Hotel Best Benalmadena

We checked into The Best Benalmadena on the 8th of July and were initially impressed with the location, the staff and the views.....however on the 2nd day my husband became ill. He had severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea and a fever. He lost 2 days and 2 nights of his holiday. My teenage daughter then fell ill. She became violently sick and just couldn't stop! We ended up having to take her to the hospital in the early hours for help. The reception at the hotel helped call a taxi and gave us a post it note to give to the driver. He seemed genuinely concerned, but not surprised. Whilst in hospital she was given anti sickness drugs, some fluids and electrolytes. She was also prescribed anti sickness tablets. We got back to the hotel at 5am! There's something not right at the hotel. We could hear neighbours being sick and also people at the poolside toilets. We spoke tp a family of 12 and 9 of them had come down with it. We were all inclusive and before they fell ill we had only ate at the hotel. We ended up spending a fortune eating out after they fell sick as we were too scared and they couldn't face eating in the restaurant. Not sure if it's food or a bug but a huge red flag is that there are bottles of sanitizer EVERYWHERE in the hotel. I contacted our travel agent when we were there as at one point I just wanted to be home. They told me to speak to an Easy jet rep at the hotel. There wasn't one! I was advised to go on a live chat where I was then put from pillar to post. We did try to make the most of our holiday and enjoyed parts of it, it's just a shame we lost a good 3 days with illness.

I stayed here with my family in July 2026. The hotel in itself is on the edge of benalmadena and a fair walk from the lively marina but it is within a few minutes walk of a small sandy beach and bars/ restaurants/ supermarkets. The rooms we had were a decent size, each room had two double beds, balcony, and a sea view, though electricity sockets were a bit sparse. The food was ok, breakfast was a bit samey, and the evening meals were a variation on a theme with different theme nights across the week. The pool area was small, and there were plenty of beds and we never had any trouble getting a sunbed/ parasol after breakfast. Points to be aware:

• The hotel charges 3 euros a day for a kettle/tea/coffee in your room
• The maid will come in daily and make the beds, but the bins might be left even when full.
• The pools were treated daily, but the general pool area was a bit neglected with litter and rubbish not being picked up, though tbf lazy people should clean up after themselves too.
• The dining room wasn't the cleanest, on a couple of occasions we went for breakfast and there were chips from the previous nights dinner on the floor.
• There are various reviews about people being ill in this hotel. 3 out of 4 of our party experienced this... it's not fun. We had friends visit in May, they had a similar experience too. Not sure what it was as we ate different things, but there was definitely something in the hotel that made us ill.

Overall we enjoyed our break in benalmadena, but we probably wouldn't come back to this hotel.

Overall, we had an okay stay, but there were a few things that let the hotel down.

The breakfast was good with a decent selection each morning, and the bar food was reasonably priced. There were also plenty of sunbeds available, so we never struggled to find somewhere to relax by the pool.

Unfortunately, the pool itself didn’t seem particularly clean, and the chlorine levels in the jacuzzi felt far too high, making it quite uncomfortable to use.

The room was fairly basic. We booked for four people and were given a room with two double beds, which did the job but felt very standard. We also paid extra for a sea view, only to find that the vast majority of rooms appeared to have one anyway, so it didn’t feel like the upgrade was worthwhile.

Entertainment in the room was limited, with only one English news channel available on the TV. The hair dryer was also quite weak and took a long time to dry hair.

The lifts were another downside – they were very rough and quite unpleasant to use. Service throughout the hotel was also on the slow side, especially during busy periods.

Overall, the hotel has some positives, particularly the breakfast, affordable bar food and availability of sunbeds, but there are definitely areas that could be improved to make the stay feel better value for money.