Hard Rock Hotel Marbella – Puerto Banús

I really regret booking this hotel. Cleanliness was poor, rooms were not properly maintained, and the amenities were extremely disappointing. The reception was the worst part — when I came to check in, they treated me as if they just wanted to get rid of me, with no hospitality at all. And when I was checking out, they didn’t even care to ask how my stay was, it was just ‘pay and go’. The service overall was careless and unhelpful. Honestly, the hotel is far below expectations, a complete waste of money, and definitely not worth the price. I would never recommend this place, especially for families.

This hotel does a really good job of capturing the “Hard Rock” vibe so if you’re into that you’ll enjoy your stay at this property. Lots of memorabilia dotted around, great music and some lovely touches around the hotel. We stayed in a deluxe room which was small but furnished to a good standard with a very comfy bed. Bathroom was well equipped and the balcony was a decent size. Jukebox feature on the TV is excellent and allows you to get the party started before you go out or continue it after hours in your room. Having YouTube on the TV is handy too. The pools were good, there’s 2 pretty large ones and they look great during the day and night. The rooftop deck is quite chilled, it has a bar and an infinity pool with beds to suit everyone really, lots of variety so standard cushioned beds and lower body shaped beds. There are several “Bali beds” that come with a 150 Euro minimum spend. Sounds like alot but the food & drink isn’t cheap so can be done relatively easily if you plan to stay at the pool all day and have lunch. The pools are shallow but a good size and the infinity pool offers a brilliant view over the second pool area. The second pool area features a stage and DJ booth at the top of the pool and is louder. The pool parties that Hard Rock offer are held here during the day as well so bear that in mind when selecting your bed. There is an “Eden Cafe” in this area offering burgers and the like during the day and the main “Sessions” restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner too if you book half board. We booked bed & breakfast so didn’t eat dinner at the property. We did have lunch on our first afternoon at the Eden cafe and it was very good. The breakfast offers an excellent selection & its tasty. They also have a musicians playing a different instrument each day on the outdoor terrace which is a nice touch. The bar area in the lobby lacks atmosphere and is a little on the slow side to get a drink. The cocktails are good though and its worthwhile having a drink there, especially if a live band is on. Service at the hotel was very good overall and we very much enjoyed our stay. The bellhops in particular are excellent. They provided us with a “courtesy room” on checkout day (we had a late flight) which was a nice touch after having checked out already and been out all day. The location of the hotel was further out than we thought and required you to either walk through a large, unkept subway or walk down narrow busy roads with several hills. The subway route is best and takes around 15 mins to Porto Banus but is not ideal at night. We had no issues and saw no undesirables but I do think Hard Rock could do more to make that subway more inviting (clean it, add their branding, have music playing etc). I don’t think they own it but perhaps they should take ownership of how it looks at the very least as it could quite easily put some people off staying at the hotel. The “Casino Marbella” is attached to the hotel. It’s a nice Casino but lacks atmosphere. You also need your passport to enter (I had to go back to the room) so bear that in mind too. There is a handy supermarket opposite the hotel that has a great selection of snacks, ice cream, toiletries, booze etc plus it’s really cheap. There’s a lovely little bar called “Park Lane Sports Bar” that is family run and really charming. The drinks are cheap and the people who run it are very friendly. The resident dog “Lolo” is also quite a character and really makes the bar. We also ate at a lovely little Spanish restaurant called “Noto” - the prawns, pizza and service was excellent. There are more luxurious hotels to stay in Marbella and hotels in nicer locations but for a party vibe, good food & drink, strong pool decks and friendly service the Hard Rock is a solid choice.

All in all a good experience. The hotel is typical Hard Rock so if you have stayed with the brand before you know what to expect. The room was small but well appointed and the balcony was overlooking the pool which was a bonus. Lots of pool parties which is entertaining for people watching but slightly annoying when you can’t find a vacant sunbed. Pool area is nice but they need to sort out the towel situation! On some days you are not ‘allowed’ a towel and instead you are given a hideous piece of red material (which stains your clothes) and does NOT dry you after a swim…it’s just really weird. I did complain after the life guard physically removed a towel from underneath me and the management were very helpful in ‘allowing’ me a towel for the day…what’s that all about??!