Ocean House Hotel was a mixed bag of experience. We'll start with the good: Location is excellent - near the beach and the bars and restaurants of Benalmadena. The entertainment/leisure team at the hotel were brilliant. We experienced the aqua dance, the aqua spinning (bike in the pool) and the kids club. All were brilliant and the team of staff were very friendly. The atmosphere at the hotel was lovely and relaxed. Most staff were very friendly and curteous. Entertainment in the afternoon and evening was good with a varied set of music each night. The breakfast buffet was good with a great selection. We went early (around 8.30am) as it got very busy by about 9.30am. The bedroom was cleaned well every day and the hotel cleanliness is very good. The not so good: The hotel has a very strict rule about reserving sunbeds with towels. Any towels placed on sunbeds before 10.45am without anyone sitting with them would be taken off. Also if any sunbeds were left unattend for about an hour - they would be given a card to state that if they don't return soon that again the towels and belongings would be taken by the Pool Guard. The reason for the strict allowance for the sunbeds is because there is a maximum of 300 sunbeds in the whole hotel. This doesn't cover half of the guests. There is a serious shortage of sunbeds and essentially space for sunbeds at the hotel. The main pool also is not very big. We also paid for half board - and the evening buffet meal was exactly the same for every evening. This was poor. Had we known this we would not have paid for half board. Also if you purchased drinks at the hotel bar you were not allowed to take the drinks into the restaurant for your evening meal. This was ridiculous and it was merely a way of the hotel to try and make you purchase more drinks with your food. Would I visit again?.. maybe when out of season.. but certainly not on half board.

I have stayed in Ocean House many times and had just learnt that it was taken over by Grupotel. It was however first time I stayed half board. Never again. The food was inedible!! The lunch food at the playa bar was lovely. Just don’t go near the restaurant ! I had read bad reviews about the food but didn’t take it on board u til I found out for myself!! Hotel could do with some TLC especially the bedrooms. Maybe that is Grupotels intention or the reason Melia got out!

Booked a couple of days here before heading into Malaga thinking it would be a nice quiet hotel to chill out. How wrong did I get this!! I ended up only staying one night and checked out loosing the second night as it was prepaid. I often stay in a Melia hotel but received an email just before my staying advising that the hotel had been taken over by Grupotel. The hotel was nothing like what I expected, it has large blocks some overlooking the pool the others facing themselves. The large main pool is very busy with exercise classes in the morning, unless you are early you might struggle to get a bed, they do not allow you to reserve beds and if you leave them for any length of time they will remove your belongings, which i think is a good thing. Breakfast was reasonably good with a good, well stocked choice. At night, its very very noisy, the noise from the neighbouring bars was loud, I was on my own and looking for a quiet time (take earplugs). Rooms were adequate but pretty basic. Overall a very dissapointing experience and just not what I was expecting. Had a far better time in Malaga city!!