Hotel Servigroup Marina Playa

This is a large seafront hotel in Mojácar, built for days that begin on the beach and end with dinner, a drink and very little complicated decision-making. Four swimming pools, a wellness centre and direct access to the sandy Playa Morro de Gos give you plenty to do without having to organise another outing once you are back on dry land.

Families are well catered for, with family rooms, a kids’ club, a children’s playground, a games room, a children’s pool and a water slide. Couples can keep to the sea-facing side of the hotel, settle on a sun lounger or take the shorter route to the bar. The hotel’s website is available in English, French and Spanish; that tells you the property is set up for those markets, but the team’s spoken languages are not specified.

You are in Mojácar, on Spain’s Costa de Almería, with the hotel directly beside Playa Morro de Gos. The beach is sandy, equipped with loungers and parasols, and reached without a road crossing or a shuttle. Marina de la Torre is about 350 metres away, while La Rumina Beach is roughly 700 metres away by road.

The immediate area gives you a few alternatives when you fancy leaving the hotel: Chiringuito Cala Marina is about 400 metres away, and Pizzeria Imperial roughly 1 km away. Marina Mojácar Golf Course is just 50 metres from the property. For a bigger change of scenery, Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is about 7 miles away by road.

Almeria Airport is about 47 miles away by road, with the journey taking under an hour by car. The hotel is therefore easy enough to reach by road, but not the sort of address where you casually walk out for a train or metro connection.

The rooms are practical rather than fussy: two double beds, a balcony, air conditioning, an LCD television, free Wi-Fi and a mini fridge. That fridge earns its keep when you return hot, thirsty and no longer interested in discovering what room-temperature water tastes like. Room service is also available, should the day’s exertions leave you happier eating privately than joining the buffet.

The sea-view rooms are the obvious choice for a couple who wants the coast to do some of the evening’s work. You can sit outside and watch the light change over the water instead of staring at another hotel wall. Rooms with two double beds also give families and groups a straightforward sleeping arrangement, with family options available for different combinations of adults and children.

Air conditioning is available during the summer months, while heating covers the cooler part of the year. Daily housekeeping is provided. A safe can be rented on request, and the building has a lift, which is useful when your legs have already had their share of exercise.

The main restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as an international buffet. Expect both hot and cold dishes, themed selections, vegetarian choices, options for guests with intolerances and desserts. The kitchen also works with national and international dishes, including the rice dishes associated with the area.

The useful detail is the live cooking station: meat and fish are prepared to order on the griddle or grill in front of you. It is the sort of arrangement that works well when you want something properly hot without planning the rest of the evening around a restaurant booking. Breakfast is buffet-style, and children’s menus are available in summer.

There are two named bars. Bar Las Olas sits by the beach and concentrates on cocktails and drinks with views towards Morro de Gos, while the lounge bar offers another place for a soft drink or cocktail away from the sand. A poolside bar and a beach snack bar are also available, so you have options when a full meal feels like a technical dive.

Four pools give you a choice of water without asking you to leave the hotel: three are saltwater pools, and one heated pool is covered during winter. Sun loungers and beach chairs are available around the hotel and by the beach, so the recovery plan can be as ambitious as swimming a few lengths or as demanding as turning over in the sun.

The wellness centre is the more serious option for tired shoulders. It includes a gym, sauna, Turkish bath, hot tub and heated pool, with massages, facial treatments, body treatments, mud baths and body wraps available. The spa uses Thalgo products. Access to the wellness centre, as well as some facilities and treatments, carries an additional charge, so it is worth checking the arrangement when you book rather than assuming everything is included.

Away from the water and spa, you can play table tennis, billiards or paddle tennis. The hotel has four paddle-tennis courts. Evening entertainment, live music, live sport broadcasts and a shared lounge provide something to do when the weather turns or the legs vote against another excursion.

Check-in starts at 16:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. You need photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and the minimum age for checking in is 18. Children of all ages are welcome; guests aged 13 and over are treated as adults, and cots for babies can be requested. There are no extra beds.

Private parking is available at the hotel, with spaces in a parking garage, although reservation is not possible. Wi-Fi is free throughout the property, but the connection is intended for normal browsing, email and low-data mobile use rather than guaranteed high-bandwidth work in every corner of the building. A 24-hour reception, luggage storage, concierge service, tour desk and currency exchange make the practical side fairly well covered.

The hotel offers a restaurant, room service, a coffee house, vending machines for snacks and drinks, and breakfast in the room. Half-board and full-board arrangements do not include drinks. Pets are not allowed, and guests under 18 can check in only with a parent or official guardian. Airport transfers are not listed among the hotel services, so you should arrange your road transport to and from Almeria Airport separately.