Hacienda del Mar, Hotel Member of Meliá Collection

An absolutely wonderful hotel, all the staff are lovely and very helpful, high quality decor and levels of hygiene. The grounds are stunning, gym and spa are of a great standard. Food lovely too, I can't say enough positive things about HDM.

We spent 8 nights at Hacienda del Mar as a couple in late October, combining a few days of holiday with a few days of remote work. It turned out to be a wonderful combination, and the warm, sunny weather felt like an extension of summer. The grounds are immaculately kept: a Mediterranean garden right on the sea, with sea views from most of the property. The Andalusian, slightly Moorish-style architecture, with red terracotta walls and plants cascading from every balcony and wall, plus the medieval tower in the middle of the garden, gives the place real character. No road separates the hotel from the beach. Right in front runs the coastal promenade, several kilometres long and step-free, ideal for endless walks and bike rides. Plenty of restaurants are nearby, either right next door or a lovely 20-minute evening stroll away. Meliá recently took over the hotel and renovated much of it. Rooms, lobby and restaurant are beautifully modernised. The breakfast buffet is outstanding in variety and quality: even after 8 days it never got boring. The heated upper pool was lovely. The unheated lower pool had no lifeguard at this time of year, so swimming there was at your own risk. Wi-Fi was perfectly fine for remote work, and our Meliá Rewards Platinum status was recognised with all benefits applied. Special thanks to Abel, the Guest Experience Manager, who made our stay truly effortless, and to Kiwy, who went far beyond her role at breakfast with great tips for her hometown of Málaga. As the hotel is still settling in after the takeover, not every process ran smoothly yet, and we had a few issues with our first room at check-in. Reception and Guest Experience addressed everything quickly and personally, and we had a fantastic. We'd love to come back!

We stayed at Hacienda del Mar in October with our two children and had such a lovely time that we're already planning to return next year! The hotel itself is beautiful, with its gorgeous terracotta-coloured façade and stunning, welcoming entrance. We were greeted with a lovely glass of fizz on arrival before being shown to our beautiful suite. The room was huge, as was the balcony, and we absolutely loved waking up to the most wonderful views every morning and watching the beautiful sunsets in the evening. I'd read a few reviews mentioning road noise, and whilst you can hear it, it really didn't disturb us at all. We could equally hear the waves, which was lovely! The rooms have been refurbished to an incredibly high standard, with everything we could possibly need. The housekeeping staff were always so friendly and did a fantastic job. Breakfast was delicious! There were so many staff on hand and an endless choice of food and drinks. Beautiful cheeses, hams, fresh fruit, hot dishes and more drinks than you could ever possibly get round to trying! Everything was fresh, plentiful and beautifully presented. We ate at the beach bar a couple of times and also at the Burladero restaurant. The food was delicious throughout, but the steak at Burladero was absolutely divine! A special mention to the two gentlemen who looked after us there (I wish I could remember their names!). They were so friendly with our children, incredibly attentive and really made us feel welcome. The pool areas are lovely, with beautiful views, and the gardens are so pretty and immaculately maintained. The spa actually exceeded our expectations, with a large sauna, steam room and a really well-equipped gym. The indoor pool was a brilliant addition, particularly with the children, who loved spending time in there. The staff throughout the hotel were fantastic, without exception, but I'd particularly like to mention David and Pablo from the kids' club. Pablo deserves a very special mention! I work in a similar field myself, and I have to say, the hotel needs to hold on to him! Working with children isn't always easy, but he is absolutely brilliant at what he does. So engaging, enthusiastic and fun - I honestly don't know where he gets his energy from! Our daughter adored him and ended up wanting to go to kids' club every single day. Even our 10-year-old son, who would normally run a mile at the suggestion of a kids' club, was tempted to join in! One small suggestion would be to give families the kids' club itinerary at check-in, as I think more people would make use of it if they knew what was on offer. That said, we absolutely loved how relaxed and flexible it was. Being able to just turn up for whichever sessions appealed to the children, without having to commit to anything in advance, was such a nice feature. Another thing we loved was the coastal path directly in front of the hotel. It was wonderful being able to stroll along in the evenings, with all the locals out walking, cycling and generally enjoying life! One day we hired bikes as a family and cycled into Estepona, which was easy enough to do. We had the bikes for the whole day, so later that evening we headed out again and cycled along to a local beach bar before returning to the hotel for dinner. Such a lovely way to spend the day! We did have a small issue with something in our suite during our stay, but Abel was incredibly quick to deal with it, and we were really happy with how everything was handled. It's always reassuring when a hotel responds so positively and professionally. Overall, Hacienda del Mar is a beautiful hotel, but what really makes it special is the people working there. There was such a lovely, welcoming atmosphere throughout our stay, and we felt genuinely well looked after. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we're already looking to book again for the same time next year. I think that probably says it all! Thank you to everyone at Hacienda del Mar for a wonderful family holiday!

Very enjoyable relaxing stay at the Hacienda Del Mar Impressive reception and a nice welcome drink while registering Rooms - Lovely room with spacious bathroom and partial sea view. Comfortable bed and very clean. Breakfast - good choice of options the cooked breakfast needs to be kept warmer. Restaurants - food in the Buladero was very tasty and well prepared. Gardens - a big feature to provide a relaxing environment for the sun loungers. Hotel is a little further out of Estepona which is only and 8 euro txi ride so no problem and overall would recommend for nice Autumn break

We recently visited Meliá Estepona where Abel and the team looked after us so well again! Abel Lopez Ibarra is a leader with huge personal integrity. I have seen him grow and develop over the last 10 years, always delivering on his promises and always raising the bar on his own standards and across his staff. Managing Five Star hotels is a challenge, with guest expectations constantly and continuously increasing, and Abel has found a way to drive personal and staff-level continual improvement across the Meliá sites that I have visited as a guest where he has led teams of people. Never flustered, huge attention to detail, fixes problems quickly, always smiling, positive, I am sure that he is an inspirational leader to work with and for…he is a fantastic asset to Meliá Group