We'd originally put together our own package and booked flights to Malaga and accommodation at the Hotel Bali, in Benalmadena Costa. When we arrived at the Bali we were very unhappy with the room and, having stayed there before, knew that it was on the worst end of the building and subject to traffic and kitchen noise. We were told that nothing could be done that night, but in the morning we were offered the option of transferring to another MedPlaya Hotel, the Pez Esapada in Torremolinos, which was a 4-star, whereas the Bali was a 3-star. We were hesitant, because we know Benalmadena and there were people that we wished to visit, but we accepted on the basis that the new hotel was only about 5-10 minutes away by taxi. My wife and were very impressed with the Pez Espada, although our 39-year-old son might have wished for a more lively ambience in the evenings. It was comfortable, very clean, very redolent of an era back in the sixties when it was probably the last word in luxury. The marble staircases were very much a throwback to a more opulent age! The food was top-notch and there was a tremendous variety – so much so that we had to make a conscious effort not to over-indulge every evening. We managed to confront and, by the end of the week, overcome the challenge of buffet-style dining and avoid the unseemly and ungainly waddle away from the dining table having stuffed oneself silly! The hotel is on the beachfront, which is accessed by a private gate. Torremolinos has many attractions and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Pez Espada and considered ourselves fortunate to have been moved from the Bali.
