METT Marbella - Estepona — Attraction in Estepona

My fiancé and I stayed at the METT Marbella for 4 nights as part of a complimentary offer through my job as a travel agent and we were blown away. At the time of this review, the property had only been open a few weeks and there were still a few renovations ongoing, a few places that needed patching up, and the Greek restaurant not opening until 2024, but this didn't deter our experience at all.

This used to be an Iberostar property, but the METT has its own unique identity. The vibe is very chic, modern, and sophisticated but with traditional Andalusian touches. The rooms are enormous, clean, and comfortable and we had a huge king-sized bed. The air con facilities were a god-send in the heat! The bathroom was beautiful and the shower was big enough to easily fit four people inside! We were also very grateful that the staff kindly provided us with "Mr and Mr" bathroom amenities, which was a lovely touch as a same-sex couple.

The public areas are beautiful, with lots of polished marble and elegant design. The stairs are a little precarious but there are lifts located around the hotel that make it easier to get around. The lobby is stunning with the enormous olive tree in the middle and the cosy seating areas. The pool is magnificent - the water is a little cold, but it's clean and salty (not chlorine). You are provided with a beach bag and beach towels, so no need to bring your own. There are chill beats throughout the day playing over the speakers, however, sometimes the volume was too loud and became distracting and headache-inducing.

The food all around was wonderful. Azure Beach Bar offers a range of soft and alcoholic beverages with some of the best Asian cuisine I've had (the teriyaki salmon was sublime!). Isola has a lovely range of Italian food for lunch and dinner. The breakfast buffet was amazing - I've never seen such a varied spread of food before! You can eat as much fruit, pastries, and cheese and meat as you like, then order from the a la carte for bacons and eggs etc. However, I was disappointed that one of the waffles on the breakfast menu did not have allergens listed - I am allergic to nuts, and the waffle arrived covered in hazelnuts and praline sauce. This would have been very dangerous if my allergy was more severe!

Location-wise, it's about an hour away from Malaga airport by transfer. The beach is literally outside the hotel with soft golden sand and a little promenade we had frequently walks along.

The staff were exceptional. Everyone was so kind and welcoming, encouraging us to use Spanish where we can which we enjoyed. As a same-sex couple, we weren't treated negatively in any way, which was a great reassurance. Special shout out to Maria who was our waitress for dinner at Isola - she was incredibly sweet and attentive!

Overall, this is a lovely, stylish hotel and I can't wait to see it flourish. Whilst not Adults' Only, it definitely has a more adult-focused feel. With Ikos Andalucia down the road catering for families, I'd say that this is the perfect alternative for couples. Only negatives would be a) label allergens more clearly on the menus, and b) reduce the volume of the poolside music (the bass was...

Visited this beautiful hotel for a long weekend, it's lovely but not 5 star.

Pros: The hotel, rooms and pool area and decorated beautifully and the sunbeds are very comfortable. The beds are huge and very comfortable, we slept very well, and the shower is massive and very strong. There is a nespresso in the room and pods provided. Breakfast is the best I've had in a hotel. Plenty of cold continental food offered buffet style, and then you can order hot dishes off a menu. Definitely one of the best parts of the hotel. The hotel is on the beach so you can see and hear the waves from the pool area and room (when the music is off). There is a free street parking outside the hotel and we did not struggle to find a spot (though we were there in quiet season).

Cons: The room was otherwise fairly basic and a lot of room was taken up by drinks and snacks outside of the mini bar. The cost of these were extortionate so not used, but it made the room feel cluttered. The cleaners didn't do a particularly thorough job, and they forgot to replenish the mugs, cups and coffee pods each day we were there. This got particularly annoying when you returned to the room desperate for a coffee! Service was generally slow around the hotel. Breakfast was extremely busy and it took a while to order and get dirty plates collected. Although there is staff around the pool to take drinks orders, it is difficult to get their attention. They provide a WhatsApp service to give information and take requests and complaints. This could be slow though and no phone number was provided for reception so we could not speak to someone immediately. The indoor spa pool, which charges €25pp to use, was cold and there is no steam room or sauna. The music around the pool is very loud. I understand it is a beach club but it made the experience less relaxing, especially as you could hear it so loudly in the room as well. 500ml glass bottles of water are €5 and there is no other choice for water. We drove to a petrol station and got six 1.5l bottles for €4 instead. We had lunch at the Spanish bar which, like everything else in the hotel, was overpriced and underwhelming. The portions were small and the vegetarian options very limited. It put us off having any other meals at the hotel, as did the restaurant manager taking a complaint at breakfast from a nearby table about how slow the service had been the night before. The hotel is kind if in the middle of nowhere. There are a few restaurants a 20 minute walk away but otherwise you need a car or taxi to take you to Estepona or Puerto Banus.

Overall we had a nice holiday but would not rush back to Mett Marbella.

Edit: I have since been contacted by the hotel asking me to alter my review in exchange for a...

The METT Hotel’s marketing tells you that it is a luxury five star hotel. Whilst you should not expect marketing to allow truth to get in the way, I can tell you that it is nowhere near luxury nor five star.|The rooms are comfortable but rather basic although the staff worked hard to keep the whole hotel clean.|The pool area is very good when the guests are able to enjoy it (more on this later). The sunbeds are very comfortable, however, as soon as you arrive, you are told that there is a “no reserving sunbeds” policy but this policy is never enforced with many sunbeds reserved every day.|The pool area is only a few meters from the beach which is great. The beach sunbeds are also very comfortable and there is a beach bar there. |The main bar, located outside, is OK but service is variable.|The food in the Italian and Greek restaurants is good however, the food and drinks in both the bar and the restaurants are brutally expensive. For example, 0.3L beer at the pool bar is €7 but at the nearby local bars it is €2.70. Likewise, a bottle of wine in the restaurant is €50 upwards whereas in Estepona etc. it is €25-€30. Expect to pay over €150 for a meal for two. We actually found it cheaper, and more enjoyable, to jump in a taxi to Estepona to dine in the evenings. The return taxi fair is €30.|I can recommend the Mezze in the Greek restaurant.|Now for the really bad stuff:|What the hotel fails to mention is the fact that on a Thursday they rent out the sunbeds to external guests as part of their Azure Beach Club (which they omit to tell their paying guests about). They also bring in a DJ that plays very loud dance/rave music that turns the whole pool area into an Ibiza style beach party from noon until almost midnight. |I videoed the pool area and plan to put it on YouTube and/or Facebook for all to see.|This is what Azure Beach has to say on its website:||CHIC THURSDAYS|Azure Beach invites, every Thursday, from 12-3PM all ladies to enjoy a fabulous ladies-only package that includes: a sunbed with prime beach views, curated selection of open bar drinks, delicious food bites to share.||Note: the “sunbed with prime beach views” were the sunbeds that the hotel guests had already paid to use as guests of the hotel. Also, it wasn’t ladies only and it went on until 23:45 when we stayed.|We booked "a luxury five star hotel" because we wanted a high-quality, relaxing and peaceful break. What we got was a good hotel that was vastly overpriced and a Club 18-30s style Ibiza experience.|Unless you are specifically seeking a Club 18-30 Ibiza holiday and don’t want to go to Ibiza, I suggest you ignore the marketing METT puts out and give the METT Hotel in Estepona a...