are also to crowded and the competition for sunbeds in the morning is fierce. The room was cramped for five people, and even though I'm 17 the beer was not nice particularly Cruzcampo which left me with mild stomach pains. The worst thing was that everything was over priced. A small drink cost 1 80 euro's and a packet of crisps was 1 euro about 67p. The arcade was sparse with little variation in what to play. A game of pool cost 2 euro and it was always crowded. Overall probably a terrible holiday. The hotel is very over rated. Its based a young families with two children under 10. Crap.

Myself and my two children 12 and 6 stayed in the Holiday Village, Benalmadena for two weeks in July 2004. This was the first time I had been abroad with my children in my new capacity as a "single parent". I am extremely fussy when it comes to hotels and am used to 4 and 5 star hotels. This turned out to be one of the best holidays I have ever had. The apartment was spacious, well equipped and well maintained. Although we were on an all-inclusive basis we had a fridge which was stocked daily with bottled water and soft drinks, and a cooker and microwave. The bedroom was bigger than a lot of rooms I have stayed in and the balcony was a decent size with a full sized dining table and chairs.

The children were both extremely happy in their respective kids' clubs and both went on all the trips offered. My youngest took advantage of the swimming lessons and has come on in leaps and bounds ever since. I didn't once have to worry about the children as I knew they were safe and there were plenty First Choice staff around to held should anything go wrong. Most evenings I was back in my room before my 12 year old. The children's reps went out of their way to get to know the children by name.

The entertainment was of a higher standard than I have experienced in many places and the resident entertainment team worked extremely hard. The resident due "Intuition" were super and very pleasant and friendly too.

I did not venture out of the Holiday Village at all during my stay as the children were more than happy and we have been to the Costa del Sol on several occasions previously. The location suited me fine as it was quiet at nights and there were plenty buses and taxis available had I wanted to go anywhere.

If I am truthful, I was not looking forward to the holiday as I felt it could be quite lonely as there may not be any other "single parent families" there. I needn't have worried, I made lots of friends and all the other residents were well mannered and polite.

The only slight criticism I could have would be that there were not enough "umbrellas" to go round but that is the case in most places. Perhaps it would be an idea to allocate them to the rooms and then everyone would have the use of one.

All in all we had a super time and I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone, nor would I think twice about going back.

After arriving and seeing the half finished beach club and the room we were allocated situated opposite the rail track we anticipated the holiday from hell.

The reception dealt with our problem ie no linen, no remote control, no towels and no drinks very promptly. They reallocated us a room looking out onto the pool and sea view and very quickly sorted the other problems swiftly.

The rooms where clean,large bathroom small kitchen which we felt would of been a problem if we had been s/c. The living/sleeping area was slightly small but adequate. Lovely large balcony and fair sized bedroom. Lots of storage space.

One of the major problems we could forsee if anyone was s/c was the illstocked and vastly expensive on site shop. And due to the location of the hotel the nearest supermarket was a taxi ride in either direction away. The location of the hotel also put paid to a trip to the beach. Not to the non existent one opposite the beach but the sandy beach in either direction due to the fact there is no pedestrian access due to the building work and busy dual carriageway which runs directly in front of the hotel.

The pool area was adequate for june but as for peak season and no sign of the beach club being finished in the near future we think it will be fight for your beach bed. We soon realised that if you werent down early and claiming a spot that it was a fight later on. A word of warning quite a few children were coming out of the pool with numerous cuts on their feet possibly due to the rough grout on the bottom of the pool.

The staff were very polite and extremley hard working and tried their best very obviously understaffed thus causing some delays in service. The entertainment was to say the least amateur. The worst being the piano bar it was difficult to get in a frenzy to a geriatric bontempi pianist although it did provide some laughs.