Hacienda del Mar, Hotel Member of Meliá Collection

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

My sister and I have had a wonderful stay at Hacienda del Mar in Estepona. The hotel is beautiful, with stunning architecture, elegant interiors and so many thoughtful details that make it feel special from the moment you arrive. What truly sets this hotel apart, however, is the team. David at reception deserves a special mention for the warm welcome he gave us on arrival and for going above and beyond every single day to ensure we felt looked after. His genuine kindness, attentiveness and thoughtfulness made a real difference to our experience. The incredible suite upgrade was a lovely surprise and added an extra special touch to our stay. Throughout the hotel, the attention to detail and the team's commitment to making guests feel valued really stood out. For me, the most memorable hotels offer more than beautiful surroundings. They have character, genuine hospitality and that special feeling that stays with you long after you leave. Hacienda del Mar delivers exactly that. Thank you to David and the entire team for making our time here so memorable. We leave with wonderful memories and would wholeheartedly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a truly special stay

We were disappointed with our stay here generally. The main restaurant was closed & half board guests ate in the Neguri pool bar for dinner (waiter service). It seemed to be a very different menu to outside guests. The menu didn't change in one week & seemed to be quite limited. In our experience fish was either sushi or overcooked - on two nights we ate elsewhere to have some variety. The staff did their best but there were clearly not enough of them at times. Over 30 minutes to wait for a drink is unacceptable. Breakfast was generally good & plentiful but we gave up waiting for coffee & juice and just helped ourselves. Again here, the staff were rushing around trying to complete hot orders. One thing not pointed out on check in - unless you have paid 59 euro's or in a suite you will not be welcome in the Neguri beach club sun beds. We strayed in once unawares & were told quite forcefully about the rules by one of the staff - unacceptable again. On a positive note, our room was clean, comfortable & very quiet. It is a 45 minute walk to Estepona along the coastal path & is well worth a visit. I hope this helps future guests with much more information than we had on arrival. This is a good looking hotel - just needs some tweaks to make it a 5 star experience.