A very pleasant Hotel, in a very pleasant location, with very pleasant staff.

I have just returned from 6 days there, and overall I was pleased with the experience.

The Hotel is in a fantastic location atop a hill, about 1 mile inland from the N340, and slightly more from the sea. Be aware, this is a gruelling walk, and you need to be fit!

The views from my pool facing room were superb. On the clearest days, I could see all the way to Gibraltar and even North Africa. The views of the beautifully kept gardens and large azure blue pool were equally pleasing. And then there were the golf courses, but I wasn’t there for that.

The downside to the location, is that to get a taxi to Estepona or Puerto Banus is about €15 each way, which soon begins to add up. I would recommend a hire car if you stay here.

The hotel has a circular bar on the 7th floor, which gives even more amazing views.

I stayed on a B&B basis, but on one night I paid €21 for the hotel buffet. The food was pretty good, including fresh calamaris romana and loads of salad. The accompanying bottle of rosada wine was €11. I also had a couple of lunch time snacks, including a sizeable and very tasty club sandwich for €8.50.

There is a parade of shops at the bottom of the hill, with all you need, including cash points and several restaurants of average quality which serve reasonable food, but are not a special treat.

The rooms were spacious, with a large balcony, and ducted air conditioning which did not seem to be working when we were there. It was only early season, so I hope this is why. I needed the window open, because otherwise it was too warm. The beds were comfy.

The best thing about this hotel (apart from the views) was lying in the gardens during the day. It was mostly quiet, with birds tweeting, lush grass, roses and palms, and the pool was a good temperature. A very relaxing environment.

I reckon this hotel must have been one of the first large upmarket hotels built in this area, and there is a sense of a bygone era about it, but in a nice way. It is widely used by the Spanish, which is always a good sign, and on 2 consecutive days we had Spanish families gathering for a communion party (I think).

The electronic key swipe failed twice, which was very irritating, since it meant being locked out while I waited for the repair man. The staff did there best, but it was obvious that what was required was a new battery. They should not allow this to happen.

One other point is that after the bar closes at 1.30am, that’s it! None of the vending machines were operational, but they were there, just empty and switched off. Again, I presume this is because we were just coming out of the low season. So get water, cigs, toblerone or crisps etc during the day!

As ever, whether it will suit you will depend on your personal preferences and how much you pay.

Overall, I liked it a lot, mainly due to the gardens, the pool, the peace, the views and the friendly helpful nature of the staff. I would go back.

I really can't see how there are so many positive reviews for this hotel. This was our fifth year staying here but we only booked it again because we got a really good price including 3 games of golf. Maybe we should have been worried!

This was definitely the last time we will stay here. The standards of the hotel have changed significantly since we first stayed here. The decor hasn't been kept up to date. The carpets are dirty and stained. The bed covers smell which makes me think they aren't washed between guests. The bedrooms smell of stale smoke. The breakfasts are cold and birds fly around the breakfast room, often landing on uneaten food left on tables. The indoor pool and conservatory were too cold to lie in. The outside of the hotel is in dire need of repair. We couldn't really comment on staff as there weren't many of them around.

So all in all, I could only recommend anyone stay in this hotel if you need something relatively cheap (£70 per room per night) and you aren't going to spend much time in the hotel.

The nearby RAMOS restaurant was as excellent as ever.

Arrived at the El Paraiso after flying from the UK on Hurricane Monday,no problems but im glad we were not landing in the UK !
Hotel is isolated so a car is essential and beware on the main coastal road as its a death trap,only one speed and thats FAST.
Awkward roads where you have to go out of your way to turn and come back on yourself,not pleasant driving out there.
Hotel is set among the hills and a very nice location.
Decor is dark wood and mirrors which we found a bit dated but nice.
Room spacious and a huge balcony with the best view we have ever had,a panoramic view of the mountains and valleys,really lovely.
Sadly the hillsides have been raped by the property developers and ugly buildings which are a blot on the landscape are everywhere.
I was annoyed to find the curtain in the room ripped,for gods sake management get your act together in a 4 star hotel,we dont want to see this sort of thing.
The staff are all polite and friendly,gardens are mature with lovely trees and very pleasant.Big pool and a nice indoor one with jacuzzi.
We had lovely warm weather and it was peaceful sunbathing in the garden,birds singing and you could hear a pin drop.Bliss.
That was until the usual inconsiderates came along with their big mouths to ruin the peace.
Breakfast is taken in a large room with great views to the hills and gardens,but its like eating in an aviary as birds get in and they are bobbing about,and bird droppings on the chairs.
Not hygeinic at all.
Big problem with the food,its edible but just not warm enough.
Beans,bacon etc all cold,which made for an unpleasant meal.
The management need to get their act together to keep the food warm.
Same in the evenings,lovely dining room but the food wasnt warm.Cold chips etc,everything not hot enough.
Very good attentive service from waiters.
We had to keep reminding ourselves we were in Spain as the hotel seems to have a lot of German guests,loud,noisy and usual bad manners.Solarium naturist deck on 4th floor advertised on hotels webpage but when we went to look it was in a state of disrepair,flooring all taken up and a mess.We asked why and was told its not used anymore.Pity as with a bit of TLC it would be nice to use.

We enjoyed our stay here and despite the food etc it was relaxing and very good value.

I stayed at the Hotel el Paraiso for 4 nights at the end of April 2007. We arrived on a monday and left on a friday. Although the hotel is a good bit of a drive away from the airport in Malaga, the drive isnt too bad at all. The hotel seems to be set in a quiet area and is located beside a golf course. The rooms are spacious and the bathrooms are clean. The cleaners were in every day leaving fresh towels etc. The decor in the room was nice. The pool was lovely, and the gardens were very well kept. There is a bar downstairs that serves drinks and snacks, which can also be taken outside. The staff were friendly. Overall, I would say that i would give my stay in this hotel 8/10. I am docking two marks because of how far away the hotel is from everything.