Bahia Tropical

Bahia Tropical is a seaside hotel for divers who want the coast close at hand but do not need every evening organised around a timetable. The direct sandy beach, outdoor pool, spa and terrace give you several ways to come down from the day's activities without turning the hotel into a full-time entertainment machine.

The scale is substantial: 253 rooms spread across seven floors, with a 24-hour reception, lift access and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. English, Spanish, German and French are spoken by the hotel team, so practical questions should not require a game of underwater charades.

You are in Almunecar, Spain, on Paseo del Tesorillo, directly beside the sea. The hotel has direct access to a sandy public beach with sun loungers and parasols. This is the only sandy beach in Almuñécar, and its clean water and low visitor density give the shoreline a quieter character than the usual packed resort strip.

The centre of Almunecar is around 1.9 miles away, close enough for an outing without putting the town centre under your window. Playa del Pozuelo, Playa del Tesorillo and Playa de Velilla are nearby, while the coast itself starts at the hotel entrance. Granada Airport is around 50 minutes away by road.

The choice is unusually broad, from single and double rooms to triple, quadruple and quintuple accommodation, family rooms, junior suites, suites, apartments and a bungalow. That matters if you are travelling with dive partners or family and want to keep everyone under one roof rather than conducting a nightly search for extra furniture. Some categories add a balcony, a pool view, a sea view or a more generous suite layout.

Air conditioning is available in the hotel and in selected room categories, with heating available as well. Room facilities include a private bathroom with shower and, in some categories, a bath, plus a minibar, television and hairdryer. Safes are available in selected rooms and suites. The practical choice is straightforward: a balcony or view if the room is part of the holiday, a larger category if you are sharing with family, and a simpler double or twin room if the room is mainly where you sleep, shower and recharge.

Junior suites add toiletries, while selected deluxe rooms bring together air conditioning, a television, minibar, safe, telephone and both bath and shower facilities. Room service is available during limited hours. Free Wi-Fi keeps the post-dive admin painless, which is exactly how it should be.

The hotel has a restaurant, a snack bar, buffet breakfast, coffee service and room service during limited hours. The meal arrangement depends on the room booking, so check the selected rate rather than assuming that every stay follows the same board plan. Sensible advice, especially when dive days have a habit of shifting appetites around.

There are two bars. Bar/Terraza Tropical works as a beach and rooftop bar, with signature cocktails, wine, sangria, liqueurs and mixed drinks. The other bar sits on the ground floor opposite reception and concentrates on coffees and teas.

The result is a useful range for the evening: a proper restaurant when you want to sit down, a snack bar when hunger arrives at an inconvenient hour, and a rooftop or beach-facing drink when the sensible plan is simply to watch the light go out over the coast.

The outdoor pool and children's pool give you an easy alternative to the beach, while the sun terrace, garden and direct access to the sand cover the more demanding activity of finding a comfortable place and staying there. The spa offers massages and beauty treatments, with a sauna and solarium for the slower part of the day.

Away from the water, there is table tennis, billiards, a library and a barbecue area. Kayaking, snorkelling and water-sports equipment hire are available for days when you want to stay active without committing to another full dive schedule. Golf, cycling and cultural excursions add options beyond the hotel itself.

The excursion service can arrange trips to the Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada and the Alhambra. Evening entertainment includes magic, comedy, impersonation, flamenco and live music. Families also have a kids' club, children's activities and a games room, which may buy you enough quiet time to finish a book without a small person asking what time dinner is.

Airport transfers are available and can be arranged through the hotel. Car parking is available at the property and nearby, with vehicle hire also offered. The reception is open around the clock, although the published reception service closes at 20:00; check the arrival arrangements if you expect to reach the hotel later. Check-in runs from 14:00 to 18:00, and check-out is at 12:00.

A lift serves the upper floors, and access facilities are available for guests with reduced mobility. Luggage storage, wake-up calls, laundry, a safe and tourist information add useful support around the edges of the stay. An on-site infirmary is available, and pets, including assistance animals, are not accepted.

The hotel accepts cash, Visa and Mastercard. Rooms and public areas have free Wi-Fi, while air conditioning and heating cover the less glamorous but important business of recovering properly between outings.