TUI SUNEO Globales Cortijo Blanco

We are nearly at the end of our 2 week stay at Cortijo Blanco so I thought I’d pop a review here for anyone who has never visited before. We came here based on a recommendation from friends who have stayed multiple times. Some of the trip advisor reviews can be off putting so I came with an open mind and under no illusion that I’d booked a 3 star hotel (I’ve had a couple of bad experiences at 3 stars in the past). First and foremost this is one of the best 3 star hotels I have stayed in and we will very likely return! It is more than worth the 3 star price for a family holiday. I will give my honest review below so people can make their own decision before booking. The hotel: when you are first dropped off here you will be dropped on the main road and directed to walk down the little side road to the hotel. We had be pre warned of this so I knew what to expect, but if you were new & had none warning, you would be forgiven for thinking ‘what the heck’ when you get here. it’s less than a minute walk to the hotel from the main road (a few seconds at that) and it’s purely because the coach wouldn’t be able to get down the side road that the hotel sits on, so my advice is ‘don’t panic’. We had a new TUI rep so I imagine a more experienced one would likely explain it as I just have, but just in case I thought I’d pop that info here! The only feedback I’d give the hotel from my first experience is that depending on who is at reception will depend on how well you are directed to your room. The hotel is small but it’s still unfamiliar to new people and sometimes new guests can be seen wandering around looking for rooms that weren’t well directed. You do get given a map but if you aren’t familiar with the hotel you can still struggle. What I will say on this matter though is that there’s always a guest here that is willing to help you find your room. If you look lost, you will likely have a friendly guest approach you and offer to help! The hotel is a lovely small hotel so newbies soon get familiar with the place. There are also many returning guests at this hotel and they tend to go out their way to help new guests. So if you need directions ask anyone that looks tanned and they will be able to help you!! On the subject of it being a small hotel - that is what appealed to me. Everything is in close proximity which is ideal for my family needs. I was placed in the Granada block and I can honestly say I couldn’t have been placed in a better location for my family needs. I can see the main pool from my front door and the entertainment area from my balcony. There is no lift in the Granada block though so if you are unable to carry your case up a flight of stairs I would request that you are placed on the ground floor of this block or in the alternative 3 story block that has a lift! It was no problem for us though but again it’s handy to know prior to your arrival. I believe you can email to hotel before your arrival with special requirements if things like this will be a problem! My next point is that this is a family hotel: if you don’t like the noise that comes from being in a family hotel, children running around and bumping into you, getting splashed in the pool, a highly enthusiastic entertainment team and a wind down for bar to be closed by midnight then it’s not the hotel for you. This hotel caters to families. You cannot fault the cleaning and maintenance staff here, they are constantly cleaning the grounds. And the grounds look beautiful. I know of guests on the ground floor that have had issues with ants but as with any building that has a ground floor ants will always find their way in to look for food and crumbs. I’ve also seen the hotels response to people who have raised ant issues and you can’t fault it. One guest had the maintenance guy come out and fill every gap he could see before fumigating the whole room and they have not had a problem since. I’ve seen a couple of ants in my first floor room over the 2 week period, but I also don’t go a day at home in the summer without seeing a ant or two trying to find their way in. It’s their nature. I have seen one cockroach in my room since being here but that was on a morning after I’d mistakenly left my bathroom window open over night so it likely took it chance and got in through the window! You cannot expect to visit a hotel in this climate and not see bugs that’s an unrealistic expectation. Your rooms are cleaned daily and the room staff work extremely hard. On change over days you will not likely have your room cleaned until the afternoon as they are busy trying to turn around rooms for new guests so if you need something for your room I’d approach reception on those days. If you have any issues with your room either reception or cleaning staff will get it sorted for you! Pools & sunbeds: The first week we were here there were a couple of issues with getting a sunbed, but speaking to returning guests - this is a highly unusual situation for this hotel (which is plentiful stocked with beds). And our second week has been a completely different experience. I think the first week was a combination of the calibre of guests who were reserving beds they weren’t using until late into the afternoon, and the fact the hotel was at full capacity. This second week however I have not seen or experienced this issue at all. Do people reserve beds - Yes. But it is not a stupid sunbeds war situation whereby people are running for beds because here there are so many available to use. People tend to reserve a bed and go for breakfast then be back at the pool just as it opens. But there’s still been spare beds available at lunch time this week. There are also 3 different pools (all equipped with copious amounts of beds) so I believe our initial experience in the first week was a one