We stayed at the Holiday Village in Costa del Sol.

The room was not clean, stained setee, dust on and around t.v, dust on shelf on sideboard, dirty windows, the windows where cleaned after we had been there 13 days. Bins not emptied on a regular basis, I think this hotel is o.k for young families.

We are in our 60s and there was nothing for us at all. Entertainment amateurish. Alright for for kids.

A jacket potato is not in the all inclusive.

The hotel is in a bad location. No walks after dinner only along the dual cerrage way. Food so,so, chips with everything.

Re-cap good for the young and children, a no,no for the Saga brigade.

We stayed at holiday village at half term, not what we expected.

Rooms were cleaned every day we went self catering and had all facilities.

We ate twice in the restaurant which was not up to much.

Entertainment same boring bingo every night. Then followed by First Choice cabaret.

Boring if you don't get the weather this place is in the middle of nowhere. Taxis every night to go to other resorts. If you like a walk to shops or beach forget this place because they are well out the way.

Would not go again. Plus there's the added attraction of a dual carridge way right next to holiday village.

We returned from the Holiday Village in October and all I can say is it was fantastic, the best holiday we have ever had!! From the moment we arrived we knew it would be a great holiday. The place was spotless as we were worried after reading recent reviews before we left but we realised while we were there that some people will moan about anything.

We were all inc and I can't find fault with the food at all, there was always plenty to choose from for both adults and kids. Be prepared to put on at least a stone (as my husband did!!!) We tried both the Italian and Mexican restaurants and enjoyed both.

Our room was spotless and cleaned every day. The bathroom is huge with a separate shower and 2 sinks, great for us having 3 kids.

We found the staff very friendly and helpfull and they always made a fuss of kids.

There is plenty to do during the day for adults and kids, I know for us the kids club was a godsend for a couple hours peace by the pool!!

The reps were fantastic and our 8 year old loved them to pieces.

We saved a fortune going all inc especially with the amount of drinks and burgers our kids got through.

The evening entertainment was a laugh and the bingo was fab, I won the house twice totalling 800 euros!! The ent team were fab, Julie is hilarious, Amy and Sammi have fab voices and Luke was just lovely (many of the ladies thought so!!!)

The location of the hotel is a bit far out but it didn't stop us going out and about, there is a bus stop just outside just be prepared to stand as they get very busy!
We didn't visit the beach club often but its all set out lovely looking over the sea.

All in all the hotel provides everything you want from a family holiday and we wouldn't hesitate to return to this hotel and have already recommended it to all our friends!!

Well done First Choice.

We booked this holiday in January 2006 and after reading some of the reviews earlier in the year we was having 2nd thoughts about the choice of hotel.... However a few good reviews started to come in and we are so glad we stuck with it as we had such a good 1st family holiday.

The food was very nice with a large selection of choice for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner so in my opinion even the fussy eater would find something they could eat. I would definately recommend the Italian on site restaurant this was lovely - I prefered this to the Mexican restaurant.

The hotel staff were nice and the reception staff very helpful giving you bus time tables and booking taxis when you required. The clenliness of the hotel could not be faulted there was someone patroling the pool area all the time picking up rubbish for those who could not quite manage to put rubbish in the number of bins jotted around the pool area....

We knew where the hotel was located and that it was away from most things - this did not worry us as there was plenty of busses and taxis available should we have wanted to venture out and do some shopping or site see.

The entertainment was very good and the entertainment team put on great acts every evening. Although I prefered it when it was out side as you could see the whole stage - they moved into the indoor venue in the 2nd week of our visit and the only grumble I would have is that you could not quite see the whole stage and was very noisy, so we then moved to the piano bar once the childrens disco had finished and sat around there.

If you want a nice peaceful holiday with no children runing around playing and screaming etc then do not come here. It is very much a family resort and my daughter loved it espicially the bugs bunny club she made so many friends and had lots of fun.

We will be going back next year.

Having read some dodgy reviews on this site we were starting to feel a little bit of trepidation but a few reviews started to have a positive feel to them.

When we arrived all we could say was WOW hotel is fantastic we were on the 5th floor overlooking the pool and sea it was excellent.

