El Fuerte Marbella

We stayed for 10 days and loved it. Location is perfect - on the beach but with three pools and a short walk to Old Marbella. Staff are friendly and helpful and breakfasts are seriously good. Rooms are tastefully done and spacious. The gym is on the 6th floor and has amazing views over the sea. Would highly recommend this hotel. Big shout out to Emanuele and Lidia - our friendly, smiley faces at breakfast!

Where should I start? I will list all things that happened to us during this horrific stay at El Fuerte in order of seriousness. I will add how the hotel reacted. - Money went missing from my wallet when the purse was left unattended in the room. I had just withdrawn money at the nearby ATM. I took 150€ in three pieces of 50. I went back to the room to change into swimming gears and headed to the pool. I left my purse with the wallet inside unattended on the TV stand. When I came back I found only two pieces of 50. One was gone. The room had been cleaned in the meantime and someone left a sunbed on the balcony. The hotel said they would investigate the matter since they could check the access logs to the room….and they came back with a ridiculous letter stating that all the access were authorized (!!!!!!) - Upon our arrival we were “upgraded” to a room which was cheaper than the one we paid for. When we asked to be allocated to the original room we booked, they told us they were not certain they still had one. We had to insist until finally given the room we booked and paid for. - This room had sunbeds shown in the pictures when we booked. We go to the room there’s only chairs. We request the sunbeds and the hotel staff tells us that it’s not possible to have them without any further explanations. After several calls and complaints one sunbed magically appeared. - It took over 20 minutes to get coffee at breakfast. - I had asked to the staff whether the cleaning of our room could be prioritized when we were leaving for about 2 hours. They agreed. When we came back, the room was unserviced. I called about it and a person named Roberto told me that the cleaning is arranged based on arrivals and departures. When I asked why would they then agree in the first place to my request, the guy replied “mam’ I am hanging up now” and he hung up on me. I have never had such a terrible experience in any of the hotels of the world I have stayed in. All that has happened is beyond outrageous and the only thing I am left with is a wasted weekend. Please do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Literally anywhere else. This hotel should be only shut down.

The best thing about this hotel is the employees . From David at the pool, to Emmanuel for breakfast , the lady also at the bread station , the cleaning lady…. Everyone is so attentive and make your stay special . The decoration is sort of retro chic I loved it!!

This hotel is the best in Marbella! From the second we arrived to the second we checked out, our experience was second to none. This is a true 5 star hotel and is truly exquisite. The staff make the experience extra special. I’ll definitely be returning and will be recommending to friends and family.

My mother, daughter and I had a wonderful time in the El Fuerte Marbella. The decor is amazing down to the smallest detail. When you walk in the door of the hotel there is an air of calmness around you. The staff could not be better, nothing was too much trouble, and the room and food were excellent too. We were given a very spacious side sea view room with a balcony which was nicely shaded. We look forward to returning to this beautiful hotel!

My husband is visually impaired so this review is of the accessibility of this beautiful hotel. The hotel could not have been easier to navigate. From the main road to the entrance of the hotel it is entirely flat - the pavement is signposted by different colours rather than being raised, so also great for people with mobility issues. There are no stairs from the entrance to reception or from there to the terrace and lifts to the bedrooms. There is a ramp to the pools and a lift down to the promenade. The staff are also first class. They would touch my husband’s arm before addressing him and thankfully spoke to him normally - so many people just speak to me. If you have any mobility issues you do not need to have any concerns about this hotel and the expert care of the staff.

The hotel is gorgeous. Our room...we upgraded to a side sea view. The cost, an extra €60 per night. It didn't feel like it was a side view. We could see the pool and the sea. Worth it for us. There is a good hairdryer which I didn't like using as you have to squeeze the handle continuously, I realise this doesn't sound like a problem, but it was just nicer using my own. We decided on bed and breakfast. The breakfast was great. Lots of options for a three course breakfast, if that's what you like on holiday. Sun loungers, comfy and pool service great. Main pool freezing, but fine once you're in! If I had to have a moan...we had a lovely mini bar, which wasn't crazily priced and there was a coffee machine. It would have been a nice touch to have had free coffee or tea but the wee coffee pods were €4 each. They did however give you a free carton of water every day. We ate lunch every day at the sister hotel Amaré because we love it there...it's only a five minute walk away. And we ate out every night. Favourite place we ate, The orange tree in orange square, everything was delicious. La Paloma, my husband loved it. I chose the wrong thing, so can't say there was anything wrong with it, just wast my favourite and very warm sitting inside. We also ate in La Sala in Puerto Banús. Food was nice and it had a great fun atmosphere and entertainment. The top deck looked the nicest place to eat. We were on the front terrace it was lovely too. And lastly the sky bar...breathtaking...a must see. In summary, we will definitely be back.

I cannot say enough good things about our stay here. The staff were so friendly, accommodating and helpful. The room was absolutley stunning. Breakfast was top notch. We had an amazing stay thanks to the wonderful staff and the room. Thank you.