Hotel Florida

My wife and I have been going to Fuengirola every November for 9 years now. After an initial dalliance with the Florida’s sister hotel (the Yaramar) we decided to try the Florida and have stayed there every November since then. Our recent visit (6th to 20th November) was our eighth and we are already looking forward to returning next November. The hotel is obviously doing something right because we, and loads of others, would not be returning year after year and giving it such good reviews. Having said that, I can understand why someone staying at the Florida for the first time might wonder what all the fuss is about. Its rooms, in particular, could do with some refurbishment. In our most recent room (superior room 1102) there was a very careworn and stained chair, the wood veneered top of a unit had been extensively damaged by dripping hot water from the kettle and the wood veneer at the bottom of the unit housing the mini bar was also heavily damaged. So there clearly is an element of people like us accepting the not so good. But that is because such things are heavily outweighed by the good. All reviews can only really be subjective, but for US the positive things are as follows: Location: central. A few steps from the long flat promenade. Close to train and bus stations. Loads of shops, bars and restaurants close by Food: excellent. In all the years we have stayed there we have never had an upset stomach. New this year was cava at breakfast Ambience: relaxed Staff: friendly Free facilities: safe; empty mini bar/chiller; strong wifi in room; 32 inch internet TV with over 50 English speaking channels Cleanliness: very good Virtually child free: while not an adult only hotel it is not geared up for children so rarely any there when we stay Lifts: good Entertainment: OK. Could be better advertised, particularly things before or taking place between the headline act. But you need to get there early if you want a good seat! Value for money: good Consistent: you basically know what you are going to get year after year This year we felt the room servicing was a bit inconsistent. It might be because we asked if our room could be serviced every day by Noon. While they did that, it may be that on big changeover days it had to be rushed to meet our request. We also had a problem with our TV that they did not resolve. On the main English speaking channels (at least) the picture and sound kept freezing for a few seconds every 2 to 3 minutes. Occasionally it froze completely requiring the TV to be turned off and back on. It made the TV virtually unwatchable. We did report it twice, and we know someone came to the room, but they did not fix it. May be reception did not understand the issue (a language problem?) or the TV man did not spend long enough for him to see this intermittent problem. It was a shame because the hotel had clearly uprated their TV offering from previous years (satellite and a handful of British channels) and the picture quality (in between it freezing) was great! One final thing worth mentioning. For the first time we had a room (1102) with a double bed. We did not know they had such rooms because before we have always had two singles pushed together. It did not bother us but it could be important to others. So if it is important to you make sure you tell the hotel either before you arrive or when checking in.

We have just returned home from a fabulous 10 nights at the Hotel Florida Spa. There isn't anything that we could fault. We had a lovely sea view from our very comfortable room on the second floor. The food was varied, tasty, and always piping hot. Entertainment every night if you prefer to stay in the hotel rather than sample the numerous nearby bars, with 2-4-1 drinks. The staff are an absolute credit to the hotel. I don't think I have witnessed such friendly, helpful staff who seem so happy in their jobs and obviously work together as a team so well. Finally, a big thank you to the restaurant staff for the delicious birthday cake for my husband's birthday, such a lovely gesture.