Pez Espada

Wow,wow,wow. What a beautiful hotel. Just got back from a short break at this lovely hotel. Hotel is stunning, beautifully decorated in the public areas with some really nice art pieces of stars from the 50’s and 60’s that have stayed there. We booked a ‘gold’ suite and it was worth every penny. Met at reception by Asma who took us on a tour of the main parts of the hotel before showing us to our suite, and wow the room did not disappoint. Massive room with gigantic bed, sofa, arm chair, Nespresso machine plus a kettle and mini fridge with soft drinks in. Best bit……. spa bath/hot tub on the balcony!!!! All of the hotel, especially the room, was spotlessly clean and the staff work so hard to maintain this. Having a suite gave you access to the gold lounge and garden area. Lounge had snacks and hot/cold drinks all day and the garden was beautiful with lots of day beds and loungers with its own access to the promenade. We hired bikes for a few days to get out and about. 2 blocks down heading west on the promenade in the grounds of La Barracuda Hotel, great bike hire and top quality bikes. Right opposite the hotel Mosquito Bar, great spot for a jug of Sangria on the beach after a busy day. Food was lovely at both breakfast and dinner with plenty of choice to suit everyone. Did we enjoy staying here - YES, would we recommend -YES, would we return - ABSOLUTELY. . Thank you Pez Espada for a lovely break in the spring sunshine.

Bad Bits. We paid to upgrade our room to a superior with side sea view, we was given a room in the old block tucked in the corner on a lower floor, a terrible location with literally no view unless you lean out and limited sunshine hours, its a lottery as to if you get a decent room or not and would not have paid a premium for this room. The room had been refurbed to an ok standard but with issues that shouldn't have been overlooked, the flooring was split and slightly raised to the point the wife hurt her foot on it, its right in the middle of the floor and unavoidable , the plaster wall had cracking around the frames, the shower seals dirty, the fridge actually warmed thing's up and no English speaking channels working on the tv. My advise is do not pay to upgrade your room before you go, do it when you land you can negotiate for a better room in the new block as pictured on the advertisments. The main pool and kids was only open from 11am-5pm then a barrier placed around it. The hotel was packed out and the weather was 28 degrees, I was told it wasn't peak season so the lifeguard only worked limited hours, yet the prices are peak prices, also the shower around the pool had notices to not use and conserve water. I met with friends from other hotels who had all the showers running and pool open literally all daylight hours, the Pez was the only hotel to be running on limited hours. The gym equipment is tired and the main machine is a tangled mess of snapped bully cords and wheels and does not work. No afternoon snacks or drinks by the pool, again I was told too early in the season, although the weather was fantastic and the hotel was almost full Meal times are very bland and and freshly cooked, meets, eggs on the grill station are done it seems as slowly as possible, People just got fed up of waiting and this I think was purely to conserve the amount of product consumed. Evening meals do not include and drinks, even water is charged to your room. Frank Sinatra is great singer, but after hearing the same record coming out of the speakers everywhere in the hotel for a full week, it drive you crazy. You can't even escape to the pool because it's most likely shut. The atmosphere around the hotel was non existent and felt like the film "Cocoon" Good Bits Exceptionally clean around the hotel, most of the food is fresh although not topped up or replaced quick enough, good friendly staff, Location is the best. Despite all of the above we adapted and still managed to enjoy our holiday to the Costa Del Sol. Would I return? No there are better hotels a stones throw away from the Pez.

The Pez Espada-Swordfish, is an iconic hotel and to my taste, does exactly what it says it will do. I always come in February, it was my late mums birthday. Only for a quick week as I will return in May for longer. My room was as always well appointed, spotlessly clean and gave me great comfort. Both in the physical sense, comfy bed, psychologically wonderful memories of my beloved, much missed late husband. The staff who I consider family remain kind, compassionate and helpful. Always there if I need them. The Reception team are very kind, led by Manolo. The Restaurant by Angle, Luis and all the amazing, hard working staff. The food is always a subjective matter. Personally I have never failed to find something to my liking. The Head chef Sebas and his team work extremely hard. They will always try and help. Just ask. I speak highly of Laura guest services who goes above and beyond. I am so looking forward to seeing everyone at my choice of a second home. Thank you all for everything.

We enjoyed our stay at the Pez Espada and were lucky with some nice weather for April. The hotel was very clean and had a nice atmosphere to it. The staff were friendly and professional. We stayed in a superior room that was spacious and well worth the extra we paid. The food was ok, and I appreciate that it must be difficult to cater for all tastes. We appreciated the nightly entertainment on offer despite it not being the hight of the season. The hotel is accessible for people with disabilities. There is a gate at the back of the hotel that leads directly onto the promenade.

Currently here at pez espada as we needed a much needed break, first off I have to say the hotel is spotless and all the staff are lovely and work very very hard BUT the food is awful, there is very very little choice, if you aren’t a meat eater you only have salad cheese or chips to choose from, there is very little choice from the desserts as well, and, the standard is very very poor, there are plenty of restaurants around so you can eat out although for me personally this goes against the grain, the food is also lukewarm, I have recently read similar reviews about the Riviera which is another MedPlaya hotel tonight I met a couple who were returning guests and they too felt the same and had noticed a decline, I don’t want to upset anyone who is about to come here, but just be prepared on the plus side there is an Aldi on the top main road at least you can get something to eat there sorry Medplaya but will never return to any of your hotels, we are booked to come back to the riviera at the end of May, but will be cancelling as soon as I get home