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Advantages: A unique and quaint hotel... Disadvantages: Lacking a few mod-cons...
We stayed in this hotel for a few days while on a little tour of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, including visits to Cancun (don't bother), Playa del Carmen & Cozumel (much better) and the amazing ancient Mayan ruins at Uxmal, Chitzen Itza and Tulum. (I'll try and get round to reviewing all these later...)
We arrived by taxi from Merida airport (a short journey), having flown in from Cancun, where we had arrived in Mexico the day before, and were delighed with what we found, a massive improvement of the brash touristy-ness of Cancun !
The Casa del Balam Hotel was formerly the family home of Fernando Barbachano Peon, pioneer of Mexican tourism. A blend of Mexican tiles, terracotta and wrought iron, it has a small pool in a walled courtyand, complete with a stone carved fountain and tropical plants, a restaurant and bar, along ...
Advantages: everything about the place is an advantage. Disadvantages: the non smoking policy (for some)
There is also a coach available from right outside the hotel which will take you on the coastal tour along the very impressive Costa del Sol front. Most of the attractions and coach tours can be booked from within the hotel but you can also just go to the bus stop spur of the moment and catch the coach and pay at the doors of all these attractions.
Back to the hotel itself and on to the cost. Obviously I booked this as most people would as a package holiday; it was booked through Thomas cook and cost £725 all inclusive per adult for a fortnight. That was the cost the last time I visited which was just over 2 years ago now, whilst not the cheapest holiday available it was no where near the most expensive and was worth every penny in my view.
Torremolinos is a beautiful place but I have heard many a nightmare story of accommodations ...
Advantages: Friendly town with lots to do, a lovely holiday. Disadvantages: If you steer clear of the 'English Bars' there are none
COSTA DEL SOL
Benalmadea Costa,
I'm afraid I was always a bit of a 'travel snob' regarding the Costa del Sol. I envisaged the types of scene in TV's Benadorm, a type of Blackpool with sun.
As members of a vacation club ( it was then Sunterra now Diamon Resorts) we had the opportunity for a weeks break for relatively few points at the Sahara Sunset in Benalmadea Costa, as we could get Easy Jet airfairs to Malaga for a very low price we decided to try it.
We have been three times more since then - so needless to say I was not disappointed.
Benalmadena is only 15 kilometers from Malaga Airport, car hire is easily obtainable but it is only 25 euros for a taxi from the airport and there are plenty of excursions and good public transport available in the resort. It is set on the Costa del Sol between ...
