As a couple, for our holidays of this type we have previously been to Salou in Costa Dorada, Alcudia in Majorca and Playa del Ingles in Gran Canaria. Liked them all, probably liked Salou the best.
1 I'm getting the impression that Benalmedena and Torremelinos are two large resorts next to eachother which practically merge in the middle. Is this right? If so, I like the sound of that as we like really big resorts where you can walk in a different direction and explore a different part.
2 I like the sound of the Marina at Benalmedena. Is this on the side near Torremelinos?
3 If so, can you walk from the Marina to Torremelinos? We don't mind a nice walk.
4 Is the Marina area near the centre or best part of Ben?
5 Everyone mentions a hill in Ben. Is it really that steep? What is at the top / bottom of the hill that you have to go up / down to get to?
6 I'm guessing 24 hour square and Bonanza square are the same thing. How far is it from the Marina?
7 I've read about getting a bus to Malaga. Is this recommended for a day out or better for a night?
8 I read you can get a boat to Fuengirola for 10 Euros - does anyone reccomend this for a day out?
9 Can you get a boat to Malaga / Puerto Banus for a day out?
10 What is the shopping like in Ben / Tor?
11 I've read about a shopping centre called Myramar that you can get to by bus. Is it a big shopping centre and worth the visit? What kind of shops does it have?
12 Is Malaga worth a day out for shopping and / or site seeing?
13 On the map on the Thompson holidays site (when you search you can view the hotel results on a map) there's an area which must be the Maria but then another area a fair bit West which I think was marked Marina Shopping Complex. Is this a good shopping area?
14 Are there good shops around the resort of Ben and Marina area? eg nice little shops open late to walk around in the evening, little supermarkets for the daytime, icecream bars etc? Sorry if this sounds like a daft question but a few reviews I've read have made it sound that there's nothing there but from other reviews it sounds really built up. We like built up.
15 How late do the buses run generally? ie could you get a bus to Tor for the evening and come back at say 11pm or do the buses stop much earlier?
16 If anyone has heard of Kukuxumusu, do you know anyone in the costa del sol which stocks the stuff? I've only found it once in Saou in Costa Dorada and a tiny bit of stuff when we went to Playa Del Ingles in Gran Canaria. We really like it and it's expensive to buy direct from the online.
17 Daft question - is Kas Naranja widely available in Ben? BF is addicted to it when we are on hols!
18 Any recommendations for a hotel near the Marina? We don't mind noise, will go s/c or hb. Also any recommendatins for who you booked with and good deals you got? We will be going at beginning of July.
19 Can anyone tell me a bit more about the Marina? I've convinced myself that's where we want to be but don't really know that much about it!
20 Are all the usual tourist items about to buy? Lots of perfume shops in the resort, costume jewellery, t-shirts etc? The obligatory fake sunglasses salesmen and hair braiding ladies?!
Twenty is more than plenty so I'll leave it there. I get a bit anal with holidays so I'm sorry for all the questions. As I'm in charge of choosing I'm also in charge of getting it right, hence all the questions to check it's our kind of place.
Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to being a regular member of the forum!
I've put a review of the hotel in the review section. We found it very central. The promenade linking Torri and Benalmadena runs just one row back from the hotel. Us women found plenty to do in the Cirahuela area and didn't venture in to Torri at all (we were only here for a week). However, our men took a walk in one morning (took them about 15 mins) and reported back that there was a good shopping centre there. We did go the other way into Benalmadena one evening for a meal but didn't venture to the bars in 24 hr square. We stayed around the marina area which was beautiful. Please bear in mind though that the restaurants here charged a lot more as you're paying for the view. I'd say that you'd do well to choose either of these resorts as you like variety and there's plenty here to amuse you. Have fun. Sorry can't answer a lot of your questions as we were there in March and everything wasn't in full swing so it wouldn't be a true picture.