Food was very good and plentiful I came out every night full even on fish night and I don't like fish !! Kids clubs was brilliant my daughter Tia had a fantastic time.

The entertainment team worked really hard and the shows were good we liked bingo bobby what a laugh all in all great holiday.

Go with an open mind some people just complain for something to do, myself and family would be hard pushed to complain about anything at all.

Upon our arrival at the Holiday Village, first impressions seemed that we had booked an efficient and well run hotel. Reception staff were efficient and helpfull and the decore was quite impressive, that was untill we arrived at our room, then things changed for the worse.
The room was a good size, with a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living area and a very large balcony, the cleanliness was absolutly diabolical. There was dirt up the walls from were the mops had been used on the floors, there was no evidence that the floors had ever been swept as dirt had accumulated in every corner. Furniture surfaces had not been wiped down and had at least a months grime on them, glass surfaces were covered in sticky handprints and the table even had the remenents of the last occupiers breakfast on it. The kitchen was disgusting and I had to spend an hour cleaning it, the fridge had mold inside and were food had been spilt I had to chip off with a knife. The kitchen units again were covered in spilt food and were pans had over flowed on the hob the remenents had been left to drip down and solidify on the unit doors. The floor had not been swept and not mopped for some time.

The general cleanliness of the resort was of a very poor standard, the pools lack of maintainance was very clear, infact in the two weeks we were there, it was not untill the last night that we saw someone actually using a jet washer to clean the pool area. Bins were emptied on a once daily basis only, last thing at night, and the days rubbish was allowed to build up, this resulted in the pool areas being used as a giant ashtray and general rubbish such as plastic cups from the bars were littered all over the place.

On one occasion my niece sustained a two inch gash to the bottom of her foot after climbing out of one of the pools at the beach club, upon investigation it was established that a light casing was broken causing glass to be left on the pool floor. She was treated by a life guard and the matter reported to the pool attendent. When we returned to our rooms later on during the day a complaint was lodged with reception, during conversation it transpired that the complaint had not been forwarded to the pool attendant. Again another example of the lack of customer care and disregard to general Health and Safety of the resorts guests.

Hotel staff were far and few between, when we did find a member of staff we found them to be polite, but that was about it, nothing seemed to materialise.


We tried the hotel food once. We booked in to dine in the Italian restaurant, on our arrival we were asked if we were self catering or all inclusive, upon our reply that we were self catering our party was seated at the back of the restaurant out of the way. The food took forty minutes to arrive after we were eventually able to order it, It was cold and very tastless. Not recommended. The prices were very high, especially drinks. A pint of lager cost 3.10 euros at any of the bars within the hotel, but if you dined in any of the restaurants, you could only order lager by the half pint glass and you still paid 3.10 euros. Rip Off.

The evening entertainment was very basic, it was good for the children but was very repetative.


In general if it was not for the company we were with for the two weeks, my wife, daughter and myself would of left within a couple of days. I would not recommend this place to anybody.

We have just returned from 2 weeks at the holiday village. We read some negative reports before we left which is always worrying but, like others, decided to reserve judgement until we got there. Happily, we had a brilliant holiday - we have two 13 year old daughters who are typically hard to impress and even they could not fault it !!

There were lots of children their age and they took part in many of the activities laid on for them - most of which they described as 'cool'. The rest of the time they spent in one of the many swimming pools. I had been worried that they would be bored in the water as there is a 'no inflatables' rule in all the pools at this resort, but it did not seem to bother them. We only really saw them at mealtimes and sometimes not even then. The hotel issues swipe cards to use in restaurants and snack bars so they were able to go to meals with their friends with no boring parents to bother them. I read other reports that described 'gangs' of unruly teenagers wandering around in the evenings but can honestly say that all the ones we saw were really well behaved and enjoying the freedom they could have in such a safe environment. We felt quite ok with letting them stay up til 12:30 without our constant supervision. There were security guards around all the time in the evenings which made us feel they were safe and, I imagine, stopped any trouble which could potentially have started.