off and not the norm! The only feedback I would give the hotel is to invest in some more umbrellas if they are able to. There are a lot of umbrellas granted (more than most hotels) but with the summer heat the way it is, families with children seek shade and the umbrellas are much needed. When the hotel is at capacity it’s the umbrellas that the guests are trying to secure by reserving beds. If there were more umbrellas I don’t think people would even bother reserving beds at all as there are enough beds for everyone!!! We haven’t had an issue securing an umbrella though and on the one day we did there were plenty of areas with shade you could move your sunbed to. The staff: I’ve seen complaints on trip advisor about the staff. I must say I don’t agree. Are the staff permanently friendly and over enthusiastic 100% of the time - No. Are you yourself friendly and over enthusiastic all of the time - Also No. The staff here work extremely hard in a very busy and demanding environment. 99% of the time they are inviting, friendly, polite and greet you with a smile. There are occasions that you will come across a staff member who is not so friendly, but in a business this size and this busy I can imagine it is a stressful environment to work in. The Spanish way of communicating is very direct and when translating Spanish terminology to English, the way in which Spanish communicate could be perceived as rude by native English speakers (it’s one of the hardest parts get your head around when learning the language). So let’s give the staff a break if they do not communicate in the way that the English expect - you are in Spain they will interpret and speak English based off the way they speak in their own language (the direct and to the point way - which is not perceived as rude in Spain). The same way they know if you’re a Spanish speaking English person because the way you communicate and interpret is not direct and far too polite 😂 Once the staff get to know you they go out of their way to greet you with a smile and some friendly chatter when they can!! But just remember that their job is to get you served and out the way as quickly as possible so the good old English queue doesn’t get too long!!!! They don’t have time for friendly chatter when they are busy!!! Whilst on the subject of staff - a little tip goes a long way and tips are highly appreciated by the staff!! The food: this is the area I see most of the debate about online. for me personally I think the food is great and based on the fact this is a 3 star hotel it’s the best food selections I’ve come across in a 3 star. There is plenty of choice of food and the fresh fruit and salad is amazing. Again I think you need to remember you are not in England and therefore you will not be getting the full English breakfast that you get in Wetherspoons or a fish and chip supper. But if you can’t find something to eat in the restaurant or snack bar then I’m afraid you will struggle in any 3 star hotel. This hotels food far trumps your usual 3 star hotel. The restaurant experience is highly dependent on the time you go - if you go to the restaurant in peak periods you will inevitably queue for food and it will be a less relaxing experience. If you go in the quieter times it’s lovely and chilled with no queue. Breakfast before 9am will be in an almost empty restaurant with plenty of room. After 9 you will be waiting for food to be replenished and standing in queues to get it. It’s the same in the evening you either go early or late if you want a relaxing experience! Food will only cook at one rate and it doesn’t cook quicker during busy periods but that doesn’t stop the incredibly hard working chefs from trying to anticipate the rush and get the food cooked and replenished quickly! My view on the food here is that it far exceeds a 3 star hotel rating. The drinks: standard all inclusive drinks, water is accessible to help yourself too as well as a selection of hot and cold drinks. many bring reusable cups to fill with water. The cup/token system I think is great! You are given a token on arrival that you exchange for a drink and to get another drink you take your cup back to the bar and exchange it for a new drink/cup. You can then exchange your cup for a token when you’ve finished wanting drinks. I like this system because it prevents hundreds of cups lying around the hotel grounds, saves staff having to constantly pick up cups that have been left and also prevents wasps and bugs because there’s no unused cups lying around!!! It keeps the hotel grounds clean and tidy and also stops people ordering multiple drinks and not drinking them. I’m a fan of this system!! Some prefer to use a reusable cup of their own and the bar staff will happily fill your own cup if you have one! The entertainment: the entertainment is exactly what you’d expect for a family hotel. The animation team work extremely hard to keep the children entertained and happy. They also work hard to include adult guest into the entertainment schedule. Evening entertainment starts around 8pm with children’s disco, that is followed by bingo every night with very generous payouts!! Bingo is paid for in cash and that cash goes into making up the prize pot which is paid out instantly. It’s a big hit with most guests at the hotel. Following bingo you will have an outside entertainer singers, magician, acts, karaoke, animation nights - it’s varies and variety is good. Variety will also not please everyone all of the time but again you can’t knock the entertainment. The entertainment ends around 11pm and then theres a quiet hour until the bar closes at midnight. This is perfect for a family hotel!!! Overall we have had a great time, I highly recommend this place for families with children and we will likely be returning guest as many others before me!!!

