We stayed at the Tryp Guadalmar for 3 nights. The cost from the airport to the hotel was 19 Euros. The hotel is situated in a residential area between Malaga and Torremolinos. It's perfect for a relaxing short break. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Everyone spoke English, but it's a French hotel so the entertainment team were mainly speaking French but did try their hardest to translate into English as well. When I booked this hotel I looked everywhere to see what was actually included in the All Inclusive but couldn't find a list anywhere, so here's what is included if you go all inclusive; - Buffet breakfast, this included croissants, cereals, ham, cheese, freshly made pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, donuts, fruit, bread, jams, tea, coffee, fruit juices. Buffet lunch, this included lots of hot dishes, freshly cooked meats, salads, vegetables, cheese, ham, pasta, desserts. Buffet dinner was similar to lunch. For breakfast, lunch and dinner they do "Show Cooking" which is basically you choose the piece of meat or fish and they cook it right there in front of you on a grill. They also do this with pasta, you can choose which sauces and ingredients you would like with your pasta dish! The show cooking for breakfast was pancakes and eggs mainly. There is also a pool bar which serves sandwiches, crisps and ice cream which is included. Drinks included were soft drinks (coke etc), fruit juices, water, beer, wine, sangria, gin, whisky, Malibu, vodka, brandy, pernod, vermouth, cocktails, Cava, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and milk shakes. You can get drinks from either the pool bar or the bar Picasso just inside.
The bedroom was very clean, included air con, 2 double beds, 2 wardrobes, dressing table, table & chairs, tv with 3 English channels (Discovery, National Geographic and BBC World News) My husband was very happy he could watch Myth Busters! The bathroom was marble and included a bath with shower, hairdryer, hand soap and shampoo. We stayed on the 6th floor and the view was fantastic, overlooking the beach. The aeroplanes fly over the beach not over the hotel and yes you can hear the planes whilst laying by the pool but once inside your room with the balcony door closed you can't hear them at all. A room upgrade costs 15 Euros per night, but personally we didn't spend long in the room so decided on the standard room. Which we were still very pleased with.
The beach is huge and you can see Torremolinos in the distance on one side and Malaga on the other. It is very popular with the locals at the weekends.
There is a shopping centre, Plaza Mayor, which is approx 20 min walk away. Here they also have a train station which we got to Torremolinos which cost 1.60 Euros each way. It only took 10 minutes on the train. Torremolinos is very much like Benidorm if you've ever been there or seen it on tv!
There is a bus stop directly outside the hotel entrance which goes into the centre of Malaga, it only cost 1.20 Euros each way and took 30 minutes. Malaga is a must see, the shopping parts were gorgeous with marble pavements! It's very clean and safe. We walked round the centre at 10pm and felt secure. Most the shops close at 9pm but a few of the bigger stores stayed open till 10pm. You cannot get a bus to Torremolinos from the hotel, if you want to go there its got to be a taxi or walk to the Plaza Mayor for the train. You could walk along the beach like we did coming back from Torremolinos but it's about 4-5 miles!
The hotel also has an indoor pool, jacuzzi and gym, we didn't use it but looked very nice. It's my understanding that you have to wear a swimming cap for the indoor pool though. The outdoor pool was freezing so I only went in once but my husband was in every day! The hotel has an entertainment team which does daily activities such as Mini Club for the kids, aqua aerobics, scrabble, bowls, etc again it's mainly the French who took part as the entertainment team were French!
There are always taxi's waiting outside the hotel, the taxi back to the airport cost 15 Euros.
Overall, this hotel was very clean, perfect for a short break, not sure I would want to stay here for my 2 week holiday due to the location I think I may get a bit bored, the staff were very friendly, especially the bar staff, reception were also very helpful, if you needed any information about buses etc they would print you off a timetable. Food was fantastic and lots to choose from, they even had a special kids table which was lowered so they can choose their food! Very pleased with our choice of hotel. :-D