The food was really good - 2 of our family are really fussy but they never struggled to find anything they liked. The main restaurant had a different theme each evening and if I was being picky I would say that I wouldn't have been able to tell which night it was if they didn't publish a menu, but it was always nice so who's worried?

We ate once at the Mexican restaurant which was very good but did not get round to trying the Italian. Not sure how they work the bookings at these restaurants but it was not easy to get a table at 8:30. You go to reception before 11:00 am to make a reservation and several times we were told that the restaurants were fully booked but in the evenings there seemed to be loads of empty tables.

All inclusive ends at 1:00am and you have to pay for drinks after this - we did not realise this but only managed to stay up this late once so did not do too much damage.

The entertainment was good - better than some places I have stayed at. As one review has already mentioned, it's not the West End but they do try really hard.

We did not go on any trips but did go on the bus to Fuengerola and Torremelenos. Was 1.20 euros each way to Torremelenos and 1.50 to Fuengerola (which was not as far so this seems a bit strange.) The buses were every half hour and on time. We wanted to go the Tuesday market in Fuengerola and the bus we had waited to catch was completely full. While we were deciding whether to go back into the hotel to wait half an hour for the next one, a back up bus arrived so I would advise anyone to wait as they obviously lay on more buses on busy market days.

We had some trouble with our shower leaking and flooding the marble floors - bit of a death trap. The hotel dealt with it promptly and, when it turned out it could not be easily fixed, arranged for us to be upgraded to a suite - in truth this was not much different in size from the room we had left but had bath robes, slippers, coffee machine, a dvd player and the most fantastic view. The main thing was that we did not have to jump up and down to get something done - the hotel offered.

I would recommend anyone with children to visit this hotel - only spoke to one couple who were there on their own - it's definately a place for families.

We returned from the Holiday Village yesterday, much to our disappointment.. we would have stayed for another week given the chance!

After reading many of the reviews placed by others on this website, I am honestly wondering exactly what people are expecting. The brochures clearly state that this is a family orientated hotel with something for children to do at most times of the day, yet some people complain about the amount of children around-these individuals should research their holiday a little better and choose an adult only hotel!

Again, the brochures give a pretty accurate description of the hotel location, it's true-there's really nothing to either side of the hotel, at least within walking distance. Yet people still complain about this! If you want a hotel in a resort centre-choose one that says it's in the resort centre !!

Seems logical to me...but there you go.

Anyway, back to our holiday.

As we entered the hotel, our mouths were agape! The first impression is fantastic with a really impressive foyer, I knew we were in for a good time.

We had requested a low floor,(which we usually do, but don't usually get), we got a room on the ground floor, which I was really pleased with.

The reception staff were always helpful, checking us in efficiently and assisting with other things like booking taxis.

I have to say that I was very impressed with the First Choice Representatives-there was somebody on hand to speak to in reception until 9pm every day, and an emergency number supplied for anything after that time.

We found the food to be very good, breakfast was more or less the same each day with cereal, cooked breakfasts, fruit, pastries and one of the chefs cooking omelettes to order (ask for this to be well done if you want one, mine was very runny in the middle and put me right off).

Lunch was buffet in the beach club, we had some very good meals there. You could also get snacks such as toasties, pizza and chips in the snackbar at the main hotel.
Dinner was in the main restaurant. We always found something tasty to eat there.

You can also book to go to the Italian and Mexican restaurants once a week.

Many guests were complaining that they couldn't get tables there, but it's quite easy if you book the day before you want to go. We did this on 3 occasions and got a table at the time we wanted. The Mexican was not that good, even though we really like Mexican food, so we only went once. The Italian on the other hand, was delicious, clean plates all round. we couldn't wait to go back a second time.

I have read reports that have mentioned the cleanliness of the pool area. We could not fault this at all, there was one particular lady who emptied the bin near us at least five times in one day and was constantly walking around picking up rubbish.

For the people who complained about this, if the mess you have mentioned was around you-maybe it was you who left the mess!

It's a simple matter of putting your own rubbish in the plentiful bins supplied.

