Hotel El Fenix

Our Members Say

 My girlfriend and I stayed at the 4* Hotel Summa Fenix for one night during a weekend break in Torremolinos in February 2011.

We paid just 24 GBP per night for a double room with no breakfast.

Location

Hotel Summa Fenix is built on a hillside close to Bajondillo Beach.

Due to the shape of the hotel (lopsided is the best word I can think of), the front entrance and reception area of the hotel are at street level in the Old Town, but are actually on the 8th floor of the hotel. From here, it is just a few minutes walk to the popular shopping street of Calle San Miguel and the tapas bars of the Old Town and about 5-10 minutes walk to the train station.

Conversely, the back entrance is on the ground floor of the hotel and is at beach level. A 5 minute walk brings you to the seafront and Bajondillo Beach.

If you are entering the hotel through the back entrance, you have to buzz through to reception and provide your room number before being let in. This deters non-guests from using the hotel as a quick and cheap means of getting from the beach to the hilltop Old Town. Just along from the hotel, a lift (0.50 Euros per person) transports people up to the Old Town, otherwise it's a steep climb on foot.

Bedrooms

As is often the case nowadays, our double room consisted of two single beds pushed together.

There was ample wardrobe space and additional cupboards, a writing desk, a chair and an armchair. The room had a fridge, coffee and tea making facilities and a flat screen TV (with Internet access and satellite TV channels available for an extra charge and a handful of free to air local stations and CNN).

There was a rather effective air-conditioning/heating system which was controlled via a panel on the wall. We used the heating for a while as it did get a little chilly at night.

There was ample lighting and plenty of sockets for recharging phones and camera batteries overnight.

When booking, we were under the impression that all rooms had either a balcony or a terrace. Ours had neither, it just had a window that looked out onto a stairwell. As we were staying only for one night and had no need for a balcony, we didn't bother to mention this to reception.

The bathroom was clean and modern, with a bathtub and shower attachment. We were provided with a couple of towels each and a basket of complimentary toiletries.

All in all the room was more than adequate for our needs and good value for money. I'm not sure I'd rate it as 4*, but it had everything we needed for a one night stay.

Leisure Facilities

The hotel has a swimming pool which is outdoor in the summer months and enclosed in a glass building during the winter months. We enjoyed a late afternoon dip in the pool and it was as warm as bath water. Additionally, the room was very well heated so it was like being in a greenhouse on a sunny day. The pool isn't really big enough to swim lengths in. There is an even smaller, shallow children's pool next to it.

A gym with sauna, steam room and jacuzzi facilities is available for an extra charge but we didn't have time to use them on this occasion.

General

I'm not sure what this hotel is like in the busier summer months, but in February it had a very Spanish feel to it and I got the impression that it caters more to local visitors than overseas tourists.

In fact, we arrived at the hotel just as a coach load of (mainly elderly) Spanish guests were checking in.

Much of the information displayed around reception is in Spanish, while much of the in-room information is also in Spanish with only some of it translated into English, German and French.

The evening entertainment, a cabaret show (which we didn't attend but which was just finishing when we arrived back at the hotel after an evening out) was also aimed at a more mature and local audience.

Things may be more international during the high season, but a large part of me hopes they are not and that the hotel retains its more local atmosphere.

Next to reception there is a seating area and an adjoining outdoor terrace that offers panoramic sea views.

There is an Internet cafe (additional charge, but not sure how much) which we never used.

Breakfast is available for an extra charge (and may be included in some room rates, but wasn't in ours). We peered into the breakfast room as we passed by in the morning and spotted some tasty looking flaky croissants.

A good value hotel in a central location with easy access to both the Old Town and Bajondillo Beach. The off-season price was something of a bargain. We'd happily stay here again if we were in Torremolinos. 

15 members live in Torremolinos