Holiday World Polynesia Hotel — Hotel in Benalmádena

We got back from Hotel Polynesia a week ago. We went as a family of 10, 1 being on crutches! I can honestly say that all the staff on reception went out of their way to help with any problems at all. They organised a wheelchair for my nephew, which was definitely needed as the hotel is really big. I found the beds very hard, so asked for a bed topper (as had seen previous guests had mentioned this as well). When I went back to my room, it was all sorted. They will call taxis for you and just generally be there to help with anything. I found them all really friendly and helpful. The rooms are lovely and really spacious. Everything we needed was in there. Also, the cleaners came in every day and kept it spotless and topped up the shampoos and soaps etc. we couldn’t fault them. They definitely go above and beyond here. We went for a week all inclusive. To start with, the breakfast was by far the best meal of the day with so much choice. All your usual full English bits, lots of fresh fruit and croissants, cakes, various breads, etc. Also, the staff cooked fresh pancakes/waffles each morning which was also really good. Lunch was ok, with again a lot of choice ranging from pizza, pasta and various meats and chips. The salad bar was always plentiful and looked great. The evening meal, which started from 7pm also had lots of choice. I am a fussy eater but always found something. I did find it very repetitive though, which we have found with all inclusive before. Also, like others have said, it was not always particularly hot. It was a shame that the specialty restaurants were not open when we were there as that would have made a nice change. We ended up going out for an Indian/Mexican one night, which was really lovely and made a welcome change from the hotel food. It was only about a 20 minute walk towards Benalmadena. They did 5 courses for 11 euros, which was really good value and tasted lovely. The snack bar was also good at the hotel and kept the kids full in between meals. We also all received a free one hour slot in the spa, which was lovely especially as it was a cloudy and drizzly day when we decided to use it. The water was lovely and warm in there and lots of different jets etc around the pool. It’s a shame that you only get one hour free but I can see why they do that as else it would be packed a lot of the time. They only allow a certain amount of people in there, so it was really relaxing. If you wanted to go in there again, it cost 10euros. You did get a towel and hat to use as well, which was good. The hotel itself, is like others have said, a bit far out but we knew this before we went. One day we went to the big shopping centre at Fuengirola and we paid 14 euro for the normal taxi but my nephew downloaded the app bolt, which does work out cheaper for taxis. That one was just under 12 euros. So I would definitely recommend downloading the app as soon as you get there. The water park is also really lovely, although the water was really cold, which we expected for that time of year. The slides were only working 1 of the days that we were there, which I’m not sure why that was. You can also use your inclusive down there, which made it easier. I’d previously read that you needed to book your food the day before, but we didn’t need to when we there, so that might maybe just in high season. The football pitch is also down at the water park, so our boys would quite often walk down the hill to it from the hotel, which is about a 5-10 minute walk. There is a free shuttle bus which runs every 10 mins if you’d rather not walk. That ran from 11am-7pm. We did this a few times but to be honest most of us preferred to walk down as it wasn’t far. We also went down to the beach, which is right by the water park. If you walk towards Fuengirola about 100 feet, there are steps leading down the beach and you can walk in either directions for miles. All in all we had a lovely holiday and the hotel is beautiful and...

Last year I posted an honest review about a hotel in Lanzarote that the mgt didnt appreciate. Well they should visit this hotel to see how it should be done.

We are still here and don't normally post until home but this hotel is so relaxing, why not.

Reception is stunning and outside of Vegas the best I have seen. It puts you in a great mood before you start your holiday. Trees, fish, water, turtles, birds, bridges. There are lots of photos on this site. The whole area is spotlessly clean. And there must be 12 lifts scattered about.

Check in does take about 15 minutes and not very slick. Yes you pay €25 euros deposit for each wristband because they have a chip inside that opens your door. You get it back at checkout though so pay on card. They take details of a card anyway to cover breakages. Unfortunately this is my biggest problem with the hotel, they tell you nothing, except restaurant is floor -1 and bar is floor -2.

This would become a frustration later.

We had a suite sea facing (043). Well worth paying the little extra, and half board as we are not big drinkers. The sun is on the large terrace 9am to 7pm. The highlight is the hot tub, on 24 hours a day as there is no info on how to work it. Not a problem just turn some knobs and press some buttons. The terrace is huge with chairs, table and loungers. A sperate bedroom with very large beds pushed together. More storage than I have ever seen in a hotel room. The sofa turns into a small double for children. A small kitchen with hob, full size fridge, kettle and toaster. However no starter pack eg washing up liquid, cloth, plug for the basin. Bathroom is massive with 2 basins, bath, toilet, seperate shower, beeday. Tiled fully and again very clean and yes storage for toiletries. No info though on AC, hob, hood, just more switches to work out.