The maids were in our room every day, they have a system there for towels and linen-if you want your towles replacing, you put your dirty ones in the bath, if you want clean linen you place a card on your bed requesting this, ours were always done exactly as we asked them to be. The room could have been swept a little better maybe, but with a dustpan and brush in the room, it takes a second to do yourself.

We couldn't fault the First Choice entertainment team-they were fan-flipping-tastic! Julie is hilarious with her larger than life personality (don't you change!) Amy and Sammi are great performers with fabulous voices. Luke is just so talented (the mums love him, including me!) Jenna and Angus have only been there for a month and are doing so well,(you can move Jenna!) There is honestly something for everyone (as long as you're not miserable), from Crowsfeet Island for the kids, to games with Champagneish to win. From typical Spanish shows supplied by the hotel, to fantastic performances put on by the entertainment team.

Oh and the bingo- but don't let this put you off! They only play one line and one house and the kids can play too. On average the line was worth 80 euros and the house about 700! I won the house in our second week and came away with 642 euros, I was so happy! Look out for Bingo Bobby, he's an absolute star, they should make t-shirts with his picture on!

Truthfully, if you want to have a good holiday with loads to do, if you are up for a good laugh, and if you know how to enjoy yourself- go to the holiday village. If you are none of the above or you are miserable, don't book to go there, find a holiday company which deals with boring holidays for boring people... We will be going back there, maybe not next year, but soon.

Thanks for a great holiday First Choice.

Just returned from the Holiday Village and we all had a fantastic time. We have been on several all inclusive deals in the past and this is by far the best by a long way.

The food was great,loads of choice and restraunts. Alcohol actually did have an effest unlike some other holidays we have been on.

The Beach Club is fantastic with great pools.

I personally cannot understand why some people have rated the food etc as poor. If you have booked to go here you will not be dissapointed as we could not fault this hotel in any way.

We stayed at this hotel for 14 nights on an all inclusive basis.

The food was good in all the restaurants especially the italian and the mexican(very little choice in the mexican if like our daughter you are vegetarian)The children enjoyed the icecream tubs which were included and there were no limit to how many they had.

The all inclusive drinks were very generous and the local brands when added to soft drinks were absolutly adequate.The choice at breakfast was excellent from continental right through to english with proper pork sausages!!

The hotel rooms were large with a great bathroom with double sink and seperate shower.2 double beds ment that we had a proper bedroom and could keep the lounge seperate.We had a 5th floor room with an excellent view of the main pool and the sea. The room was cleaned every day and always had fresh towels. The air-con was welcomed especially at night as we had wonderful days of 34 degrees.

The location of the hotel was a little far out but we knew this when we booked so were prepared for a walk or the use of the local buses or taxis.The local bus ran every 30 mins and only cost 1 euro 5 each to both the local resorts.To be honest at the end of 14 nights even when there is local shops around you get sick of saying 'which way left or right?'

The hotel staff were very good always cheerful and polite,even when some of the guests were rude to them. I observed one breakfast a guest shouting at on of the waitors'ey you,3 cups' no please or thankyou. These type of comments occurred quite frequently.

To be honest we didn't watch the entertainment as we prefered a quiet drink. we chose not to have our evening meal sometimes until 8.45 pm as it was so noisy and busy until that sort of time.

our two children aged 14 and 11 made friends so chose not to use the club they said it wasn't 'cool'but the younger children seemed to enjoy themselves.

Just one word of warning there were lots of unsupervised teenagers walking about and in large gangs. The language from both the girls and the boys were not desirable.

Playing football in the hotel is not allowed but that didn't stop a boy kicking it at my husbands head whilst we were sitting in the main reception. The reps were having some sort of staff meeting and found what the boy did highly amusing.

If you want a sunbed and canopy forget it around the main pool after 8.30am and wait until the beach club opens at 10am.I got up quite early and could see people from our balcony going down in there nightclothes to reserve beds.

The hotel was very clean and the cleaners were always mopping up and tidying away but to be honest if people cleaned up after themselves and i mean simply putting there cups and rubbish in the bin then it would have been alot cleaner.

Our children would love to go back to this hotel but as an adult I would have to say probably no.