I have used benalapartments before (staying in the Los Nadales apartment in Palm Tree Avenue) and I thought they were pretty good.

The apartment was clean and tidy and just a short walk from the beach (and McDonalds!).

I would definitely use them again.

Thanks
The Los Nadales apartments were what i was looking at with this company. It would be great to have more info on these.
Janie May

I have used Benalapartments on 2 occasions, I was reccomemded by a friend who couldnt speak more highly of them.
I stayed in the minerva apartment and I have also stayed in las nadales as all the family went, the apartment is very spacious spottlessly clean close to everything, i mean the beach is a 2 min stroll you are that close to the front, they were a very friendly company and couldnt do enough for us while we were there.

OMALL21 ...

they were a very friendly company and couldnt do enough for us while we were there

It looks as though you are still there, as you seem to be posting from Spain. Are you any relation to the OMALL21 who also posts on other sites on behalf of Benalapartments ?

Forgive me for asking, but would you believe that we sometimes have companies actually posing as satisfied customers, in order to mislead our members with ficticious recommendations. I personally wouldn't touch those companies with a barge pole, as I simply wouldn't trust any recommendations that I read about them on the web, some of which may actually be genuine.

I just wanted to make sure that your striking similarities with the other OMALL21 who is connected with Benalapartments is purely coincidence.

I notice that Gordon Bennet is also posting from Spain.

David

David
I have only just joind holiday truths but have been looking at the site since my first diy holiday last year.
I want to thank you so much for your post, we were just about to send a deposit to benalapartments for accomodation for next year but this has now put both myself and husband off. As you say some recommendations could be genuine but anything that does not seem right makes you not 'to want to touch them with a barge pole'. However so much is based on trust and this has certainly knocked mine.
Therefore i am back to the drawing board to start looking again.
Janie May

I am disappointed that the Moderator has voiced doubts about my reply to Janie May's initial question.

I am a frequent visitor to the Costa del Sol - especially Benalmadena. I usually stay in privately-owned apartments which I find through the internet. As yet I haven't had any problems booking accommodation in this way and the savings over package holidays can be considerable, especially with the availability of cheap flights to Malaga.

I don't think the Moderator's comments that he would not touch a certain company with a barge pole to be very helpful, especially if he hasn't had any personal dealings with that company. If he had strong evidence that the
omall21 posting was from the owners then surely he would have been better advised just deleting the post.

Contrary to the Moderator I have booked accommodation through Benalapartments before. Therefore I feel I am in a better position to comment and I believe Janie May has been rather hasty in cancelling her holiday on the say-so of a distant observer.

Hi Gordon Bennet ...

Contrary to the Moderator I have booked accommodation through Benalapartments before.

I pointed out only that you were posting from Spain and made no suggestion that you had never booked with the company before.

As for satisfied customer OMALL21, there is evidence that someone with an identical username has been posting elsewhere on the web, to advertise and offer availability with this company. The company phone number and web address are shown in those other posts, which OMALL21 refers to as "our website".

It was based on that evidence that Janie May decided to reconsider her options.

I am not stating that I would not touch this specific company with a barge pole, I am simply saying that in general, I would not use a company which misleads potential clients by posting messages to them in the guise of satisfied customer. Whilst not making such allegations against OMALL21, I was just asking him to confirm or rule out any connection, in view of the identical username and Spanish IP address which was used.

Yes, we could have removed the post in question without giving OMALL21 that opportunity, or we can simply point out our observations to members and allow them to form their own opinions about whether a situation is one purely of coincidence, or something else.

David

Personally, speaking as someone who is a Moderator on another discussion board, I thought David handled it rather well. To simply delete posts, which are not in themselves defamatory or unsavoury, is to take the cowards way out, thus denying the person responsible for the post the right to reply - though in my experience, they seldom use that right.

Planted posts are all too common on discussion boards, usually with the guilty party asking a question, to which they subsequently respond under a different guise, thus plugging the website, product or whatever they hope to advertise.

I do not feel as if i have been hasty.
As i said DIY holidays are based on trust and if you do not feel comfortable then you should not go ahead. I checked on the net myself and found an omall21 advertising the apartments i was after and giving the telephone number of a certain company. I do not believe that this is a coincidence and it just made me feel uneasy. It is a shame if they have done this as they lost themselves a good booking. Also why have they not posted back explaining themselves.

Janie May

Try typing Benalmadena into the search field on Ebay. You'll be surprised at what, or perhaps that should be who, turns up.

Iam very sorry that I have noted who is selling apartment weeks on EBAY,
I was in fact quite shocked !!!

I have used Los Nadales in Benalmadena Costa and was quite happy with it.We spent a nice week relaxing there.But on seeing it for rent on EBAY, I feel this has taken the nice part away,such a pity to take the Ebay route to sell,perhaps times are hard,there are simpler ways to sell.

I think I may have given someone else advice on the Los Nadales apartment,( I think it was a lady) sorry,I can only go with what we were sold and we were quite happy but,Iam afraid I dont like the idea either about buying a holiday from EBAY.Sorry once again.

To be honest, I have no real problem with the idea of letting the apartments via Ebay. It's probably a very good way to let out weeks over the Low Season. Some people may even get a bargain out of it.

I really only posted that to remove any doubt as to whether or not the person in question was genuine in his/her earlier post on this topic.

I think we can see now that he does have a vested interest.

Yes,perhaps one may get a bargain,but on the other hand if you now go back and type in Benalmadena on Ebay you will get another shock.
Seems like the HOLIDAY scam people have taken up residence on E bay.
No,like many others I shall stay away from Ebay.So who will now place their apartments for let on Ebay ???