Stayed here for a week in a very nice apartment with all mod cons. The grounds were beautifully kept. The service was polite and efficient ( smiles came extra!) I was also shocked at the high price of the internet as in most holiday complexes it is now free. The restaurants were limited if you wanted good standard food. We went o Mijas most nights where there are some very good restaurants.
We were obliged to sit through a very lengthy,high pressure sales pitch for the new deal Club La Costa are currently offering. It sounded good on the face of it but when we read the small print ( which wasn't mentioned during the pitch), part of the deal is linked to Spanish inflation. We were also concerned that the deal was for 19 years and it seemed difficult to get out of it before then without loosing alot of money. This deal might suit some people. It certainly wasn't for us and we got out of the deal whilst we were still on holiday.

We won a week's stay at the Club la Costa resort in Fuengirola, near to Malaga. We stayed as a "guest" in a one bedroom apartment in the California Beach resort behind their Safari restaurant. Could just about make out the sea view from the balcony. Quite pretty, well maintained gardens, the reception staff were friendly. The apartment was well appointed with good equipment, the build probably around 12 / 13 years old, newer than their Marina del Sol area within the large complex.

Had a hire car - but some kind sole decided to reverse their car into the front left wing leaving a dent / scuff. Thank goodness we took out excess collision waiver cover at the hire car desk (Avis - huge queue waiting for the car, but that's another story!) at Malaga airport. Of course they didn't leave any details!

As part of the deal we had to attend a sales pitch - 4 1/2 hours, the broker / salesman talked a fair bit about his personal life, and not about selling the product - why!
At the end of the day, despite them trying to make a comparison with the holdidays we have had previously over the last 3 years and and what we had spent in total for them, they made a case that their product was far better value. Don't sign up to anything, it will prove to be a drain on your resources for 19 years. You still have flights & food to pay for, and can get much better deals if you do your own thing.

But the week was enjoyable, so if you can brave the sales pitch and are invited to spend a week as a guest, go for it. Avoid school holiday times and if you enjoy the hot sunny weather, the late spring / summer / early autumn months. Plus DON'T sign up.

We 'won' this holiday through a promotion so only paid £29 each plus airport taxes and charges, the only down side being the presentation we had to endure. Having said that and whilst it took 5 hours 50 minutes it wasn't the ordeal I was expecting.

Firstly, the site is very well kept and laid out though hilly. Plenty of steps but a train runs every half hour around the various complexes.

We were in one of the earliest blocks built, four apartments on two floors. Ours was fairly near Reception with views back to Malaga, Mijas and over Zachary's bar. Some noise, (one night to midnight) but not disturbing. The apartment was fairly basic, two bedrooms, kitchen/dining/lounge and being upstairs, a balcony - enough for four people and table and chairs. But it was well equipped and the only thing you might have wanted was a dishwasher. There was unlimited hot water and a decent shower over a bath. Unexpectedly, a maid appeared mid-week to change the sheets and towels etc and clean.

The jug for the coffee maker broke but was replaced without charge the same day.

Facilities were excellent, some heated pools on the site as well as unheated. Safari restaurant on one of the other sites especially good for a 3 course lunch special at €12. A mini-market which wasn't overpriced, wifi at reception, recycling bins etc.

Reception was good for checking in and very helpful. Next door was a cafe selling fresh bread, milk etc and a small shop where you could buy postcards and stamps (they would frank cards for you).

Parking was OK, small bays and not always able to park outside but it wasn't a problem. (Car hired from Malaga Car who provided a very good service and very reasonable.)

Good location for trips - we went to Granada for the Alhambra Palace, a two hour drive but on excellent roads and well worth it. Also Peurto Banus and Mijas in the hills, Marbella and Gibraltar all within easy driving distance. Malaga Airport only 20k away.

The presentation began with a complimentary buffet breakfast which was good including a full English if you wanted. The rep then took us for a drive round the site and the immediate vicinity before taking us to the Exhibition Centre where we were given drinks. Various questions were asked about holiday history so that she could work out an average spend to see what we should invest. The comparison was made between the 19 year lease on real property that we would buying (in theory) and 19 years worth of holidays we would otherwise have. Of course, Club la Costa worked out a lot cheaper, in theory. We were then taken on a tour of three different apartments which were all rather nice and superior to the one we were in and very enticing. A relaxed and leisurely tour.

Then back to the Exhibition Centre for the hard sell. More drinks (non-alcoholic) and sandwiches and her boss who kept appearing and disappearing turns up to say that the 747 plan would best suit us. This involved buying a share in a real apartment, with title deeds etc on a 19 year lease for £9950 plus £500 legal fees. The annual management charges of (I think) £500 were not mentioned much. Of course, you still had to pay for flights etc. The advantage of this system is that your purchase provides you with so many points which you exchange for holidays. You can carry over or anticipate points. You can buy extra points if required. You can use other RCI resorts. This does encourage you to have a holiday if you like the type of resorts on offer. Whether you can get the weeks you want, read other reviews. There were good offers for off-peak use. Also places in Cornwall and Scotland as well as plenty of other worldwide CLC resorts.

Eventually when we said no, (not being one to spend £10500 without some real thought) the boss seemed unhappy but Kerry was fine about it. So 350 minutes later we had fulfilled our side of the bargain and for £29 each not a bad deal. It was an interesting experience and not unpleasant and enlightening to see marketing in action!

Fuengirola was within walking distance and there were plenty of restaurants, take-aways and good supermarkets.