Booked via EASYJET Holidays. Great value from the UK. the hotel is right in the middle of what is known as "The Golf Coast" I had read, somewhere, a bad review and consider I owe it to the hotel to put right.

4* hotel, rooms great value for money. free safe. good buffet breakfast which includes bacon and eggs. I am not a golfer but recommend it to golfers. A car is essential, as night life immediately near the hotel is zero. however we travelled to Puerto Banus by taxi each night, return fare approx£14 0r $28, well worth it. more than enough restaurants to choose from.

The hotel is right next to a golf course and the hotel can arrange rounds there or at other clubs. Plenty to see in the aria, Gibraltar is only a 45 minute drive away.

A word of advice, Spanish airports have now gone overboard on security
and it can take ages to get through, so get there 3 hours before, especially if flying EASYJET as they line everyone up in the same queue, Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester, Stansted, time runs out fast, and
they do not move you to a separate, last minute queue, until it is practically too late

My wife and I were booked into the Barcelo by "Golf in Spain" which also included a package of golf courses. We ended up staying four nights and played at three golf courses.

The hotel is adjacent to the two excellent golf courses at Guadalmina, which makes it very convenient for golfers since you can walk to the clubhouse from the hotel.

During our stay, there were a lot of non-golfers at the hotel including those at a conference and Spaniards taking advantage of the three-day Columbus weekend.

The front desk service was friendly and helpful, particularly Susana who gave us good recommendations and spoke excellent English. The room was large and very well-equipped. It had a nice balcony which, in our case, opened on the street side which had traffic noise. We used the balcony extensively but I would request a poolside room if one is available.

The pool was large and very nice, though unheated. The adjacent spa was also unheated which made it unusable, in our opinion. The beach chairs were fairly cheap and broke easily.

Breakfast was extensive and we had the option of eating outside (which we did if we did not have to eat early) on the terrace which was very nice. Dinner was a fairly unapealing buffet.

There are some very good and fairly inexpensive restaurants in the adjacent town of San Pedro. We walked to these on two evenings, but it's a pretty long walk (about 25 minutes) and drove one night. There does not seem to be anything closer. The hotel was pretty far away from the Mediterranean as well, but it could be accessed on foot (probably about a 30-40 minute walk). It definitely helps to have a car.

Overall, we had a very good experience and would recommend the hotel to others.

I stayed at the Barcelo Marbella Golf with a group of six friends. Having read glowing reviews of this hotel we were badly disappointed. It's fine if you are a golfer, ie out first thing in the morning and not having to use any of the hotel facilities, including the evening dinner which was a very reptitious buffet and staff very thin on the ground.

The restaurant lacked atmosphere because it was empty most nights. However, the breakfast was fairly good, ie lots of choice. The pool facilities were not only dangerous in my (and others) opinion, having witnessed at least four people slipping on the algae, but also the water was not clean. The management were aware of the problems but did nothing to ensure the safety of the pool area. At least 60 per cent of the sun beds were broken and most hadn't been cleaned. Pool toilets were a disgrace. No poolside service for drinks etc.

The biggest compliment I can pay this hotel was Susana and Sophie on Reception and the Dutch waiter in the restaurant, all of whom gave excellent service. The rest of the staff were tired and off-hand.

With no evening entertainment provided, the isolated location of the hotel could be a problem. Also, amazingly, the hotel bar did not serve glasses of medium or dry white wine - we had to buy a bottle every time! So we will not be returning to the Hotel Barcelo Marbella Golf.

You do need a car when staying at this hotel as it isnt near any local amenitites. 10 minute car ride to Puerto Banus.
Excellent breakfast buffet. All staff were efficient and friendly.
Pretty pool area. Could do with a few more somebeds out though as there is a lot of space for them to fit more in.
Would go back to this hotel if visiting Marbella again.