Portal de la Marina — Local services in Ondara

Visited yesterday 16th July 2020 due to necessity. I am resident here and naturally concerned about covid being brought in by visitors from other parts if Spain and other countries. I was dismayed and surprised at lack of controls of the centre in general and many shops. There was a large desk at the main street entrance with a security guard ensuring everyone was wearing a mask, but I entered via the underground car park. There were 2 bottles of hand sanitizer and a pictorial poster to explain the rules. Very unclear. Attractive and like a cartoon but needs to make it clear what people should do and where. I initially ignored it because I thought it was publicity. Over a dozen entered at the same time and only 3 of us used the hand sanitiser. On the escalator I could see that everyone was avoiding touching the hand rail. Surprised me that nobody checking masks being worn and hands cleaned. MOST but not all of the smaller shops were pretty good. Hand sanitiser at the entrance and staff clearly watching people as they came in, and while they were in the shop. Many were cleaning counters and card machines after each customer use. The larger stores were frankly awful. Lefties, C&A, Carrefour and Deichmann shoes were 4 that stood out for the wrong reasons. Lefties and C&A had run out of sanitiser, at all of them the sanitiser was not obvious. Lefties shoe area had a small notice saying that staff could provide socks for trying shoes - nobody in sight - and 2 boxes of what I imagined were plastic "socks" stuffed into the display shelves. Nobody was using anything when trying footwear. No reminders to socially distance and clients barging past others to look at clothes on the same rails. The self service tills were not being cleaned and half not working. The main tills were short of staff but at least the staff there were using some care but looked uncomfortable about the behaviour of customers in the store even though they couldn't leave their station to do anything. The changing rooms were open for use but with no control on exit and clothes left there taken regularly by staff to reposition in the store. Carrefour seemed to rely on customers having common sense. The shelves were stuffed with products and produce but in a store where a one way system would be easy there was nothing and the aisles relatively narrow. It felt shabby and not really clean. Several cheese and meat products clearly shouldn't have been on display. C&A very quiet but what appeared to be regular customers were not keeping any sort of social distance, hardly any staff visible and counter not wiped after each client. Changing rooms closed and period for return of goods extended to 45 days. I am guessing that this was the main reason that shoppers were not buying there. People don't want to have to go back, they want to buy something to wear that fits, and a high proportion are visiting the area and can't return. Even staff helping people understand the label sizes would help. I bought some blouses as style didn't need a good fit but didn't bother with the trousers or dress that I was looking for as I needed them for functions at the weekend and wouldn't have time to return them before if they didn't fit. Deichmann shoes was a joke. Couldn't see sanitiser on entering and nothing to use to try on shoes. The aisles are very narrow and a one way system definitely necessary. Clients did their best to avoid each other but was impossible. Many trying on shoes looked embarrassed when putting them back on the shelf. Hopeless. If the centre as a whole had a better, more professional system then perhaps the stores would realise their responsibilities. When I have visited in the past the public areas have always been bright and clean but the wide passageways were grubby and the whole place had a run down appearance. The arrows on the floor of the passage were hardly visible so you couldn't blame the visitors for being on the wrong side. Very disappointing. Clients need to be confident that they are as safe as possible. I won't be going back...

Upscale air-conditioned shopping Mall, possibly unique in the area & easy to get to, just off the main coastal highways - - - all with plentiful free parking, including a cavernous underground car park - ideal for those hot or wet days, but beware of high volumes of cars entering on those wet / hot days, when everyone seems to head there for 'something to do' when life on the beach is unsuitable.

Spotlessly clean inside, the main disadvantage is a distinct lack of mid range stores and "Superdrug" type stores.

Possibly also too many high price luxury outlets for the average local populace - - lots of similar clothes /shoe stores, such as may be seen in a large airport: however this is probably due to the high rents required to maintain such a large, high quality, clean and well-maintained Mall.

There is a large "Carrefour" supermarket with a wide range of goods, and a large C&A.

Around the Mall are a number of other shops taking advantage of the strong foot fall, including a Leroy-Merlin DIY, an Aldi and several American-style Fast Food Restaurants.

There is also a Self-service petrol station offering some of the lowest fuel prices around.

There are a number of fast food Restaurants /Cafeterias /Tapas bars etc., spread out throughout the Mall as well as a Cinema showing the latest movie offerings.

The Mall is well provisioned for disabled people to enjoy in almost all areas. Popular with...

This is a great shopping experience for most people and for many years I have enjoyed visiting for girls day out with my two daughters. However, I do feel that now there should be more facilities for disabled, elderly and those of us who have limited mobility. I occasionally have to use a stick but on the whole I am still fairly able. I am really disappointed and upset that there are no seats for those of us who have to take short breaks and are unable to walk around the whole mall without sitting down. All the seating is cordoned off and they have taken the rest seats away from the toilet areas. Yes they have cafeteria seats but why should we have to buy a drink or snack every time we need to sit for a few minutes and thats if we are able to find a seat in one of them anyway which quite often you can't. The larger stores also should have a seating area, shops in UK and all other european countries cater for shoppers with reduced mobility. Those who need to use a stick rather than a wheelchair will obviously need to sit for a few minutes whilst shopping rather than a very long walk to another area of the mall to sit and then have to walk all the way back. It's not fair and it is discriminatory against elderly and those with reduced mobility. We want to...