On my trips to Marbella, I've stayed in different areas of town but the town is quite compact, so…read moreit's not really a major inconvenience you do stay Senator Marbella Spa Hotel caught my eye with its outstanding leisure facilities and the hotel were running a special deal allowing hotel guests to use the extensive spa for free. Ever one with an eye for a bargain, I snapped up a room here for my recent trip The main hassle is that it is located a little out of town compared to some other hotels but nothing unmanageable. Its location is a little confusing on Google Maps where it is placed incorrectly - it is literally next door to the Palacio de Congresos exhibition centre. It took me 20 minutes to walk downhill to the hotel from Marbella bus station It's a 5 minute stroll down to the beach and within 5 minutes of walking along the pleasantly tarmaced beachside walk, you'll hit the strip of restaurants and retail shops which will line your whole path right up into town. Taking this scenic route means you'll take about 25-30 minutes to get to the Old Town area but taking the direct walk on the main road will probably get you there in 20 minutes. The best beach area is at the end closer to the Senator hotel. The town end becomes quite pebbly. There are lots of areas with static umbrellas for hire if it's too hot and I do like the provision of public showers at the beach The Senator is classed as 4 star and the large spacious rooms and public areas do reflect the little bit of luxury associated with a higher class hotel. There was free cold water and juice available in the public lounge The bedrooms come with a little balcony but there's no seaview, being a little inland. Perhaps dealing with shortcomings mentioned in reviews on another review website, there's now air conditioning as well as a ceiling fan in the room. Free wifi is also available in all bedrooms though I was a little disappointed to find that the basic (ie slower) wifi was free but a premium (ie paid) option promised faster speeds. It wasn't unusable but was certanly frustrating at times Perhaps my favourite feature of the hotel was the rooftop pool and hot tubs. There was a fantastic view of the sea and mountains and I spent a very pleasant afternoon on my deckchair soaking up some rays The spa area was a little odd - common changing room for both sexes with no obvious private cubicles for changing in. However, the facilities were amazing. Large pool with multiple hot tubs, various massage jet options, steam rooms (clothed and ahem continental style), an ice room and plunge pools. The spa area is very big and I also whiled away some hours down here The breakfast option is worth paying extra for. There's a large selection of cold meats, fresh fruit (I ate a lot of watermelon and pineapple!), cereals, yoghurts, bread and croissants. They also cook bacon, eggs and omelettes to order. A good start to the day The other reason I stayed at this end of town is that it was very close to the Melia Don Pepe hotel, which housed Calima, a restaurant where I ate my second favourite meal ever Currently my favourite hotel in Marbella until I rob a bank to get enough money to stay at the Melia Don Pepe!

This place is dirty and falling apart. Hairs (not mine) were all over the bathtub. Door was…read morebroken. They forgot to clean my room one of the days. They say there is free wifi, but it barely ever works. To top it off, the air conditioning broke one night and it was 28deg C in the room. They wouldn't do anything about it - their solution was "sleep with the door open". They wouldn't provide any compensation for the lost night of sleep - in fact, the manager refused to discuss it. Stay at your own risk. It's really not worth it!