Aparthotel Puerto Azul Marbella

This mid-range apartment hotel is housed in a five-floor white building with a tiered facade, set on beachfront grounds dotted with tall palm trees and green lawns. If guests thought they had walked into a condo, it wouldn't be too far off the mark, as this property is best suited for independent travelers looking for a home-like place to stay.Inside, the lobby is cloaked in honey beige hues, with sleek blond-wood floors, white walls with some wood paneling, and tan sofas. It's nothing particularly memorable, but refreshingly contemporary in an area of the Costa del Sol packed with dated three-pearl properties. The restaurant has a similar aesthetic, with wooden floors paired with gray chairs and booth seating around dark wood tables. Black-and-white photography on the walls adds an elegant touch. Seating spills out onto a patio where guests can dine alfresco. Situated overlooking the beach, the hotel's outdoor pool is small, but offers a lovely spot to lounge and soak up the sun. There's also a covered, open-air chill-out area with wooden floors, sofas, and armchairs. The common areas here are small relative to the hotel's size, and as such there isn't much of a social vibe here. The hotel attracts leisure tourists seeking a beach vacation, and particularly draws families or those on extended stays who value its apartments with kitchenettes.

The Aparthotel Puerto Azul Marbella is just south of the N-340, the main road that runs through Marbella and along the coast. The hotel overlooks Fontanilla Beach and the Marbella Promenade. Numerous bars, restaurants, shops, and ice cream parlors are a short walk from the hotel. Buses stop on the N-340 for access to the rest of the area, while the bus station is a nine-minute drive away. Alameda Park, with tropical gardens and a fountain, is a 10-minute walk away, and it's also only a 10-minute walk into Marbella's Old Town. Once there, the narrow cobblestone streets are home to the Contemporary Spanish Engraving Museum (featuring works from Picasso, Miro, and Dali), as well as the Renaissance-era Plaza de los Naranjos and the Chapel of Santiago, the oldest religious building in the city. It's a little under 10 minutes by car to the Plaza de Toros and the Bonsai Museum, and about 15 minutes to Puerto Banus Marina. The Malaga Airport is around a 45-minute drive, while Malaga city is about an hour away.

The Aparthotel Puerto Azul Marbella offers 61 studios and one-bedroom apartments, all clean, quiet, and simply decorated, with a contemporary finish (despite the unfortunate patterned bedspreads). The color scheme skews toward soft neutrals like white, beige, and tan, and rooms have a few pieces of abstract art on the walls. The furniture is done in light wood veneer finishes, and has sleek silhouettes, though in many units the lone eye-catching decorative element is the hexagonal stencil pattern on the headboards. Still, these apartments are a nice step up from many competing three-pearl hotels in the area.Units range from 291 to 506 square feet (27 to 47 square meters), so all are at least fairly spacious. One-bedroom apartments have living rooms with sofa beds, and single-room studios are also available. All units have balconies or terraces (some with excellent Mediterranean Sea views), as well as kitchenettes with mini-fridges, microwaves, two-burner electric stovetops, toasters, tea/coffee facilities, cookware, and tableware. Other amenities include air-conditioning, work desks, safes, small flat-screen TVs with satellite channels (with limited English channels), and free Wi-Fi. Units are cleaned daily, though this does not include kitchenettes, and towels and sheets are changed twice weekly. It's worth noting that past guests have complained about hard mattresses. Bathrooms look a bit more dated than the guest rooms, and they are done in tan tiling, with faux-marble diamond borders. There's a bit of tan marble counter space around the sinks, but bathrooms in some rooms can be compact. All include shower/tub combos, though the hinged glass wall only covers half of the bathtub, and floors can get wet. 

Given it's condo-like vibe, it's not surprising that features at this hotel are a bit limited, and what's on offer can feel small for the size of the hotel. The pool area is fine for cooling off or -- if you're lucky -- snagging a lounge chair and sunbathing, though there weren't many of those to be had when we visited and the pool itself issn't large. The beach -- while not private -- also offers lounge chairs for rent, and water sports like Jet Skiing, scuba diving, and sailing can all be arranged nearby. Land-based activities include table tennis and bicycle rentals, but little else.The hotel's restaurant serves a broad menu of Spanish and Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner. The well-priced breakfast buffet offers items like eggs, bacon, sausages, pastries, and cereal, but keep in mind that hours vary in the low season. The restaurant has an outdoor patio and occasional flamenco shows and tango dancing -- there's also a bar for cocktails, beer, and wine. Other amenities include a 24-hour front desk that can help with tourist information, and there's also a public computer and free Wi-Fi. There's no on-site parking and paid street parking is sometimes difficult to find, plus nearby garages are expensive.