Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavís Marbella Resort

Our room was in the main building, which has a classic palace-style interior. I heard the annex building offers larger, more modern rooms, so it really depends on personal preference – I thought the main building was great! The outdoors features a golf course. Unfortunately, I know nothing about golf, so I could only watch various 'old money' types playing. The hotel has a very intriguing spa that’s free for guests to use. It's quite dimly lit, with a style that feels like a blend of ancient Roman and Arabian influences. They have various scented steam rooms (salt, lemon, lavender, strawberry, etc.) and saunas at different temperatures. Tucked away at the very back is a super comfortable and relaxing lounge area. Spaniards are so punctual when it comes to knocking off! The spa closed at 8 PM, and they turned off all the lights while we were still showering. We had to change using our phone flashlights. A heads-up would have been nice! We drove here, and hotel parking costs about 20 euros a day, but there's free outdoor parking just 300 meters away, which everyone uses. Breakfast was entirely a 'white people' meal, with an à la carte menu mainly featuring various egg dishes.

A very cozy hotel in a castle that was built only 25 years ago.

As a chain five-star hotel, Anantara consistently maintains high standards, offering welcome drinks and complimentary chocolates a few times. The hotel is surrounded by a large golf course, making it a popular spot for locals to play golf. Being adjacent to a golf club, its main clientele consists of golfing families, which might not be ideal for non-golfers, as the experience would be significantly less enjoyable. The villa area offers the best views. The breakfast buffet is average; guests need to actively order food and drinks à la carte, which can be challenging due to communication skills. Overall, the hotel seems primarily suited for golfers.

The hotel is located on a hill near Marbella, which is a little inconvenient if you don't drive. I checked in during the New Year period. The suite I booked was reserved for a far-away annex building. The room was very beautiful!!! But it was a bit far from all the facilities, and the front desk also reserved a room in the main building, which was much smaller. The breakfast was OK, the swimming pool in the hotel was beautiful, and it was surrounded by a golf course. It's just that the service awareness of the service staff was a little bit poor.

Perfect, will come again next year!