Jet Set Girl Chillaxes at the Not-Quite Five-Star Don Carlos Resort in Marbella

Where: Carretera De Cadiz Km 192 5, Marbella, Spain, 29600

July 10, 2008 at 4:45 PM | 1 Comment

We now present you with our VIP Hotel Reviewer Series in which we hand-pick experts in the travel and media worlds and beyond to tell us what are their favorite hotels and why. Once a week, we'll feature a hotel review from said VIPs about their favorite leisure or business hotels. Pay attention: These VIPs are experts at what they do and they don't mess around when it comes to their hotels.

Our next VIP reviewer is Kimberly Murgatroyd, the pretty young thing behind My Jet Set Life blog. Her motto is "Excuses are over. It's time to live." And indeed she does. Here she gives us her insider take on the Don Carlos Resort in Spain. Enjoy.

For my husband and I, deciding to spend a few weeks enjoying Spain's sunny Costa del Sol was easy, however deciding where to stay wasn't. There are some great hotels in Marbella, although I found that the Don Carlos Leisure Resort & Spa was the perfect place to park my jet set suitcase for a few weeks.

During our stay, the hotel celebrated their new five-star rating with a large party in the hotel's gardens. However, I think the rating was a little ambitious considering the check-in process and staff is average. They also don't have a concierge, and getting help with local restaurants, directions and things to do seems more three-star than five-star.

On the positive side, the amenities such as Molten Brown bath products, large spacious rooms, great balcony views, onsite car rental, water sports, Sunball Tennis Academy and a spectacular golf course only a few minutes away certainly merit the rating.

The Don Carlos recently went under a multi-million dollar modern makeover (which should have included painting the exterior with a nice crisp white) that gives the guest the feeling that they're in an exclusive, hip resort, however the hipness of the décor does feel contrived.

Maybe it's because the hotel doesn't seem have a specific target demographic. The crowd in this hotel is split between trendy 20-30-somethings that spend their days soaking the sun and partying at the adjacent Nikki Beach, European families that enjoy the spa & sport amenities and then there is the random conference attendees.

In the evening, the lobby bar turns into what I can only describe as a "drunken American music karaoke bar", filled with 40-50-somethings singing as if they were the next American Idol (skip the embarrassment and the bar all together).

One thing working in hotel's favor is location, location, location. The hotel is less than thirty miles from the Malaga's International Airport and only minutes to the jet-set city centers of Marbella and Puerto Banús. What sold me on this hotel is that it's within walking distance to the famed Nikki Beach Marbella, which makes sipping Rosé with the Glitterati simple (Sunday at Nikki is not to be missed!).

With the euro conversion killing American travel in Europe, the Don Carlos makes a European summer vacation affordable with rooms starting at €208 for a superior and €500 for a villa per night.

Breakfast can be included, but with the late night partying of the Costa del Sol, you'll probably miss it, just as we did!

Would we return to the Don Carlos? Yes, without a doubt, not because we were blown away, but because it offered the perfect beachfront location, great amenities, reasonable cost, modern décor, good service and accessibility to Nikki Beach. This hotel has so much potential; with just a few tweaks it could be amazing!

Check out where our other VIP Hotel Reviewers have stayed.

Tags: VIP Hotel Reviewer Series / Kimberly Murgatroyd / Marbella Hotels / Costa Del Sol Hotels / Hotel Nightlife

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