AluaSun Costa Park

"We stayed at this hotel for seven nights in June as a family, booking three rooms (two doubles and one family room). Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing from the moment we arrived. The family room was nothing like what was advertised online. Instead of proper beds, it had a double bed and a pull-out sofa that simply rested on top of the sofa cushions. It was extremely uncomfortable, with your feet actually raised higher than your head when lying down. We brought this to reception, but unfortunately our concerns weren't taken seriously and no real solution was offered. Check-in was also frustrating. It took three different receptionists to get us checked in, with constant confusion over which room belonged to whom. We were asked to hand over our passports multiple times because they kept mixing them up. It wasn't the best first impression. As someone who works in hospitality myself, I know how important the arrival experience is. Guests should be made to feel welcome and looked after, but sadly that wasn't our experience. One receptionist in particular, a lady with dark hair and glasses, came across as quite abrupt and unhelpful whenever we dealt with her. There were some positives. The restaurant staff were excellent throughout our stay, especially the restaurant manager, who worked incredibly hard and always seemed happy to help. They really are a credit to the hotel and were easily the highlight of our stay. The food was very enjoyable for the first couple of nights. Each evening had a different international theme, which was a nice idea, but after a few days we realised that much of the menu remained the same, with only a handful of specials changing. It became quite repetitive over the course of a week. The bar was another disappointment. Most of the cocktails tasted as though they were made from pre-mixed syrups rather than fresh ingredients, and we struggled to finish them. The only exception was on 22nd June, when the hotel held its San Juan celebration. A mixologist was brought in to make fresh mojitos, and they were excellent—by far the best drinks we had during our stay. Unfortunately, this was just a one-night event, and the quality wasn't reflected in the bar for the rest of the holiday. The swimming pool was a decent size and always busy, creating a lively atmosphere, although finding space could sometimes be difficult. The hotel's location was another downside. It's around 1 km outside Torremolinos and sits at the top of quite a steep hill, making the walk into and back from town more difficult than expected, especially in the heat. The hotel offers a free shuttle bus, but during our stay it was very unreliable. It was often late and on some days it didn't turn up at all, making it difficult to plan trips into town. One thing future guests should be aware of is that if you're travelling during May or June, the hotel hosts large groups of students attending volleyball and football tournaments. While this is obviously outside the hotel's control, there were hundreds of teenagers staying during our visit. Many of them were extremely loud, running through the hotel and making it difficult to relax at times. Overall, this isn't a hotel we would choose to return to. While the restaurant team did an outstanding job, the poor customer service at reception and the issues with our accommodation overshadowed the positives. It's a shame, because with better customer care and more attention to guests' concerns, our experience could have been very different."

"As a single parent travelling with my 7-year-old child, I found AluaSun Costa Park to be a good base overall, with a few positives but also some disappointments. I have never written a TripAdvisor review before, but I wanted to share a balanced and honest perspective to help others considering a stay here. The location is great with regards to distance from the airport, the journey took around 10-15 minutes. Our transfer stopped at the end of the road, followed by a short walk up to the hotel. Check-in was relatively straightforward, although it would have been helpful if reception had explained that our room was in a different block, accessed via the lower ground floor, as it took us a while to find it. I was also confused by the information about pool towels. Reception advised that we couldn’t use our own towels around the pool and that we needed to leave a €10 deposit for hotel towels. However, once at the pool, I noticed plenty of guests using their own towels. We received our deposit back without any issues at the end of our stay, but the advice we were given was misleading. There is nothing to see within short walking distance from the hotel. The free hotel shuttle bus takes you to town and to the beach and we made use of this three times during our stay. Our room was clean, spacious and had a lovely balcony. We overlooked a quieter area rather than the pool, which suited us well, as the evening entertainment runs from 9pm until midnight. The restaurant was good, with plenty of choice, and we didn’t have a bad meal during our stay. The restaurant staff were friendly, efficient and quick to clear tables. The biggest downside was the pool area. It felt far too busy, with too few sunbeds and pools that were consistently overcrowded. Although sun-beds can’t officially be reserved before 10am, people were queuing from around 9:30am, and many beds then sat unused for hours with towels on them. Large groups appeared to reserve multiple sunbeds for each other, making it difficult for other guests to find somewhere to sit. Unfortunately, we also had an unpleasant experience when a couple wrongly accused us of taking their sunbeds. One member of the couple became quite confrontational and raised her voice, despite me being alone with my young child. The beds were unoccupied when we chose them, and the couple then located their belongings by the lifeguard who told them that sun-beds left unattended for more than 30 minutes could be used by other guests. However, this policy didn’t appear to be enforced consistently throughout the day. I completely appreciate that we visited during the height of the summer holidays and expected the hotel to be busy. However, my concern wasn’t simply the number of guests, it was that the pool facilities didn’t seem large enough to accommodate everyone comfortably and safely. As a result, the pool area felt overcrowded for much of the day, making it difficult to find space to swim or relax. The pool bar always had a queue which is something to be mindful off. Overall, the room, restaurant and staff were all good. However, the overcrowded pool area significantly impacted our experience and was the biggest disappointment of our stay. It often felt as though the hotel was operating beyond a comfortable capacity in this area, making it difficult to relax and enjoy. We stayed for four nights, and by the end I was glad it wasn’t any longer. Had we been staying for a full week, I think we would have spent much of our time at the beach rather than using the hotel pool. Despite this, I think this review provides a fair reflection of our experience. There is a lot to like about the hotel, particularly the rooms, restaurant and staff, but I also think it’s important that future guests are aware of how busy the pool area can become, especially during peak season. Unfortunately I would not visit this hotel again."

"We stayed at this hotel for a week all inclusive in mid July and we enjoyed everything about it. The pools were great as they did not open until 10am so no rushing for sunbeds and the pool area was spotless. Entertainment at night was very good with something different each night, kiddie disco at 9 oclock which our granddaughter loved. It was really busy and there was a huge queue for drinks but soft drinks and beer you could serve yourself. Food was very good with something for everyone, always fresh and plentiful. There was a supermarket and clothes/trinket shop in the hotel, very reasonably priced, or there was a supermarket 3 minute walk ourside of the hotel. Not much else around that is walkable but there was a free shuttle bus that went to the town centre and beach. The staff were really nice and accommodating and have no complaints there. I would not have a problem returning to this hotel"