Calamity Jo goes on a Costa Tropical bargain break with her two adolescent sons, directly after ‘The Big Fat Village Wedding’ . This is a tale of four-star accommodation – at a weekday budget price – endless food, and horizontal family members…
HERE AT ‘South of Granada’, we are occasionally accused of writing about things indirectly, rather than experiencing them first-hand. This isn’t strictly true! With today’s diesel prices, the cost of living, and busy lifestyles, you can’t attend everything – but we do actually venture out! The difficulty, sometimes, lies in the timing. Considering the social whirl of southern Spain, this can involve conflicting fixtures, unpredictable weather, and missing some events. The recent family Costa Tropical bargain break added ‘resaca’ into the mix. Well, holidays are designed to “rest and recuperate” (ahem!).
In this case, the Costa Tropical bargain break was booked as a pre-birthday treat for eldest son. Allocating the family trip directly after “wedding of the year” in our ‘pueblo’ was a questionable decision (eldest son, himself, questioned the decision!), and one that could easily have been avoided. However, the weather looked best on those dates. Having fun in the sun, rather than navigating storm conditions, can make a huge difference to your holiday
Part 1: Debilitated departure to Impressive Playa Golf Motril
THE first leg of the Costa Tropical bargain break started with preparation to leave: a logistical exercise, in survival mode. The village wedding had predictably ended in carnage for the local diehards. An attempt to go ‘beddies’ at midnight had been thwarted, as visitors arrived bearing gifts that encouraged being sociable. What followed veered closer to ‘The Hangover’, rather than orderly preparation for a wholesome family break.
At least there was no tiger in the bath, no property damage, and travel documents remained intact. Just neighbours putting the world to rights over the local ‘vino’ until silly-o-clock.
The teenagers – now technically adults – watched the departure preparation with vague amusement, and very little movement!
Arrival, and immediate collapse into a Junior Suite
You can’t fail to be duly …errr… impressed by the Impressive Playa Granada Golf. An all-inclusive – and sprawling – resort, it’s on the first line of Playa Granada in Motril, with direct access to the beach, and affording enticing views across the Med.
We had booked a Junior Suite and the all-inclusive deal. This, really, is what you need with adolescents who eat constantly. The suite was spacious and comfortable. The terrace had a panoramic sea view, two newish sun loungers, and overlooked the Med and the tennis courts below – allowing for ongoing, theoretical, engagement with sport.
Check-in introduced a strange complication: the meal times stated on the website did not align exactly with the printed information sheet. Under normal circumstances, this could be mildly irritating. With woolly heads, it was confusing. But we soon found food! Oh yes, lots of food!
Facilities (aspired to, rather than used)
The resort offers a wide range of activities – tennis, table tennis, yoga, multiple swimming pools, a gym, theatre, and weekend nightclub. In practice, these existed largely as concepts for the recuperating guests.
The open, outdoor swimming pools were usable (in April), if slightly tepid. A faint ‘calima’ haze did little to improve enthusiasm. The overriding activity, across all age groups, was serenity. And eating!
What had been booked as an active break became a collective exercise in relaxing in a darkened room (fitted with a decent smart TV) and waiting for the next meal. The teenagers, predictably, excelled at this “activity”.
The all-inclusive reality
The all-inclusive drinks offering in the poolside bar is generous. Beer, wine, cocktails, mocktails. ‘Mojitos‘ contain a striking quantity of mint – borderline horticultural – while ‘piña coladas’ are the more reliable option. Why not have several – but don’t make yourself sick!
It’s true that, without the all-inclusive package, the cost of drinks could escalate quickly. For anyone planning regular use of the bar, the upgrade makes financial sense. In the hotel’s rooftop bar, the cocktails were listed as 9e each. Uuf!
The gigantic ‘buffet libre’ (eat until you die!) is where the hotel excels. Much of the food was genuinely great, with the beef and chicken dishes being highlights. There’s something to suit everyone, including vegan and gluten-free selections. However, the fish was “too fishy” and the ‘rosado‘ wine (free for all diners) was fine the first night, then looked very orangey indeed.
The poolside bar also offers a range of snacks (for the all-inclusive guests). These are ideal for filling your adolescents! We accidentally ingested a variety of sponge cakes directly before dinner!
Although the all-inclusive deal suits teens and bar-flies, it might be overkill for some guests – i.e. less hungry ones. The temptation is to overdo it – simply because it’s there.. A half-board (‘media pensión‘) deal, or breakfast-only option, might suit some visitors better. The money saved could fund an extra night for a similar budget. The trade-off re booking the basic package is that any additional drinks and snacks will run-up a large bill quickly.
Part 2: Helios Hotel in Almuñécar – with bubbles
AFTER two nights at the Impressive Playa Golf, the family forced down a final ‘buffet libre‘ lunch. While Ma and eldest son departed for Almuñécar, youngest son bailed via the Motril bus station – with a friend in need to visit!
Conveniently located on Almuñécar’s ‘Playa San Christobal‘, the Hotel Helios Costa Tropical is a top choice for special occasions and short breaks. The hotel is popular with cyclists, older people (off-season), and German visitors.
The traditional Helios is a different proposition to a sprawling aparthotel resort like Impressive Playa Golf, that contains everything you need within its walls. Loosely designed around the visual concept of a ship, this hotel offers heated pools, a rooftop terrace with panoramic views, and a café/bar with evening entertainment – including flamenco shows. It is a good base to explore the surrounding area, and people-watch along the seafront.
As usual, the welcome at check-in was exemplary. The staff are friendly and we found ‘cava‘ and biscuits waiting in our room. A nice surprise!
Although our room (320) had a limited sea view, this is because it was a standard triple – a room category that doesn’t afford the best viewpoints here. However, step outside and you’re straight on to ‘San Cristóbal Playa‘ – with its extensive promenade, beach bars, sea air (to nurse your indigestion!), and reasonably-priced souvenir shops.
A seafront stroll…
After dipping into the heated Helios pool, we wandered along the promenade and stopped for ‘tapas’ at a charming seafront bar. Drinks were cautiously deployed, as we were very full. Prices along the seafront were reasonable – arguably better than in parts of La Alpujarra. We could have eaten in the Helios restaurant for a good price (another delicious ‘buffet libre‘) but this would have been a “wafer-thin mint” too far moment, like in ‘Monty Python‘. The bubbles were now in the tummy, not just in the glass!
At one point, the seafront delivered a hilarious moment. Outside our chosen bar, a would-be influencer positioned herself in the actual road, mobile phone deployed on a tripod, carefully posing in front of at least five different municipal bins. Her partner tried to maintain a bland expression. She held the pose. She was lucky not to be mowed down!
Back at the Helios, we caught the and of a flamenco show, before heading to bed. The next morning brought another enjoyable seafront stroll, followed by a visit to the hotel’s panoramic rooftop area (don’t miss it!), before heading home. We would normally have opted for the very good buffet breakfast – but we needed to fast, with no food, instead!
Is a Costa Tropical bargain break worth it?
The Costa Tropical is great in springtime, with the chance of warm sun, moderate night-time temperatures, open swimming pools, and affordable weekday accommodation.
We chose to book two hotels for our Costa Tropical bargain break – to provide two different experiences. One contains you within its extensive and beautiful grounds. The other sends you out to explore, and has the benefit of heated pools.
Just don’t book your Costa Tropical bargain break directly after the village fiesta!