First time here, family of 4 (2 adults, 11 year old and 7 year old) and won’t be the last! We had the best time, the staff were amazing and worked non stop all day and night, entertaining the children and adults! We had no issues with cleanliness at all, rooms cleaned everyday if we wanted. We stayed in a room between the main pool and the entertainment area, and I was so surprised of how quiet it was at night! Food and drink selection was absolutely fine, lovely selection available, and drinks available all day. My daughter had icecream for brekkie if she wanted! Location fab.. 45 mins transfer (we was first drop) and there is a bus to many of the neighbouring towns.. you are given a list of what markets are on and when. 25 mins walk to puerto Banús, which you can then take a flyblue boat round to Marbs. Miss it already and will be back next year and cannot wait!!

This was the second time we'd been here and to be honest, it has lost it's charm. The strengths it had the first time was still there, like the entertainment, the animation and the location. But like before, the negatives were even more apparent. Cortijo Blanco Hotel is a bang average 3 star and anyone coming needs to know this - the food, drinks, cleanliness of rooms is poor to average - don't expect to be wowed in any way. The grounds are fantastic - but this is just a wrapper for a bang average hotel. Here's some positives; - You can get a bed at any time, however you will still need to put towels out if you want to be super close. - Pool areas and seated areas are always clean, there's no rubbish or drinks left at all. - Overall there's loads of space - you are never cramped, anywhere. - Staff are lovely and overall you get the help you need - Queues are a lot better - the new token system does mean you're up and down more, but the place is a million times more cleaner. - The daily bus to Peurto Banus Negatives (as someone who's been twice over a 2 year gap); - Rooms are not clean and many times the cleaners just changed the top sheet and that's it. We only got new towels 4 times in 11 days. - Pots, cups and beakers are a lot dirtier than the first time - grab two plates, one will have stains on it. - Drinks are terrible, impossible to get drunk because they're obviously watered down - Beer is still fine though. - If you don't get to breakfast early - the queues are massive - everyone wants eggs - Lots to food choices, but pretty much the same always - All other costs have rocketed up, Scooter hire, bike hire, cocktails and trips - all gone up. Last time it was €25 adult, €15 child to go to the Estepona hotel for the day so you could use the waterpark etc, with the bus included. Now €40/€30 and you have to make your own way there. The staff works hard - you can't fault them... But at the end of the day, this is a reasonably priced hotel for a reason. If you're not the type to nitpick - you will love it here. after all the negatives, you absolutely can still have a cracking time.

Bang avarage 3 star hotel you get what you pay for , food is okay , staff are lovely and entertainment is superb , great location and many places nearby to visit and lots of things to do around to keep you busy, taxis around are cheap and getting around is easy. Cups are small so bring a bigger plastic cup if you want as going up to the bar constantly can be annoying. A few people were reserving sun loungers but not many. Rooms are okay , some questionable repairs and cheap fixes are clear in the room I stayed in , reccomend spending a little more for a much nicer room , overall a good hotel and get what you pay for.

We stayed in a deluxe room number 163 which was modern and clean. The air con was a welcome relief from the heat. The TV had English TV so my son could watch the England v France game which he was happy about. The bathroom was spacious with a walk in shower. The only negative for me was that the only mirror and electric plug for drying hair was in the bathroom. We really appreciated our rooms being cleaned and our beds made up everyday. The pools were great. We preferred the quieter pool. Took towels to sun beds at about 9am each morning and always got beds. The entertainment was very good. Staff were very enthusiastic. Our balcony overlooked this area so we were pleased it finished at 11/11.30pm as it was very noisy in our room until this time. It didn’t worry us though as we sometimes sat on our balcony to watch the shows. People who like to go to bed early or with very young children might find these rooms unsuitable. We had read some negative reviews about the restaurant and food prior to arrival so were a little worried about this. We found breakfast to be excellent. Lots of choices. However, myself and partner are vegetarians and we felt that there could have been more options for us. There wasn’t a lot to choose from. My son who eats meat had more choice. He liked the freshly cooked steaks and chicken and chips. We found sitting in the main part of the restaurant too hot and busy but if you walk through to the end of the dining area there is another area which is quieter and cooler so we sat there everyday. We really appreciated the free shuttle bus. We took the bus to the market on Thursday and went to Puerto Banus on the Friday. The hotel is a short walk to the beach / promenade where we had a lovely walk along the seafront. Overall, we thought this hotel was good value for money and would happily recommend this to travellers looking for a 3/4 star hotel.