MarBella Mar-Bella Collection

"We had a lovely holiday. The hotel was lovely. I think the website needs to be updated with better room descriptions and photos because although the rooms look nice, they are much better in real life. All of the staff were very helpful, from check in to check out, they couldn't do enough. The quality of food was very excellent and there was a good variety of dishes on offer. I liked being ablecto scan the qr codevto order drinks wherever I was, it meant that drinks were always served promptly. The rooms were very clean and much bigger than expected, with a very large terrace. Our terrace had 2 sunloungers and a table and 2 chairs. We travelled with my daughter and 3 yr old granddaughter. I was impressed that in addition to cots, they have bed guards, pottys, toilet seats and bathrobes available for young children. The outside seating areas are spacious and well laid out. The results is that the hotel feels spacious and not overcrowded. The gardens are beautiful and well maintained. We didn't have a single negative experience throughout our stay."

"We have just returned from a week's holiday at the MarBella hotel and it was excellent. The hotel colleagues are fantastic and deliver great service. Special mention to Lydia, as she checked us in and then made conversation everytime she saw us during out stay. The superior sea view room was great, and the king size bed was so comfortable. The room was cleaned everyday, and the contents of the mini bar were greatly received. There was always a great choice of food at the buffet restaurant, but the a la carte dinners were amazing. We used our three dinners to eat at Kum Kwat (Asian), Celeste (French), and Kuzina (Italian), and loved the food. Wine can be ordered by the bottle in all the restaurants and there was a good selection to choose from. We never had any issues searching out a sunbed and loved the QR codes that allow you to order food and drinks to your sunbed. They are also really comfortable with a thick mattress. I would recommend having a good walk around the complex as there are so many areas to see. The beach area is great but there are there are steps to negotiate if you don't know which lifts to take. The free towels were plentiful. The hotel colleagues can't do enough for you. The sunrise and sunset was lovely to see. We didn't take advantage of the free boat trip and pedalo due to the weather. We would happy recommend the MarBella for great relaxing holiday with fantastic food and drink."

"We recently spent six nights at MarBella and came away with quite mixed feelings. There is genuinely so much to love about this hotel, particularly the wonderful staff, excellent food and beautiful surroundings. However, a few significant issues really impacted our enjoyment and ultimately mean we wouldn’t return unless they were addressed. Starting with the positives, the staff were absolutely fantastic throughout our stay. From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed. Check-in was smooth, efficient and friendly, with everything explained clearly. This level of service continued throughout our holiday, and we found the team consistently approachable, attentive and happy to help. A particular highlight was the bar service, especially at the Belvedere Bar. The staff here were exceptional. Drinks were generously poured, beautifully prepared and genuinely delicious, always served with a smile and often accompanied by some lovely snacks. It really made a difference and was one of the standout aspects of our stay. The food was another highlight. Both the Italian à la carte restaurant and the international buffet were excellent, with genuinely delicious food that we thoroughly enjoyed. The hotel itself is also stunning. The grounds are beautifully maintained, the outdoor areas look fantastic, and cleanliness throughout the property was excellent. Unfortunately, there were three aspects that really let the experience down. 1. Freezing swimming pools The swimming pools were absolutely freezing. Despite the lovely surroundings, the water was simply too cold for us to comfortably enjoy, meaning we largely avoided the pools throughout our six-night stay. This was particularly disappointing as spending time relaxing by and swimming in the pools is a major part of a resort holiday. We also noticed that the adults-only pool appeared to be very rarely used, with hardly anyone entering the water during our stay. It seemed we weren’t alone in finding the temperature uninviting. 2. A significant wasp problem The biggest issue, however, was the sheer number of wasps around the hotel. This wasn’t an occasional wasp appearing near a drink or plate of food; they were a persistent problem whenever we tried to enjoy food or drinks outdoors. It reached the point where we felt unable to comfortably eat or drink outside without attracting numerous wasps. What made this particularly disappointing was that we couldn’t see any meaningful measures being taken by the hotel to control or deter them. We appreciate that insects are part of being outdoors, particularly in warmer climates, but the scale of the problem felt excessive for a hotel of this standard. As a result, despite the hotel having such beautiful outdoor spaces, we found ourselves choosing to stay indoors rather than enjoying them. That is a real shame, particularly when the outdoor setting is one of the property’s main attractions. 3. Not quite the peaceful atmosphere we’d hoped for Another disappointment was just how many children were staying at the hotel, with screaming and shouting frequently disrupting what we’d hoped would be a relaxing holiday. In fairness, we unfortunately timed our visit badly and hadn’t realised we were booking during the Scottish half-term holidays, so we absolutely accept some responsibility for this! We also appreciate that MarBella is a family-friendly resort and that children are naturally going to be part of the atmosphere. However, the sheer number of children and the noise levels made it difficult to find the peaceful, relaxing environment we’d been hoping for. It’s certainly something worth bearing in mind for couples looking for a quieter getaway, particularly during school holiday periods. Overall This was a frustrating experience because the hotel has so much going for it. The staff are a genuine credit to the business, the food is excellent, the drinks are fantastic, and the property itself is immaculately maintained. However, when the pools are too cold to comfortably use, the outdoor dining and drinking areas are dominated by wasps, and the atmosphere is far busier and noisier than anticipated, it really detracts from the overall holiday experience. Three stars feels fair to us. There were some genuinely excellent aspects of our stay, and we absolutely want to recognise everything the hotel does well. Ultimately, though, we came away feeling disappointed. While we’d be more careful about booking outside school holidays in future, we wouldn’t consider returning unless the pool temperatures and wasp problem were properly addressed. Such a shame, as with these issues resolved, this really could be a fantastic resort."