Matchroom Country Club
Could be amazing but sadly whoever holds the purse strings is not caring for this place
Accommodation is dated but spacious and clean. This is a tired complex with no one seemingly caring to update, you get the feeling that the owner/s whoever they take your money but don’t reinvest. The staff are very nice and we felt for them working in such an unloved complex, I guess they receive complaints all day long. There is no shop on the complex, there used to be a small store a short walk from complex, it is closed. There are plenty of supermarkets but they are all a cab drive.
We thought we would use their free minibus to Fuengirola. Beware, they advertise it but it doesn’t exist! We tried to book it on the first day and it was full for the whole week! Asking around no one has ever seen it.
Walking, especially in the heat is too far when you have goods to carry and maybe children, it is not a pleasant walk, don’t try it. Taxis up there are referred to as The Mafia and I’m sorry to say I have to agree. They won’t allow Fuengirola cabs to come and pick you up and they charge much more, they are a law to themselves, it really is a disgrace and for some unknown reason Matchroom go along with this. We were a party of 5, Mijas cabs have no 5/6 sweaters so you have to take 2 cabs. They will not accept a 5/6 one from out of the area. A car is a must or be prepared to spend a fair amount on cabs.
Matchroom say you can buy milk, bread and water from them. We didn’t, a litre of water is treble the price with them. The pool area has been reduced in the last few years and a steel type fence put around what is left. This we think was to stop them needing a lifeguard. It is still of good size but when the kids all want to play and maybe the big boys you need to be prepared for some poor pool etiquette. The sign says no glass at the pool area, no large water beds/rings balls. They may as well change the sign and say bring them and carry on. Young men sat with beer bottle feet dangling in the pool. It’s not so much the drink it’s the potential injury that worried us if it broke… The pool bar in high season opens 6 days a week. It should open at noon but is usually late and it closes at 5pm! If you want a drink/snack outside of this you have to trail up to the small main area and go to the one small bar, you have to be dressed to do this.
We asked for a cappuccino at the pool bar, not available, then just coffee, same reply, then a tea, same reply. The machine was broken when we asked when did it break he said last year!!! The entrainment is practically non-existent and of poor quality.
No one bothers to go, there were two people on the one night one of our party visited, young lady singing with her laptop as backing to My Boy Lollipop. So now you are sort of marooned up here and you take the children for a meal, They don’t serve food till 7.30, they need to do Happy Hour first!! So let’s recap pool bar closed so can’t get a mediocre pizza for children … There is nowhere to walk to so they have to be good children and wait to be served from 7.30! This could be a fabulous place all it needs is a little investment to make us holidaymakers feel wanted and happy. If you are reading this Matchroom…
Get a minibus service running or allow Fuengirola cabs up the hill, why do you allow holidaymakers to be ripped off? Turn the empty Real Estate shop into a small food/ gift shop. Children love to spend their holiday money on souvenirs etc and buying their sweets/crisps. Open up the pool bar for longer, some of us would enjoy sitting by the pool, even though your furniture is shoddy for a wine as the sunsets or water because it’s so hot, personally I’m not a fan of hot water to drink!!
Sort you restaurant out, I didn’t see one person use the very formal dining area that looks like it dropped out of a 1980’s play. Consider serving food all day or at the very least provide a service from 5.30, think of the children, I’m sure I read it was a family resort somewhere!!
People are marooned up there so give them something to enjoy now and then. There are I’m told great snooker tables, yes please get back off the floor now, and for the odd person who doesn’t play snooker…you can go to the outdoor pool table to the Matchroom standard of I don’t give a hoot what condition it is in and then …that is it… you can hire a DVD for 2 euros, selection small, they look like holidaymakers have left them behind.it was too hot for us to use their jacuzzi or sauna, the air con in this area, ( if it exists)doesn’t work. One of the party said the gym looked ok but we didn’t have gym clothes so cannot confirm.
Somehow once we sorted out food, accepted the robbery of two cabs for 5 people, realised this resort was one where the owners just take your money and don’t reinvest we managed to enjoy ourselves, I know what it was, the sun shone every day. Last word.. If you want to go on a trip the hotel rep sells them to you three times more expensive than ones you can buy in Fuengirola. He says we pick you up from resort others you have to walk down the hill to be picked up.
What you need to do is take a cab to Fuengirola and join a trip from there. On leaving we decided to use the train in Fuengirola to get to the airport as they wouldn’t get us a 5 seater cab, we were told to get two Mafia cabs to Fuengirola and then a 5 seater! They did us a favour, the train is so cheap and a quality train at that. Can’t remember exactly but 2 euros is close to price.(65/70 euros for a cab to the airport). Easy to navigate and pulls in at the airport, great views for most of the journey. Will definitely use the train in future. Just wish the UK had a service like they do, here in UK that would be a £20/30 trip with our usual crowded conditions. Well done Spain for this service.