Pool area has 2 lifeguards who were observing everything and did spring into action when a toddler was struggling. Well done guys. Plenty of sunbeds no saving with towels here,  but hope they have lots more coming for August.

Now the buffet restaurant. The restaurant manager stands in the middle and conducts his orchestra. Very very slick. The staff work very hard especially the team leaders in each section. It was like theatre watching them in action, from mgt to cleaners, always moving yet interacting with customers. When a small girl dropped a plate and broke it she burst into tears. 2 waitresses and a chef were there in a flash, apart from clearing the mess they showed her now to do flamenco dancing cheering her up again. A pleasure to watch. The food is amazing and what you would expect from a 4* hotel. Salad and fruit bars amazing even a real honeycomb for honey. Lots of meats, pastas, kids area for burgers etc, potatoes and chips every evening. The only improvement I would recommend is more vegetables please.

The snack bar is larger than some buffets I have seen. WOW. However even half board guests eat the occasional snack, putting a sign out "for All Inclusive Guests Only" not very welcoming, if you are happy to pay.

I have learnt over 2 days by pestering reception: all about the app, the area, the safe, pool towels, local shops, daily entertainment, restaurant theme night, shuttle bus down the hill, charging to the room. Why do you not tell customers when they check in ???? Or have information in the room. I still don't know about upgrading but not offered at anyway.

Now the area. Yes it is part of a massive gated complex between benalmàdena and Fuengirola. 20 minutes walk to local shops and restaurants but you know that before booking right ?? and the walk along the beach is really nice.

All the staff are super friendly, cleaners great, but the lack of information is the difference between 4 and 5 star review. Easily fixed !!!

I have never been to a hotel twice but this may be...

August 2025 - We stayed in holiday world Polynesia and from start to finish had a brilliant time.

We had concerns after reading mixed reviews but can say we would definitely come back.

FOOD The food was delicious! Maeva buffet provides plenty of choices and always being topped up when running low.

There is a omelette bar for breakfast time which was the kids favourite and also themed nights for food. Good variety with the kids trying from octopus, prawns, swordfish, tuna, veal, langoustine. The desserts you could skip as they fail to deliver, however the kids filled their boots, sampling everything.

All inclusive guests can have their breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Maeva… We spoke to a few people who thought the pool side bar was the lunch (it’s for snacks between meals should you like).

Staff throughout were very efficient and nothing was too much trouble. There wasn’t any fuss over spilling or dropping things, no fuss or judgement over food waste or kids having donuts for breakfast etc.

I can only imagine there is a massive team hidden behind the scenes working away, they appear to have separate entrances for the back of house staff to prepare.

CLEANING Most days staff had been in and made up beds etc. they were very efficient. There are carts in the hallway, if you’re running low on towel or loo roll etc, it was handy to mention and exchange them when passing.

The communal areas were spotless! This hotel is massive and there was always someone quietly sweeping or cleaning glass panels in one wing or floor.

ACCOMMODATION The rooms were spacious, good bathroom with double sinks, separate bath and shower, spacious balcony.

The common areas are all very nice and fancy, however our room was starting to become tired… (small issues like shower silicone leaking, 3 light bulbs blown mouldy grout, cracked shower tray and a few other general maintenance issues).

You can overlook given the amount of time you’re in the room however given the price and ratings of the accommodation I would expect the maintenance team to be fully on top of this and have picked it up in routine inspections so that the front of house standards meet the room standards.

A few reviews had complained about the beds. The main bedroom is fine, the pull out couch in living is on the hard side, so for young kids it’s fine but older ones tended to complain. We rotated.

The rooms have blackout blinds which are a great help to create a dark space.

Air con noise is something you’re aware off but not an issue as you’d rather have it than be without! Run it before bed time and shut it off, this was enough to get us through until morning. The front cover removes to turn the fan down and there are timing settings that I didn’t get around to using.

Our room was in a very quiet wing and not once did we hear any disturbance!

The seaview rooms overlooking the pool would have sun hitting the balcony most of the day so be weary of that when booking if you don’t like the heat.

We had no sign of ants or bed bugs etc in balconies or inside - keep the doors closed during the day…. We found if you’re out at night at some of the shows, you got the odd bite but we weren’t aware of them until the next day and something the hotel can’t be blamed for. Try some anti insect wipes.

ALL INC - EXTRAS Some reviews stated you need to pay extra for everything which wasn’t the case. When you arrive they ask for €25 pp deposit for your wristbands, these are access for your door, going for food etc and entry at the main gate if you leave the complex. This is fully released once upon checkout. It never came out of our account, it was only held on reserve!

The all inclusive covers most drinks & spirts like Smirnoff or Malibu etc. There are jugs of strong cocktails at the bars, usual mixers...