We stayed here in September 2007 in a mini-suite with outside hot tub on the ground floor. The room was a decent size and the bed was comfy, but there was a rather annoying emergency light that you couldn't turn off. Didn't think the extra for the hot tub was worth it, it had a weird smell and no view.
The location was nice looking over the beach and sea, with a good pool. It's a short walk round the coast to the next beach which is a wide white expanse with good beach bars to get tapas.
The restaurant was very expensive, I ordered a prawn dish and got literally 5 prawns which for €20, seemed extremely tight. On the next beach, you get a huge dish of chipirones for about €5. Didn't really rate the breakfast either, the fruit was not ripe, which is ridiculous in Andalucia.
They also had live music until well past midnight, making it impossible to get an early night.
The service was fine, although having a lot of Brits & Irish working there gives it a bit of a cliquey, club 18-30 atmosphere.
I had a good massage, but the indoor pool in the spa area was very cold - calling it a spa is a bit of an exaggeration.
On the whole, I think this is a good hotel if you want to be surrounded by Brits and are into drinking and dancing at nights. But if you want peace and quiet and something a bit more Spanish, I would chose somewhere else.

Stayed here recently for one night was ok just used hotel as a base as we eat elsewhere. Found the bed very uncomfortable ... as it had a mattress protector which was like plastic underneath which is horrible and reminded me of hospital bed situation and the pillows were really had and solid too ...have thing about comfortable pillows and prior to this stayed in El Fuerte, Marbella and their pillows are truely to die for ..breakfast ok but not suberb ... just stayed one night but have eaten there before and found restaurant to be very expensive compared to local places equally good food at half the price.

We've just returned from a stay at El Oceano and while the location is good, practically on the sea, with a nice outdoor pool and a small indoor pool, good hairdresser and massage therapist (at least the girls I had were good) I was disappointed with other aspects.
The room we had was a front mini suite and although the room was large and nicely furnished, it by no means should be called a suite, in my mind compared to other hotels I've stayed at it's just a very large double room - they had a kingsize bed and a small table and 2 armchairs (okay they were leather!), with a small writing desk, much like other standard rooms I've stayed in, with of course all the usual other amenities like tv, etc. Usually suite means they have a couch and coffee table... Different to other hotels in Spain, they did have tea/coffee making facilities but I guess this is down to the influence of the English owners.
The restaurant has a lovely ambience and the tables are nicely set. The food was nice but to me some of the dishes were overpriced for the portion size - we ate in some of the local restaurants nearby and paid one third of the price in some cases for food that tasted just as good.
Also our room was over the restaurant and especially at the weekend they have VERY loud live entertainment - so loud that even with earplugs in I could still hear the singer. Normally I don't mind this but on this particular occasion I had a migraine and needed to sleep but couldn't because of the noise. I don't expect to fork out so much money for a room in a 4* hotel only to be kept awake because of poor soundproofing.
Also despite being there for 5 nights our bedsheets weren't changed once and the floors weren't ever hoovered either - this is not what I expect for a supposed luxury hotel. I've stayed in 2* hotels that were much cleaner.

This is the second time we have visited El Oceano having enjoyed our stay here last year. This time was no disappointment either. The staff bend over backwards to make sure you have the best vacation. We had an ocean front mini suite which was roomy, clean and lacked for nothing in terms of amenities. We used the spa, the hairdresser, the pools and enjoyed walks around the area (La Cala is 20 - 30 minutes walk and is a very pretty little place). Marbella and Fuengirola can be reached via public transport (buses every 20 minutes) and the bus stop is just a short stroll from the hotel.
The restaurant is excellent and though a little on the expensive side, well worth it for the quality. Sunday lunch is referred to as " an experience" and it most certainly was. Starting around 1 pm with live entertainment which continues by the pool bar, well into the evening.
The staff here really make your stay relaxing and stress free and I think the owner must hand pick them for their courtesy and friendly efficiency. It's not cheap, but it is the best and we'll certainly be back.