Hotel Los Monteros SPA & Golf Resort 5GL — Hotel in Marbella

Let me start the review with the good. I should also mention that this is my first time in a "5-star resort" but I have previously been in a few 4-star resorts.

The hotel itself seemed nice and cozy. It's built right next to the highway so access to and from is very convenient. It also sits next to a racket ball club and what I believe are summer beach villas, so the neighborhood is upscale as well. There is security that walks the parking lot and a gated entry point. I also had no particular complaints as to the the decor, style and deluxe room layout. There are two restaurants and a bar inside the resort as well as a spa that we did not get the chance to visit. The Spa and Beach Club (only open on weekends), are not included in the price, at least they weren't with our deluxe room. Not a big deal, but we did get two complimentary glasses of champagne on our first night.

The highlight of the resort, is their breakfast, which has a lovely spread of eggs, lox, sausages, chorizo, and bacon. There is also a large section of just cheese and meats alone as well as pastries. It's not as exquisite as the 4-star Sunsuri in Phuket, Thailand but they had champagne and that alone is worth me getting up for breakfast whilst on vacation.

Now that all good is out of the way, let's go over what made me give this resort 2 out of 5 stars.

1. Service & Attitude - At no point in time, did I feel like were staying at a 5-star resort. No one in the lobby, short of the woman who checked us in, ever greeted us. The security guard and entry gate attendants were actually more polite and courteous than the actual resort workers. Any time I visited the front desk or asked for some assistance. I was met with resistance, attitude, and a smug-ness, as if I did not know what I was talking about or asking for. There was an instance where I wanted to notify my wife to come down to the lobby as I was waiting for her, and the front desk person just handed me the entire phone to dial myself.

2. Internet Speed and Unstable Connections - I rely on YouTube for a part of my income and even while on vacation, we need to make uploads to our social media. I am aware and prepared for slow internet connections, especially in foreign countries, but I expected at the very least, a stable connection in a "5-star resort." This was not the case, I was barely able to upload because the internet was unstable, consistently kicking us off without warning and every time it would reconnect, it would require a log in process. I'm not asking for blistering fast internet speeds, just stable internet. This is Marbella, Spain, not Afghanistan. I was able to get more stable internet at the local supermarket. This caused anxiety and distress during what should've been a relaxed vacation.

3. Parking - This is a big problem, because the hotel shares a parking lot with the racket ball health club, and very often, during the day, the parking spaces fill up quickly and you are unable to find a spot unless you were already there from the night before. This second part may seem a bit arrogant, but being at a 5-star resort, you expect sort of special treatment. During our stay, I rented a few sports cars, each of them were in excess of 120,000 Euros. I don't mind parking in the lot, but it was full to the brim and there were plenty of openings in front of the lobby. I asked the front desk if I could park my rather expensive sports car in front (after all, what 5-star resort doesn't want fancy sports cars in their reception area?). But no, the guy at the desk was rude and forced me to park in this tiny spot, quite far from the hotel, and the car stuck out into the driving lane, being at risk of damage. I only needed to park it for less than an hour, yet they made it a very difficult situation for me and my pregnant wife.

4. The Gym - I like to keep in shape even when I am on vacation. The fitness center here is a joke.

Bottom line - Don't stay here if you are actually looking for a luxury resort. Look elsewhere or spend a few extra bucks for a better...

I can truly say we do love this Hotel,... Here we are back for a weeks stay as a Birthday treat ... Havivg been spoiled during our stay in April for our Anniversary. I can say I do see a difference under new ownweship but will put it down to teething problems for now.... I admit to having a soft spot for the Los Monteros as in my younger days I worked for Aer Lingus Holidays as controller of the Costa Del Sol and we used the Los Monteros & Don Carlos Hotel as our cholce of 5 Star Hotels for clients, hence my choice for the Los Monteros. It was always my favourite....Yes it's been here for a long time & yes the rooms are starting to reach the stage of refurbishment as happens with all hotels, but the location & Beach ||Club La Cabane are second to none..... The staff at this Hotel are absolutely amazing and can't do enough for you... from cleaning to Bar, Reception & Restaurant especially Xavier who immediately remembered & welcomed us back as did others.... I would make a point of reference that could either be taken on board or ignored and I do realise that the Hospitality industry has particularly suffered these past few years... To date any other 5 Star rated Hotels .... in deed any Hotel we have stayed in still at least afford their clients a Bowel of fruit & water in their room... The water being replenished every day as it is classed as a basic need not a room service request .... I do hope the the new ownwers realise the value of their existing staff and also acknowledge everyone can continue to improve through training.... I look forward to returning in the future to see the magnificent upgrade changes the new owners make, one of which if I could suggest is to take the Jacuzzi baths out of the rooms & replace with a nice normal Bath... less maintaince issues and more hygienic ... less roblems all round. As I've already said I hope to always continue to champion the wonderfu; Los Monteros.... PS we tried to book again for April 2023 on line but could not... and have been advised by staff that the...

Nice swimming pool (although very cold) and garden area. Breakfast is also quite good. We have been here before about 25 - 30 years ago and feel like this place has had its best years already.

Our room is really old fashioned. Two stairways in the room also make it quite cumbersome to move around. It wasn't properly cleaned when we arrived but the issue was resolved fast by the reception. Bedroom windows can't be opened at night because the ventilation system in too loud. The bathroom looks just as outdated as the room itself.

The pool's towel system where you have to give them a card in order to receive a single towel is also very strange. We could not find the towel guy so we had to take them back to our room. Also disappointing that no one came around to ask if we wanted anything to drink.

The fitness room is super small and not really worth using.

We also had to pay everything on arrival. I have been to a couple of 5 star hotels and this is the first time I was asked to pay in advance.

What annoyed me the most though was the price for airport transportation. They charged about 150 euros for one way transportation to the hotel. The drive is only 30 minutes. Because we had to wait 50 minutes for their "shuttle service" to arrive, I went around and ask for taxi prices. A giant taxi enough to carry our 4 suitcases and 3 golf bags would have cost 85 euros. The car that actually arrived to get us was much smaller and our bags barely fit in. So essentially we paid almost twice the price for a 50 minute late shuttle service with a worse car. All other shuttle services from other 5 star hotels so far were free or at least much cheaper than the...