Had a wonderful time at the Leonardo in Fuengirola, where we stayed for 9 nights on a half-board basis in early July 2026. Very happy to recommend this hotel to others, as there is lots to like about it. We stayed in Room 526 with a pleasant outlook over the sea-front and marina, just under half-way up this twelve-storey hotel.
Stand-out things about this hotel are as follows: friendly and attentive staff; terrific food selection at the buffet-style breakfast and dinner; and a quiet, comfortable room which was cleaned daily with beds all neatly made up on each occasion. A nice touch was the “Nespresso-style” coffee machine in our room, which was routinely re-stocked so that you had two complementary coffee capsules per day. For us, there was also a pleasing mix of nationalities and ages amongst the guests - typically, British, French and from the Scandinavian countries with all ages from babies and teens through to a grandpa in his nineties!
On each day we were here, we were content to sun-bathe by the hotel pool. The pool itself is not particularly big but more-than-adequate to take a refreshing dip as needed. The poolside bar is well-stocked with a small but delicious food menu and, again, serviced by friendly staff - a special mention goes to Sofia, Laura and Lola for making us feel relaxed and welcome.
Be aware however that, in early July, the pool area is fully shaded until 11am. Then between 11am to 1pm, the pool area gradually emerges into the sun so that, from 1pm onwards, the entire area is in the sun.
Our top tip to manage the politics of sun bed “reservation-by-towel” is to arrive by 10am each morning, where we then had the pick of the sun beds. In our experience, the sun beds started filling up from 10.30am onwards. A nice treat is to have a two-person “Balinese bed”. For 25 euros per day, it came with a fruit platter each and a bottle of wine or Cava. Given that the sun beds on the nearby public beach are 8 euros each per day, we thought that this was good value.
Also worth a visit is the Calma Spa where, for 15 euros for an hour, you can use a steam room, sauna and two small pools with jets. My wife also had an excellent massage and manicure whilst there.
A few words on the hotel’s location in relation to Fuengirola. The hotel is right in the centre of Fuengirola and overlooks the busy marina area. Despite this, our hotel room was very quiet and it was nice to sit on the balcony to people-watch each evening. There’s also a handy little “Le Jamon” supermarket - similar to a Sainsbury’s or Tesco “Local” - next door to the hotel for stocking up on any provisions.
Turn right on the main strip and there are plenty of bars and fast-food restaurants. Turn left on to the main strip and you’ll find plenty of independent restaurants and tourist gift shops. We enjoyed however crossing the road to explore the marina - itself full of restaurants overlooking the harbour which is full of yachts and the starting point for a plethora of sea-trips.
Our only quibble with the hotel is that the lobby/ground floor area could be more appealing. It’s open plan, but the floor is tiled with dark green marble-style tiles which, with a low ceiling and low lighting, creates a dingy feel. In addition, the air-conditioning could be stronger in the public areas. What’s more, the hotel is blessed with a stunning stained-glass dome set in the ceiling of the bar area, but it is under-utilised and hidden.
To be clear, the lobby area didn’t feel oppressive, but neither did it convey the “wow - I’m entering into something really special” factor. For a relatively modest outlay, we believe the hotel could invest in creating a really amazing “welcome experience” in its lobby area. Our preference would be to create a lighter, airier environment which makes full use of the wonderful glass dome it has.
This all said, it’s a relatively minor point which did not detract from our overall enjoyment of our holiday. As we look for great service, excellent food and a comfortable, quiet room when we’re on holiday, we’re more-than-happy to give this Leonardo the full five stars.
Thank you again to all the staff who made our stay very special.
